Funky Junk Interiors

Industrial cart coffee crate side table

This next year, I plan to ‘upgrade’ a few key pieces of furniture that I’ve made over the years, to give them more of a ‘grown up industrial edge’.

Yes. I want my junk to grow up. Just a little.

For one, while my pallet wood TV media stand is still standing strong, I’d love to infuse more metal into the mix.

Wow. I just checked the date on that one. It’s 7 years old! One of my very first furniture pieces. Yes. I’m indeed overdue for a few upgrades.

So anyway, that takes us to today.

While I was decorating for Christmas in the living room, two stacked crates in the corner just looked so.. always been like that. I basically hauled them out of my stash and plunked them into the corner.

This seemed just like a really good time to ramp up that industrial edge right away. Now what could I do…

After rummaging through my rusty junk stash, the idea came quickly. These crates were about to morph into a little industrial cart… of the faux kind!

I’m no stranger to faux if you remember my fake barn door headboard, or my old gate window screens. It’s fun to fake it! And a whole lot less expensive. 

Well, the industrial crate cart indeed did work out. Whoop! The start of something new around here…

First I’ll show you how I made it, then show you the Christmas version below.

This post contains some affiliate links.

Industrial cart coffee crate side table

 

Supplies used:

2 like-minded crates

stencil optional – I used International Coffee HERE

paint optional – I used Fusion Mineral Paint’s Coal Black / or purchase from merchant HERE

furniture wax – I used Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Wax in plain, and Fusion Mineral Paint’s Espresso

full swivel casters / standard / super cool industrial

cordless drill and screws

palm sander

rusty ‘ol clamps

rusty junk wheel things (good luck!)

How-To:

I started with two like-minded old crates and some full swivel casters.

I had these smaller rubber casters which I do love because they are rubber and easy on hardwood floors. However because they weren’t very industrial, I had an idea.

You can however jump to industrial casters HERE if you wish!

The crates first got a good sanding inside and out to finally smooth a few sliver infused edges.

The two crates were then stacked and screwed together.

This was also a good time to tighten up some creaky joins here and there. Finally.

Because one crate was lighter than the other, I treated them to look more unified with a mix of two waxes.

How to age newer wood with wax:

I first went over the wood with Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Wax in clear, the did a spotty finish using Fusion Mineral Paint’s Espresso Wax, blending the two in.

Adding a clear wax first gives you more control over the pigment intensity. This made it really easy to add more dark wax here and there, blending the edges in.

My goal was to simply marry the two crates like they had the same finish, so perfection wasn’t even on my radar. What old crate is perfect?!

Swivel casters were screwed onto the bottom of the stacked crates.

Tip: I prefer full-swivel so your piece glides as light as a feather when it’s moved around.

Adding industrial touches:

I had these weird wheel things in my rusty junk stash and felt they could help the crates resemble a cart of sorts!

A book was slipped underneath where they were to be mounted, offering a little height off the ground. This would allow the original wheels to easily glide.

They even hide the swivel casters if you look at the cart head on. Cool.

Then I added a couple of clamps, a big ‘ol hook thing, and a board to tie the two industrial wheels together, and ended up with…

The Reveal:

… this! I mean, just how fun is this thing?

Then I played with accessories. I like how the black Farmhouse sign helps anchor all that black.

Duly noted. This new toy likes black accessories.

I think my fav part are the clamps. Their placement pretends that’s the way the crates are being held together.

Ok, I also admit, I like the gritty wheels too. They certainly add a punch of industrial, don’t they?

So! The main function of this crate cart was to hold a lamp in the living room. Due to the dark nature of the area, I decided to just illuminate the entire thing for Christmas!

Bringing out one of my fav pipe lamps from back in the day (remember the sawhorse bracket challenge HERE?) and a string of white mini lights, this was the fun result!

The string of lights was threaded into each crate from the back, and the rest on the floor behind the crates to help illuminate this little dark corner.

To push the illumination a little further, the white mini lights were inserted into an old bait bucket that casts a pretty neat design! And the 2nd crate was filled up with some ornaments over top of the lights for a glowy effect.

However, as hard as I tried, (oh I tried…) I just couldn’t leave the little cart just be.

Something was missing. I already knew what it was, but I fought it.

But ultimately lost. Or won. Take your pick!

So I dragged the crates downstairs one more time to ice the cake.

The crate top got a stencil treatment of a barely there weathered Coffee Roasters Est.1901 treatment.

And NOW I could deem it done. My sign-aholic sickness continues to thrive, thankyouverymuch.

How to barely-there stencil:

Using a VERY dry to the touch paint loaded stencil brush, the image was stenciled on super uneven, even missing parts of some letters to make it look authentically weathered. No sanding will be required if you’re really light handed with that paint.

 

You can learn more on HOW TO STENCIL HERE

Stencils used: International Brewers Coffee and Antiques found HERE

NOW it’s done!

Or so I thought.

30 minutes later, I moved the antiques crated Christmas tree which moved the living room around and came up with… egads. Yet another version of this crate. 

But don’t worry, I’ll show you that one too!

Even I can’t keep up with me…