Build a Kids Sand and Water Table from an Old Sink

 I love seeing old things get new life, and I hate throwing things away that still have life in them or could be reused. (Like when they take a sledgehammer to those dated but still sound cabinets in the home reno shows? Drives me crazy.) So when our guest today took an old sink from the ReStore and turned it into the cutest sand and water table for her daughter, we just had to feature it! DIY watertable from salvaged kitchen sink by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
Get the full details of Kelseyโ€™s sink repurpose below, and consider these other ways to reuse an old sink rather than toss it out: 

Turn it into a drink station made from an old sewing machine table with this tutorial by The Weekend Country Girl
(plus see more awesome cooler tables here)

turn a sewing table into a drink station, The Weekend Country Girl featured on Remodelaholic
 
Combine your old sink with an old door and some new lumber to create an amazing outdoor serving table with this tutorial from Hunt and Host
Perfect table for outdoor entertaining using salvaged door and sink by Hunt and Host featured on @Remodelaholic
 
or add an old sink to a crib or changing table to create a great potting bench! (original source unknown)
upcycled crib or changing table into a potting bench using an old sink

Inspired? Hereโ€™s Kelsey to share all the details of this old sink transformation!

Create a Kids Sand and Water Table from an Old Sink
by Kelsey from Tattered and Inked

Hi everyone!! My name is Kelsey and I blog at Tattered and Inked, where I share DIY projects & furniture redos! Iโ€™m so excited to share one of my favorite projects to date with you guys! We have been searching for the perfect water table for our toddler girl & finally decided to create our own. So today Iโ€™m sharing a DIY Sand & Water table from an old, discarded sink! 

make a kids sand and water table for outdoor sensory play from an old sink, tutorial from Tattered and Inked on @Remodelaholic

I have had in my head to do some sort of water play table for our one year old this summer since Arkansas summers are scorchers and water play is essential to survival during the summer months. 

I searched for a few but never found one that I really liked. 
So we decided to create our own. 
The idea all revolves around re-using an old metal sink. 
So I immediately ran to my favorite discard junk palace, the Habitat Restore, and was in luck!
They had several sinks that would do the trick but I really wanted metal and double basin. 

Hereโ€™s what I came home with for about $30. 

Reuse a double basin kitchen sink as a kids' sand and water table by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
 
I was so excited to find exactly what I was looking for on my first trip! 
That rarely happens ๐Ÿ™‚
 
So letโ€™s talk supplies. 
Hubby actually did the building part of this project so Iโ€™m not super exact on lumber/measurements. And all of that will completely depend on the sink that youโ€™re working with. So understand that before starting. 
Hubby used an inspiration picture as a jumping-off point and pretty much just came up with the plan in his head. 
 
Hereโ€™s the supply list: 
  • Double basin sink 
  • 2ร—4 (we used approx. 2 8 ft. pieces.)
  • 1ร—2 (we used part of a 10 ft. piece) 
  • We used scrap pieces for the legs but 2x4s could work for this as well 
  • Wood screws
  • Cordless nail gun & nails
  • Rustoleum spraypaint in White
  • Rustoleum Clear Coat Spraypaint
  • Paint color of choice (I used Meadow Mist by SW)
  • 1 50lb bag of sand
  • 1 drain cover
  • Liquid Nails
  • 1 Drain Plug
 
All in all, the project cost us around $50 (we had paint & a few other supplies already on hand) 
 
Build your own water and sand table from 2x4s and an old kitchen sink by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
 
Youโ€™ll need to start by constructing the base that your sink will sit in. 
Hubby built this so I donโ€™t have a complete step by step but itโ€™s very basic. 
He used the measurement of the sink to determine what width needed to be for the top surround. 
We used scrap pieces of wood for legs and attached them on the inside of the base that was created. 
 
[Remodelaholic note: you could use this vanity plan as a starting point, just be sure to adapt to your particular sink!]
 
We decided to add a shelf below for buckets and toys by creating slats with 1ร—4โ€™s and 1ร—1โ€™s in an alternating pattern. 
 
While hubby worked on creating the base (he used wood screws for everything except attaching the shelf pieces. For that, he used our cordless nail gun), I worked on the sink itself. 
 
Of course, you could just leave it in the stainless steel that it came in. 
Ours was actually in pretty decent condition too. 
But, of course, I had to glam it up a bit. 
 
Any chance to make it girly, right? 
This would be perfect for if the sink you found had rusty spots too. 
 
Spray paint an old sink to DIY kids sand and water table by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
 
Grab a can of Rustoleumโ€™s enamel spraypaint in white. 
Perfect for adding color, adding even more rust protection and itโ€™ll cover up all those ugly scratches and wear. 
 
Check it out after applying several thin coatsโ€ฆ
 
Kitchen sink to kids water table, DIY by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
 
After spraying it white, I went over the whole thing with a clear protective coat as well. Never hurts to be extra cautious. Since I knew itโ€™d get a lot of wear as well as the added grittiness of sand and water, I figured extra protection was best in this case. 
 
