A bathroom side table is easy to make with a variety of welding processes and with many different materials that you have around your shop. There are plenty of table plans online and many different options of side tables. What follows below is a bathroom table welding project. Since every bathroom calls for a different-sized table, the plans below will offer some options that will help you customize the table to your own needs. The most important thing is to make sure your table has enough support to handle whatever you place on it.
Special Considerations for a Bathroom Table
The main differences between a side table for a bathroom and an end table or coffee table in your living room will include:
- Table size: Bathrooms can be quite cramped, and therefore it’s especially helpful to weld your own table so that it fits into a tight corner or closet in order to maximize your storage.
- Storage shelves for the bathroom table: storage is critical for a bathroom, and any table surface should have a shelf or two below the top. If you have storage shelves on your bathroom table, you’ll have all of the support you need to make your table sturdy.
- Water damage considerations for a bathroom table: Wood is not the best option for a bathroom table, and therefore welding your own table is a great way to go.
An advantage of welding a metal table for the bathroom is that you can paint it with a rust-proof finish that resists water and won’t warp over time. In addition, if you work with angle iron, you can create a base for the top of the table and the shelves that makes it possible to use materials such as tiles for your shelves and table top.
For a bathroom project like this, expanded metal will be both simple and cost effective, though it’s nice to know you could use tile if you prefer.
Materials for Your Table Welding Project
It’s common for most welders to use 1/2” square tubing for table legs and 1/2” angle iron for the frame of table top and shelves. Washers and felt are attached to the feet of the table. You can use anything you like for the table top and shelves, but expanded metal is both sturdy and water-resistant.
If your table is particularly long, then you’ll need to add some supports to the middle of the shelves and to the legs. You can do this with flat iron pieces that either cross along the back side of the shelves in between the legs or that connect the legs to the shelves with short pieces that are a few inches long in the corners.
Assembling Your Table Welding Project
You’ll need basic tools such as a chop saw, angle grinder, and clamps. Clamps will be especially important as you assemble your table pieces and try to make them square and level. It will be important to work on a level surface and to use enough clamps to keep your metal in place.
After cutting your angle iron, square tubing legs, and expanded metal, use your grinder to smooth off the edges of the metal. Then, lay the angle iron for the table top with the top part down on the ground. These instructions are for a table like the one pictured at the top of the post where the expanded metal is welded to the bottom of the angle iron.
Line up the metal and use your clamps to hold it all together so that you can tack weld the metal together. By tacking the metal together you can make sure everything is level and square before you finish off your welds.
When the metal table top frame is welded together, you can then weld the expanded metal into place on the bottom side of the angle iron. If you use angle iron for the legs as well, you can weld the legs on before you weld the table top into place (see the video below).
After this, you’ll weld the table legs into place. When you’re done with the table legs, you can then add the shelves using more angle iron, starting with the cross pieces and then adding on the shelving surface.
In order to finish your table, you can paint the metal and add washers to the legs in order to help the table stand level. Choose a rust resistant paint in order to finish your table. If you used expanded metal, then spray paint will be the best choice.
A Step by Step Table Welding Project Video
You can learn quite a bit about how to join the legs and table frame together by watching a basic table-building video like this:
Though this table is a bit more simple than the project described above, you’ll find some great ideas about how to assemble a metal table. Take particular note of the cross pieces this welder uses for his table. If you have shelves for your bathroom table, then you’ll have plenty of support. However, if you just weld a simple table with no shelves, consider adding supports to the legs like the ones he creates in this video.
