If you too have an old oak barrel that was once used for aging wine and now is at the mercy of your storeroom, then breathe new life into it. Wondering how to do that? Well, just follow some simple steps and convert it into a good-looking cabinet. All you need is some tools, material and lots of patience. The recycled wine cabinet is a perfect piece of furniture to adorn your living space.
Difficulty Level
Medium
Time required
You will not require more than 3 hours to craft this cool cabinet from an old wine barrel.
Estimated cost
$ 40
What you are going to need?
• 1 circular handheld sander and 1 smaller triangular-shaped handheld sander
• Sandpaper, wire wool to get silky and nice looking wood
• Cardboard or plywood, and scrap wood
• Hammer and short piece of wood
• Hacksaw and buzz-saw
• Wheel Barrow draped in blankets or sheet
• Danish Oil to polish the shelf
• Drill & drill bits, measuring tape, screws, hinges, damp cloth & warm water, door Handles, tape, spirit level, pencil, sellotape, Glad Wrap, scraper and a vacuum cleaner
How to transform a wine barrel into a trendy cabinet
1. Place the old wine barrel on an old sheet or blanket to avoid any damage and then sand it’s outside using the larger sander. Continue the process using the smaller sander and then give the final finishing with sandpaper.
2. Make the barrel stand on the ground and carefully tap the metal hoop down as far as it goes using a hammer and a scrap piece of wood. Mark its position by fixing cellotape close to it. Then take out the hoop, clean it and apply glue to it. The place on the barrel where the hoop is supposed to be fixed also needs to be covered with glue. Now gently the hoop back on the barrel and let it set.
3. Label the double doors with a cellotape and then using the hacksaw cut right through the wood into the inside of the barrel. Then use the jigsaw to cut the rest of the doors.
4. Next we need to glue the staves of the door together. First lay the door with its face upwards, then gently separate two adjacent staves, and squeeze a line of glue down them. Repeat this process for all the other staves. Now, place the door back to the hole on the barrel and tie a rope around the barrel to hold the door down and let the glue set.
5. Now, using a scraper to scratch out the dirt from inside and clean it using a vacuum cleaner. Then, use the sander to smooth out the surface. Clean the inside using a damp cloth.
6. Decide what height you want the shelf in the barrel to be. Put the cardboard piece inside the barrel and then draw a line on it from one side of the doorway to the other. Cut the piece off the cardboard that you marked, and slide the template in again to make sure it fits perfectly. Give the shelf the last finishing touch using a sandpaper. Drill holes for the bracket that will support your shelf and screw them.
7. Cut out a small indentation in both doors and barrel for hinges. Then, drill holes for the screws, and then screw the hinges in place on the door. Drill holes into the barrel for the screws, and then screw the hinge onto the barrel. Do the same for the other door. Now, drill holes for the door handles and screw the handles on.
8. Clean the shelf and reinstall it inside the barrel. Now your cabinet is ready for use.
If you wish to have a look at how the creator of this elegant wine barrel cabinet created it, see here.