After glamming the sink up, I turned to adding some color to the wooden base. 
I chose my favorite โ€˜meadow mistโ€˜ that I had leftover from our recent foyer table makeover. 
 
Tutorial for kids watertable using recycled kitchen sink by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
 
After several coats of the gorgeous minty blue, itโ€™s time to put it all together!!!
Are you ready for this???? 
 
Adorable kids sand and water table from an old kitchen sink by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
 
Isnโ€™t it just gorgeous???
I was so giddy as we were putting it all together. 
 
The sink set down in the base perfectly. 
We decided to add a scrap piece of wood over the top of the sink where the holes from where the faucet would have been were. Some of those edges were sharp and it looked a whole lot cleaner with the wood there. 
 
Itโ€™s easily taken off with the drill if we ever need to lift the sink out for storage. 
 
Remake an old sink into a water and sand table for your toddler by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
 
The white against the blue is just gorgeous.
I mean, why arenโ€™t kitchens all including mint cabinets with white sinks???
 
 
The cute pink bucket was a Target dollar spot find around easter. I added the name in vinyl and gave it to her as her Easter basket filled with gardening tools & a watering can. 
Little did I know that theyโ€™d be perfect for her new water table too!
 
tutorial to upcycle kitchen sink to watertable for kids by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
 
I added a couple buckets underneath and couldnโ€™t resist making them a little cuter with a wood plaque and labels for what they held. 
One for water toys, one for sand. 
 
Kids water table with storiage, DIY by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
 
I found the cutest little mini sandcastle forms at Michaels and we had several sand toys from our beach trips that were perfect for the table.
We obviously need to bulk up on the water toys though. 
I plan to throw her plastic animals and cubes in there too. 
The net with the fish were a huge hit!!
 
Letโ€™s talk logistics for a moment. 
 
DIY watertable from salvaged kitchen sink by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
 
It was SUPER hard to get a good picture of it, but, if you recall, there were holes on both sides of the sink where drains had been.
 
The water side wasnโ€™t a big deal as it still had the drain intact. We just used a regular sink plug for it. 
The sand side, however, had a gaping hole in the bottom. 
We bought a tub cover (those plastic ones) in hopes that it would cover enough but it still felt too flimsy. Especially for 50 lbs of sand!
 
I ended up rigging it by adding a ring of Liquid Nails around the rim and pressing the rubber seal onto it. It sat overnight and was firmly on there come morning. 
We havenโ€™t had any crazy sand problems yet ๐Ÿ™‚ 
 
Kids water and sand table from reclaimed kitchen sink by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
 
One regular 50 lb bag of play sand filled it up nicely. Then just add water to the other side & youโ€™re ready to play!!!
 
DIY sand and water table for under $50! by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
 
I was so excited with how it turned out- I was dying to share it with little miss. 
The sand plug problem held us off for a night while I waited for it to dry but we got it out immediately the next morning. 
 

Tutorial for kids water table using a discarded kitchen sink by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic

 
 Summer water fun with a DIY sand and water table using a discarded kitchen sink by Tattered and Inked featured on @Remodelaholic
Iโ€™m thinking it was a HUGE hit. 

 

 
Weโ€™re still working on liking the texture of sand though ๐Ÿ™‚ 

 

 
Iโ€™m thinking that when summer is over, itโ€™ll be amazing with rice & beans in it too.
I love a good sensory table.
 
Little miss had a ball playing in it- the big kids even enjoyed it too! 
After youโ€™re done playing, just slip a bucket underneath the water side, pull the plug out and let it drain. 
 
Itโ€™s one of my most favorite trash to treasure transformations & I know it will be well-loved for a long time to come.
Iโ€™ll keep you updated on how it holds up too! 
 
So, keep an eye out for a sad old sink & turn it into something fun!!! 
โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
 
Iโ€™d love for you to keep up with me on social media!
Facebook Page: Tattered and Inked
 

Kelsey, this is so much fun and I bet you are having a BLAST this summer!

Remodelaholics, go pay Kelsey a visit to see more great projects, like turning a stool into a side table and her beautiful aqua and coral girls room!

coral girls bedroom, tattered and inked

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Lorene has been behind the scenes here at Remodelaholic for more than a decade! She believes that planning projects and actually completing them are two different hobbies, but that doesn't stop her from planning at least a dozen projects at any given time. She spends her free time creating memories with her husband and 5 kids, traveling as far as she can afford, and partaking of books in any form available.

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3 Comments

  1. Itโ€™s such an honor to be guest posting on one of my favorite blogs!! Thanks so much for letting me share my project with your awesome readers ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. This is absolutely amazing. While I love love building, building parts can be a little more pricey down here in Australia. So Iโ€™m thinking if I could find a second hand coffee table and fit my old sink into it. Iโ€™m just about to go thru an ikea kitchen makeover and the old double sink would work perfectly here. Iโ€™m super excited to do this. Lucky I never purchased a sand and water table from toys r us yet.