I’m finally ready to share our first real completed project on the screened in porch with you. It’s a floating buffet made out of reclaimed wood that actually hinges up for storage. And the best part is that is cost us basically nothing (we only had to buy the hinges!) Let’s back track a little to where this project started.

There was this nice empty spot between the french doors and the windows on our porch that was just begging for a table. And there was the nice pile of wood sitting in our backyard from when we took down the old play set.

We decided to build a rustic industrial buffet that would float or hang off the wall and could be hinged up for storage in the off season. It’s super easy to construct, but I’ll break it down for you in a couple of pictures.

We started by picking out 3 of the best pieces of reclaimed wood then screwed in 3 pieces of scrap wood vertically to hold the table top together.

Next we added three more pieces to the underneath of the table.

Finally we finished off all of the edges with cedar left over from the reclaimed window pane window box project.

In order to secure the table to the vinyl siding we added a piece of wood at the height of the table making sure to screw it into studs. I then painted the white board the same color as the siding.

The table is hung  from two places. Its secured directly to the house by two hinges that are hidden underneath the table top and from two chains that we simply screwed into studs behind the siding. The chains were also left over from the window boxes.

This view really allows you to see the character of the wood. We sanded it down lightly to remove the dirt and grime then I finished it with a coat of coconut oil (because that’s all I had).

It’s really amazing how much more functional the porch is now. We love being able to put drinks and snacks on the buffet while we’re entertaining guests outside. It’s also a much nicer view now from the outdoor furniture. Remember this is what is looked like before:

And now!

You might also notice that the doors are now the same color as our shutters and the trim got a nice white paint job. The windows also received some window treatments (more on that soon). For now please ignore that tiny outdated light fixture and the terrible metal storm shutters. Those are both updates for another day.

We’re continuing to finish up the trim on the outside of the porch as well as lay a new floor, so look for more porch updates soon!