quick and easy outdoor bar

Happy Monday to ya! I’ve been away for a couple of weeks, and it feels so good to be back in the saddle again (so to speak!) It’s been a whirlwind of Disney madness (which gave me a minor breakdown) and then relaxing at the beach for a couple of days before jumping back into work. I’m so, so glad to be back home! I hope you all enjoyed the home tours last week. It feels like forever since I’ve DIY’ed anything, so let’s get to a new project, shall we? Since I’m tip toeing back into the land of projects, it’s only fitting to start with something easy, huh? This project is super simple and yet brings a lot of function to our small deck, and since it’s an outdoor bar, well honestly it’s getting a lot of action with the hot summer days upon us.

This project is super, duper simple – like 10 mins of work kinda easy.

For this project you will need:

• shelf brackets (3 for a 40 inch long bar)
• screws (six 2 inch screws and six 3/4 inch screws)
• composite decking (2 pieces cut 40 inches long)
• anchors if needed
• drill

First we found the studs and pre-drilled some pilot holes to make the 2 inch screws go in correctly. If needed, use anchors (like in brick). Our exterior is currently wood siding, so we went straight through that. While in the photos we only used two brackets, later we figured out it needed more support and added a third in the center. Yeah, learn from my mistake and go with three from the beginning, m’kay? Using the 2 inch screws gives it more strength, so that’s what we went with.

Next,  we put the boards on top, and evened them up so there’s equal amount hanging off each end (about 3 inches). Then we pre-drilled pilot holes again and attached the boards to the brackets. The brackets we chose were from the closet dept. and fit two widths of the board perfectly (love it when that happens!)

You could use regular decking boards (with paint or stain or even natural) but we liked the idea that these were already a great color and would hold up to whatever chaos we could throw at it.

Now we have a great place for mixing drinks (because you know that’s my whole plan for an outdoor bar) or holding extra food when grilling (because it’s right beside the grill area.) It’s such an easy way to add a little more functional space to a deck in just a few minutes.

Be sure to download the latest issue of Lowe’s Creative Ideas magazine for more awesome ideas. You can also connect with Lowe’s on Facebook, Instagram & Pinterest.

*Thanks to Lowe’s & Rockwell for partnering with me on this post. All ideas, opinions, words & images are 100% my own.*