Having a pipe table in your home decor is all the rage now. I have to admit: I’m in love with pipe tables! They are easy to make and they fit in most rustic, Southwest, Indonesian and Boho decor.
You can use scrap wood, an entire slice of a tree, a board or several boards for the top. The legs can be done with skinny pipes, thick pipes, crossed pipes and even copper pipes! You can spray paint the legs and have them ready to stand with a twist (pun intended)!
If you are following this blog you know I have been decorating my Mexican-inspired bar (here and photo below).
I had this area where I wanted to put some tables to make it look like a real bar: I pictured friends sitting in different tables and chatting in groups during parties. More importantly, it had to be cool. No dingy basement-looking-man- cave. Especially, inside the house!
The space was not that big and I wasn’t sure I could find something that would work in the space and still match the decor.
Pipe Tables Are Cheap to Make
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Price was a consideration when buying more than one table too. Then I thought maybe I can install a shelf instead. But then shelf seemed a little concerning because what if the wall wouldn’t hold the weight?
The wall was mainly drywall and even if I nailed the shelf to the studs there was still a possibility the shelf would eventually sag with people putting weight on it and such. Plus, I think a shelf would look a little “meh” for the space.
I had already made a pipe table using a patio umbrella stand I found in my backyard (the process: here and pic on the left). Making that table was very easy and It looked so cool!
It didn’t take long for me to realize that I could make another table like that. A custom made table would fit the space and certainly, it would match the decor.
If you don’t have the time or don’t think you can create one yourself, here are some of my picks you can buy for a decent price:
pipe table-the mission
The table would have the size I wanted, the color I wanted. The only consideration was that I needed to make the table stable enough since the legs would have to be made with 1-inch pipe and I didn’t want it to be wobbly. I opted for the one-inch pipe legs because thick legs would make the decor a little too heavy. We already had too much of that.
I decided to make a long table instead of two square ones (8ft). The table would be narrow enough not to clutter the space and also light enough that it could be pushed against the wall when not in use (20in).
How to get the right stuff for cheap
As usual, I went to the home improvement store and went straight to the rejected pile. I wanted the knots, the dings, the personality. These boards were cheap! $0.96 each!!!
Of course, the pipes were a little more money but if you go to the electrical section of the store you will find out that they are the same as the plumbing department but a LOT cheaper.
Of course, they are this ugly galvanized pipe color and they are covered in grease (YUK!). The first thing you will want to do is wash them with soap and water. Then rub vinegar afterward or the spray paint may not attach to the pipe.
Assembling is just like a Puzzle!
Once cleaned, I assembled the legs according to my measurements (height 43in, length 8ft, width 20in) to fit my space. Notice that I opted to add a crossbar at the bottom so the legs would be stable at the base.
The flanges would provide stability at the top. Instead of end caps you can use flanges too. It would be cool but they are soooo expensive! These were already 4 bucks each. Imagine using 8! With the price of the 4 flanges I didn’t buy I was able to buy most of the short pipes and “T’s”. Crazy, no?!
I spray-painted the legs to match the color of the other bar height table I made (here).
The wood top
Next, it was time to assemble the top.
Very easy: Line up the boards and screw three separate boards under the table to join them together. Then it was just a matter of screwing the flanges onto the top and voila! Make sure to use screws that are short enough not to go through the other side of the board.
After the table was assembled I just stained in the same color I used on the other table and let it dry (a mix of cherry and light oak color – let me know if you want the exact names).
After the stain was dried I added large nailheads I found on Amazon. I was so proud of myself.
Proud of Myself?
A friend of mine came to visit and commented that it was a nice table but he wished it was wider so our friends could play cards on it- “SSSSSSSS” (sound of a balloon deflating). According to him, people would be able to see each other’s cards if they sat around the narrow table. SIGH!
I didn’t have the space to make it wider. The solution? Wings!!!!
Adding wings would allow the table to remain narrow and not clutter the space but still be available when game night was on.
Heavy Duty Wings
The concern was that with a top that heavy how was I going to add more to it and still hold the weight of the wings when opened, and be stable?
After reviewing all options I opted for hinges and brackets under the table to hold a dowel on each end that would serve as support for the wings. It was simple and easy and didn’t require a lot of mechanics or expensive hardware (I saw hardware for as much as $25 dollars each- I would have needed four!). The whole table didn’t cost that much to make. So dowels it was!
Assembling the wings was the same as the table top. Line them up, screw boards under and done. Then I attached the hinges on each side of the table and the side of the wings.
