DIY Bar Cart/Tea Trolley | Building my Boyfriend's Birthday Gift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XxuC2eY-5w&t=58s

Hello, you. Welcome back. Today, I will show you how I built a two-tier bar cart from scratch for someone very special.

MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE

I live with a workaholic, but he has lately been fascinated with mixology.

And since I really want to encourage his interest in a hobby, I’ve decided to build him a rolling bar cart, or a tea trolley if you will, using wooden trays, some two-by-twos, and four caster wheels that lock in place.

The four two-by-twos will serve as the trolley’s support beams. So I’ll start by measuring and cutting each of them at 28 inches.

To understand the construction better, I have essentially divided the beams into four sections each.

First, there’s the top section, which is about 4 inches. This is where the handles will go.

Next, I’ll mark the height of the first tray, which is about 4cm.

Then, I’ll leave a space of 20.5 inches in the middle.

And finally, I’ll mark the spot for the second tray.

Another crucial measurement here is the distance between the back and front legs. This should be based on the width of the trays, which for me was about 5 inches.

THE DOWEL FACTOR

To make sure that the trolley is sturdy enough for heavy weight, I’ll attach each of the back legs to the front ones with a couple of dowels.

I’ll start with one dowel at the bottom on each side, 3 inches above the second tray, and one at the top, 3 inches below the first tray.

There are a few ways to add dowels in a piece of furniture. For this, I’m using some screws and glue.

OFF A FANCY TRAY

The first step with the trays is to figure out the exact centre of the sides that will be attached to the legs. This step is essential to ensure that everything is level.

Using a tray with squared corners will make your job a lot easier at this point.

But, then again, where’s the fun in straight and easy?

To make the drilling process smoother, I will attach the tray to the legs with some PVC glue.

Fair warning though: if you’re using a glue like this, please make sure you’re in an open space or somewhere with really good ventilation. Because trust me, this stuff can make you dizzy really fast.

Once the glue has bonded well enough, I’ll pre-drill some holes for nails.

The reason I’m going for nails instead of screws is because the trays are pretty thin width-wise and I’m afraid that screws will split the wood.

Once both the trays have been attached, this is what the cart looks like so far.

A FRESH LICK OF PAINT

Before I move on to the painting bit, I’ll fill up all the nail holes with some wood filler. Once that’s dry, I will stain the legs with Asian Paints Wood Tech in the shade Walnut.

I’ll also go over the trays with this stain to tone down its reddish colour a little.

While the stain was drying, I did something I would regret and undo later on. I built a pair of handles from some scrap wood and painted them and the dowels a bright golden shade.

WHEELS IN MOTION

I’m quite wiped out at this point, but I still have a long way to go so I’ll soldier on to the trickiest part of this project, which is affixing the wheels.

The trays I used are a bit uneven, so I’ve added some wood slats at the bottom to make the surface level.

This is very crucial when you’re working with wheels. You have to ensure that the surface you’re adding them to is as flat as it can be. Else your furniture will be unstable.

Next, I’m fixing the wheels in place with the PVC glue before going in with the screws.

STYLING A BAR CART

Before I get to brushing my teeth or having some much needed chai, I’ll quickly seal the stain with this clear wax I got from CrafTangles.

Once that’s dried for a few hours, I’ll move on to my favourite part of this process: the styling.

I’ll start with putting the heavy liquor bottles on the bottom shelf.

On the top, I’ll add this mixology kit I got from Amazon.

THE UPGRADES

So, after we used the bar cart a couple of times, a few issues cropped up. The handle, for one, was a bit too narrow and fragile, so I replaced it with a simple plank with rounded ends.

I added these hooks to the sides to add extra storage space.

I was especially excited to add this black wine glass rack, also from Amazon.

The golden paint was looking a bit too gaudy for the room’s décor, so I stripped & repainted the dowels a dark walnut colour to match the rest of the cart.

So, what do you think? Would you want something like this for a gift? Or consider buying it for your home.

Let me know in the comment section. And also suggest what I should build next. Till then, take care and I’ll see you soon.