If you’d like to make your own kitchen furniture, try this fun, modern bar stool made with just PVC pipe and concrete. Gather your tools and materials and follow our instructions step-by-step, and you’ll be enjoying your new bar stools in no time.
Materials
*Shop for PVC pipe here. If you need fittings, check out ours here.
• (62) 3/4″ PVC Tee Fitting
• (8) 3/4″ PVC caps
• (4) 10-foot long 3/4″ PVC pipes cut into:
• (64) 1-inch long pieces
• (25) 14-inch long pieces
• (6) 12.5-inch long pieces
• 2 3/4″ metal pipe strapsand 4 nuts & bolts to fit
• PVC cement
• Hammered Bronze Metallic Spray Paint
• 10″ x 16″ 1/4-inch thick plywood
• 11″ x 17″ x 1″ Baking Pan
• Epoxyor similar
• Polyurethane(or Polycrylic)
• WD-40 Lubricantor similar (a generic brand works too)
• Rapid Set® Cement All®
• 3/4″ wood dowelscut into:
• Two 46″long pieces
• Two 36″ long pieces
• Two 13″ long pieces
Steps for DIY Kitchen Bar Stool
Step 1: For the legs, insert 1″ PVC pieces into the tops and bottoms of each tee fitting. Make sure the bottom tee and the top tee also have 1” PVC pieces inserted so that caps can be attached. Note: Thirteen tee fittings make up each of the front two legs. Seventeen tee fittings make up each of the back two legs. The top and bottom of each leg are capped.
Step 2: From the bottom of the chair and up, the first four horizontal pieces (the 14” pieces) are fit from side to side and fit right into the tee fittings. Do this step to connect the two front legs to each other and the two back legs to each other.
Step 3: The 5th PVC piece (the 12.5” pieces) goes from front to back (simply twist the tee fitting perpendicular to the first four). This fifth piece (or chair rung) connects the front left leg to the back left leg. Repeat this again for the right side of the chair.
Step 4: The 6th – 11th pieces (the 14” pieces) follow the same pattern as Step 2.
Step 5: The 12th and 13th pieces (12.5” pieces) are front to back, like Step 3.
Step 6: On the front, before capping the tops of the legs, you can insert a 36″ dowel all the way through each front leg, then add the PVC caps, cementing the caps when ready. On the back legs, insert a 46” wood dowel through each leg. This will help give additional stability to the structure.
Step 7: After the concrete seat is made (see instructions below), cut PVC pieces #12 in half and added a tee fitting to the center where cut. Insert a 13″ dowel into both sides then fit both halves back together and adhered with the PVC cement. Then, take the thin piece of plywood and attach that to the cross bar using two metal 3/4″ pipe straps with four nuts and bolts. I attached my concrete seat to the plywood using epoxy glue.
Step 8: The 14th and 15th pieces inserted into the top of the back legs to form the backrest of the chair. They follow the same pattern as Step 2.
Step 9: When you’re ready to finalize the bar stool, use PVC primer and cement in every joint as you follow the instructions to ensure a permanent build.
Step 10: Once you’ve assembled the bar stool with primer and cement, if you wish to paint it, this would be a good time to do so. You can paint it any color. A nice metallic spray paint will give it a more industrial look and feel.
The Cement Seat Instructions
Step 1: To create the seat, use a 11″ x 17″ x 1″ baking pan. This is something you can use multiple times if you plan on making several bar stools. *Do not use the baking pan for baking or cooking after using to make the cement seat.
Step 2: Spray the pan with WD-40 before adding the cement, to reduce adhesion to the pan.
Step 3: Put on a dust mask because you don’t want to inhale cement dust. Simply mix your Cement All® with water according to the instructions. The instructions call for three parts Cement All® and one part water. You can be a little more generous with the water for a more pourable medium.
Step 4: Use approximately five 16-oz scoops of the Cement All®.
Step 5: Pour your mixed Cement All® into your baking pan. Make sure your workspace is level.
Step 6: After about an hour, gently flip over the baking pan, and the new concrete seat should slide right out.
Step 7: Add additional front to back bars (the 12.5” pieces of PVC) above the concrete piece. Then, add an additional piece on the backrest. This step will secure the concrete seat to the PVC.
Step 8: Finally, spray paint the PVC pieces and then paint a coat of polyurethane over the entire spray-painted area. And done!
Uniquely Yours: DIY Furniture to Wow Your Guests
This summer make your own, unique furniture with this DIY kitchen bar stool. Whether you use it inside at your kitchen island or outside around your outdoor bar area, you’ll draw a lot of looks of admiration and awe. Be prepared to describe in detail how you made your bar stool!