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DIY Utility Cart Makeover

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An old utility cart gets a makeover for a variety of handy uses around the house.

You know you have one of these in your garage. Everyone does.

The old, cheap (maybe you bought it from Ikea or Target ten years ago ) cart or end table from your first apartment after you graduated from college that you just can't bring yourself to take to the dump because there's really nothing wrong with it....it's just really, really ugly.

So it's been sitting forgotten in your garage.


Well, I decided I was going to give ours a makeover, using only things I could find in our garage.  It was my challenge last week.  And I think I rose to the challenge admirably!


DIY Utility Cart Makeover 

What I Used |

Old wooden rolling utility cart
Wood filler
Sand paper or sanding sponge
Primer
Spray paint
Drill with small bit
Drawer handle or pull
Assorted hooks
Contact paper
What I Did |

First thing I did was drag the cart outside and give it a good washing off and then let it dry in the sun.

Then I removed the original drawer knob and filled the hole with wood filler.

Then I used a sanding sponge to rough up the surface a bit. It was part painted, part stained, some pressed wood and some real wood.

I found a can of spray primer hidden on a shelf in the garage.  It was black, but it would have to do. So the cart got sprayed with a coat of primer.

Then I decided on a color from our stash of spray paint.  I ended up choosing Krylon in Celery. The entire cart got spray painted. It took the entire can to cover all that black primer!

While I was waiting for it to dry, I decided to line the inside of the drawer with some pretty contact paper I had bought for another project that never seems to get done.

Finally the paint was dry and I drilled holes for the new drawer pull.I love this pretty brushed pewter handle that I found in a pile of odds and ends in the garage.

I also screwed some hooks to the side of the cart.  I found a partial package forgotten in a drawer in the garage.  I know they will come in handy to hang things.

Voila ! Our cart has been transformed!  Now what to use it for ? (scroll down to see some ideas for how to use your cart)
















Garden Supply Cart


It would make a handy portable garden cart for working in and around the flower and vegetables gardens.  Seeds packets, markers and other miscellaneous items would fit perfectly in the drawer. My trowels could hang from the hooks and Espoma nutrients and plant food would go on the shelf.





Chicken Supply Cart


It would also come in handy just outside the run to keep all my chicken supplies nearby.  

Coop cleaning gloves, eggs baskets, my DE shaker jar, mealworms, and sunflower treats, all in one place. In the drawer would go my flashlight, knife, scrub brushes and extra leg bands. 





Kitchen Baking Cart

Or it would make a nice movable kitchen cart for when I bake. 

The drawer is a perfect storage space for cookbooks. 





Portable Office

I could use the cart as my portable 'office', so whether I'm making dinner or doing laundry, I could keep my netbook at my fingertips.






Rolling Patio Bar Cart

The cart looks pretty inviting on our back patio stocked with the ingredients to make margaritas...




Sewing Cart

As a sewing cart, it would get my sewing machine and notions off our dining room table. Odds and ends in the drawer. A basket of thread on the shelf. 







Chicken First Aid Cart

The cart would make a great place to organize and store all my chicken first aid stuff.  Over the years, I've been adding to what I keep on hand, not only for the chickens and ducks but for our cat, puppy and horse also. 

The cart would make organization very easy so I could put my hands on exactly what I need in an emergency.




Portable Plant Potting Cart

The cart would be also perfect for when I repot plants.  A place to hang my gardening gloves and hat, a nice top to pot on....

I am pretty happy with my new cart with all its possibilities. And especially happy that not only did it not cost me anything, I also cleaned out the garage a bit at the same time !

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