How to Turn a Vintage Crock into a Side Table

Looking for a fun new way to display a large vintage crock? Come see how I turned my vintage crock into a side table.

I will willingly admit that I have a slight obsession with vintage crocks and churns. It all started about 18 years ago when I stumbled upon one in a consignment shop. It was priced right, and on a whim, I picked it up. Now, you’ll find them all over our house, and used in various ways. One of my favorite uses is to turn a large vintage crock into a side table.

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You may remember when I decluttered the entire house and got rid of most of our things. (If you’re new here, you can check this post out: Why I’m Pursuing Minimalism + How It’s Going So Far) That included a couple of mismatched side tables in the living room. One was way too big, and the other was falling apart. Minimalism aside, we still needed a place to set our morning cup of coffee while we do our devotions. So, I decided, “Why not use that big #12 crock as a table?”, and I set off to Lowe’s.

What I used:

Large crock
Round tabletop
Small pieces of wood to act as a stopper of sorts (I had scraps)
Stain
Screw
Drill

What I did.

I started by measuring the opening of the crock. Mine is right around 16″ in diameter. Obviously, I knew the that the round top I bought needed to be bigger than that. Thankfully, Lowe’s had a 18″ that was a perfect fit.
Once I brought the tabletop home from the store, I got to work staining it. I let it sit for about 2 days to completely dry. Early American is always one of my favorite stains. It’s what I used on our kitchen beams too!
When the stain was dry and cured, I decided to add little “stoppers” to the bottom of the tabletop. this simply keeps it from sliding off. I’m not entirely sure that it was necessary, but it made me feel better. I added four about 15″ in diameter from one another.
Sit the top on the crock, and ta-da!

This was the easiest little DIY project, and it really makes such a unique piece. Plus, I am all about repurposing things I already have to meet a need. This checked all the boxes.

I’ve used these vintage crocks in so many ways around the house that I plan to share a whole post about the many creative and practical purposes they serve. Like I already said, I’m a little obsessed with them.

If you’re in the market for a crock like this, I’ll pass on a tip that was shared with me a while ago. You can expect to pay about $10 per gallon per the crock size. So, a 10-gallon crock should cost about $100, and a one-gallon crock will be about $10. I try to keep this price point in mind when I’m out antiquing. The little number stamped on the outside of the crock indicates how many gallons it holds. The largest I’ve ever seen is a 20-gallon crock, and let me tell you, it was a behemoth. You could probably make it into a dining table it was so big. ha!

My goal for the living room.

As you can see from the photos, I still have not sanded the floors. We ran into a bit of a snag with that. No one near us rents floor sanders. There’s a place about an hour and a half away that does, but I just can justify that trip right now. Maybe one day soon. I’d love to get them sanded and oiled.

Overall, the living room is really one of the cozier rooms in the house, I think. I added some new curtains, made some pillow covers, and refinished a little coffee table I found at an antique store.

My goal fort the living room is to keep it cozy, and comfortable, but easy to tidy. I timed myself one day, and it took me less than 2 minutes to tidy up in there. That was my goal when I started purging years ago. I want the house to be as efficient as possible!
I’d love to hear if you’ve been up to any fun DIY projects lately.

As always, thanks for spending a tiny part of your day with me!