I attached the brackets under the table but I had to smash the brackets a little so the dowels would not slide too easy and pinch someone in the process.
The Final Product
I think it looks good. My friend approved the design and my husband already used it several times for game night.
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Our tendency is to naturally buy something new as soon as things look a little old. But some of these things are still in good shape but look tired, dated or scratched or you simply “fell out of love” with those things.
How about that drab looking patio table and chairs rusting in your backyard? Clean them out, spray paint: voilà!! (it screams weekend project). 
Also, the wood frame was sturdy and good quality. The base had some mold issues but I took it out and put some legs on it and it was perfect for the space. People pay top dollar to get a nice antique vanity to put in their bathrooms. I had an original right here!!
I used new wood boards for my table top and I personally distressed them by hammering, stomping, and using other tools to give it a “worn” look. 
st checking to see if they had anything I could use for the sign and lo and behold I found these two boards with a split in the middle and one of the splits had a curve to it. Oh, my head!! Angels started singing! OHHHHHHH!
We know that the Spanish visited some areas of Arizona between the 1500 and 1700s with their forts and missions but this was a long, long time ago and we wonder how much of it survived. And what history can we gather since, say the late 1850s, when things became a little more official (the United States bought Arizona from Mexico in 1853)? We also know that Arizona was a territory until 1912. If you think about it, it’s not that long ago. Sorry, I must have lost you by now with the history lesson but this background is important when looking for certain antiques or vintage items. Which brings us to the question above: What kinds of antiques can one find in Arizona?
trying to kill you (rattlesnakes, scorpions, Gila monsters! Yaiks!). It took these pioneers a lot of courage and it took a lot of tools to build this State! And you can count on one thing from Arizona’s vintage shops: spurs, primitive tools, cowboy hats (oldish and new), dried wood boards-the kind you can make signs with! (Heart palpitations and itchy hands just talking about it!) and lots of Native American goodies (moccasins, dream catchers, headdresses (old and new), arrowheads, turquoise and more.
Other goodies I found there were this 1820’s candle holder for $100 bucks!! 
shoes, it’s a long street!). The problem is you’re gonna want your car nearby because it’s impossible to leave those stores without a lot of stuff! You will find places selling just clothes, mid-century furniture (Mids are a big deal in AZ-Frank Lloyd Wright built and inspired a lot of building designs in Arizona). You will also find “Goodwill type stores” where you can buy good quality dressers and other furniture you can refurbish to give it that vintage look. I am sure you will find a lot of inspiration pieces too and lots of materials to create new “old” things.
I use it as a display piece for my babies’ feather wreath (I have a lot of birds who shed feathers every 6 months! I can smell another tutorial right now) and I also use it as a frame for my favorite wedding photo (notice the same pic in the salvaged door above?)
talking here about the last days of your life or anything like that, rather just the last few days of those things that trouble you the most, work for example, or anything else that chronically hangs over your head. Would you go about with frenzied tunnel-vision regarding your current deadline or project? Or would you suddenly more easily be able to see the big picture? 
…i.e., enough that you would perceive your days going forward in a more ‘content’ way, to actually enjoy them? Would the heightened anxiety and blood pressure that you often walk around with ease up a bit? Indeed, how would you feel if this was the last few days of your troubles?
I’m sure there are a fortunate few who have already grasped their better way and love what they do and have no regrets, etc. But I am writing here for those of us that are in the trenches, the working men and women, trying to balance our responsibilities and survival with the spiritual big picture of our existence here. 
I liked the sturdiness of the frame and figured one day I would use it for something. Since the print doesn’t fit the style of my house (eclectic, junk, repurposed, recycled and comfy) I thought I would just use the frame. So when I decided I wanted to start the project for the menu I thought this would be perfect. Because I was too lazy to remove the print from under the glass and decided that I would just paint over everything. 
make your own very easily (you can find lots of recipes on Pinterest using baking soda, plaster of paris or unsanded grout) or just buy the paint at any hardware store. I was lazy (oy) and bought mine. And yes, I didn’t save any money but I used so little that I will have chalkboard paint forever!!! I know I will use it again in some other project so all is not lost. 
Practice the brush strokes for a while before working on the final product. Of course, once you are working on your surface if you make a mistake you can always remove the paint quickly with a wet paper towel or even paint over with the base color. Notice that the purpose of the “J” is to make sure that the design has a natural curve on the round part and a whispy finish. However, you will come back to the top of the “teardrop” and will fill it in so it looks like a long drop and not an actual “J”.