DIY fan Hayley Bishop said her husband Graham Lyttle collected free gates from Gumtree for the project.
“He likes to collect all sorts of wooden items because they come in handy for future projects,” Ms Bishop said.
The couple was inspired to make the low picnic table when Ms Bishop found a luxe picnic party on a friend’s Facebook post. However, the entire party, including the tables and decor, was created by an events company.
“I looked into this and found the price to be way out of my price range, so hubby and I did what we do best and made the tables for free.”
Ms Bishop dressed the party table with affordable homewares, estimating that 90 per cent of the items were from Kmart, including cushions, napkins, napkin rings, placemats, flowers and platters.
“I also placed battery operated bulb lights around the table to use at night time, which I already had at home," she said.
Ms Bishop also catered for the event.
“Food-wise, I made mini grazing platters using the Kmart platters and an array of crackers, cheese, meats, fruit, chocolates and so on.”
The gate hack was widely praised on social media, attracting more than 3.5K ‘likes’ on the Kmart Mums Facebook page.
Want to make your own picnic table from an old gate?
Follow Mr Lyttle’s DIY steps:
1. Remove hinges and diagonal cross-pieces of wood from gate.
2. Cut gate to size.
3. Cut 4 legs for each gate from 2×4 timber (Mr Lyttle found it verge-side for free).
4. Cut 2 long 'feet' for each gate using old slats from a bed base (sourced for free).
5. Screw the legs on.
6. Give it the Hamptons look with two coats of white paint.
This article originally appeared on Better Homes and Gardens.
