Turn A Tomato Cage Into An Affordable Side Table

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Crafters know that, sometimes, the best accent table is the one they build themselves — and often out of repurposed materials. Take, for example, a $5 Vigoro Ring Tomato Cage and some wooden craft discs. Used as intended, the cage prevents tomato plants from flopping over in the garden, while the discs are usually fancified with a painted image and hung on the wall as decor. But these items can also become the building blocks of an affordable side table that's dainty enough to sit in a cramped corner next to your favorite chair while still looking stylish.

Something like a GNIEMCKIN Store 8-Inch Wooden Disc can become the table's top, while the repurposed tomato cage becomes the base. If you'd like to add any embellishment to the table, changing up the wooden piece is your best option. For example, a table in a home that favors rustic decor schemes would look great with a Rustic Wood Slices Inc. Store Craft Wood Round as its tabletop. This type of craft round still has a bark-like texture on the outside, making it look more rustic.

Additionally, you'll need a pair of wire cutters, a sanding block, a heat gun, and a putty scraper to prep the pieces for assembly. A coat of paint or stain, a sponge brush, and some spray paint will give the table a more comely appearance. A glue gun, an electric staple gun, and some furniture felts make your DIY complete.

Generally speaking, the height of your side table should be around two inches less than the high point of the arm on your couch or chair. Many tomato cages come with a trio of hoop-shaped wires that wrap around three vertical legs, which all come to points at the bottom. Those triune wires are driven into the ground when you set the tomato trellis up in your garden. As part of this DIY's prep, you'll be trimming those extra lengths of wire off the bottom of the cage with your wire cutters. This step changes the height of the trellis, so base your table's measurements on the trimmed cage, not on the original height of it with the wire legs still attached.

Following that step, ready the wood round for painting or staining. Loosen any sticky price labels with the help of the heat gun and a putty scraper, then sand the wood. Next, paint or stain the wood and spray paint the tomato cage. Add spots of glue to the smallest hoop on the cage, and then top it with the painted craft round. Allow this to dry before reinforcing the glue with some staples, which you may want to apply with an upholstery staple gun. Such a tool makes it easier to drive the staples into the wood and reinforces the table's construction. Finally, add some furniture felts to the bottom hoop of the cage, allowing you to join the trend of having a charming tiny table at an affordable price.