Keg

Tic Tac Toe

Pinecone

Rock

We had an old Keg that we were not able to bring back to the brewery post COVID so decided to upcycle it some how. Whatever we did with it, I wanted to be able to move it in the future, if we wanted to change it up, this was not a permanent use/decision of this keg…. and wanted a simple project.

Materials Needed:

• MDF
• Paint – sample paint can
• Sharpie Paint Pen (oil based)
• Drill
• Paracord or rope
• Keg

We used MDF as it is very inexpensive (aprox. $4 at Home Depot), and had the hubby cute it down to about 38-40″. On one side, I traced the Keg to have an idea of placement “in the middle” roughly. Next we marked where the handles of the keg were on our tracing. Then, we drilled 4 holes (2 inside the keg handle and 2 on the outer border). These are the holes for the rope or paracord.

Once all drilling and cutting was done, we painted the top. I used Very Navy by Behr as it was left over paint from when we gave a facelift to the office. This project takes less than a sample size of paint color from Home Depot for about $4 as well. I used a semigloss finish for this project. Semi-gloss will help it hold up over time and you could even use exterior paint as well if the table will be out in the elements.

Next, I painted the arrows with the oil-based Sharpie Paint Pen. The oil based paint pen will hold up better over time and can take more wear and tear versus the water base. I would use the water base for more poster board projcets. The oil base also dries faster. For this part of the project, I just freehanded the arrows with a ruler/level. The “cup” tracings are a Solo cup flipped over and then traced with the paint pen.

Lastly, I used 2 small pieces of thick paracord to make the handles. Originally, I wanted to make a knotted paracord handle but went simple again. The handles are an easy X design, like the game Tic Tac Toe. I used 2 small pieces of paracord and tied knots under/around the opening of the keg handles to stablize the tabletop to the keg.

Whatever you decide for your handles, just MAKE SURE that you leave enough space for your fingers to get a good grip around them.

If you tie your handles too tight, you will not be able to make a fist around the handle. As another side not, the handles, actually hold the tabletop to the keg, so if someone leans on the table, you table top doesn’t go flying.

What other projects have you made out of unexpected materials?