DIY Step Ladder Drink Station

Summer is here! The weather is warmer and more and more people are looking to entertain during the “less hectic” months. Entertaining can be anything you want it to be. If you want to go all out, go for it. If you want to make it easy and casual, that is fun too. This DIY Step Ladder Drink Station can be used for many different parties and it was so easy to make.

The idea came about when Matt and I were in our garage talking about projects. When we find great, wood step ladders that are inexpensive, we pick them up. Not only are they good to have on hand, but we have used them for many different projects. You can upcycle them into so many different things and this little step-ladder was the perfect candidate for a drink station.

{Affiliate links are used in this post. You can read my disclosure HERE.}

Supplies Used To Make This DIY Step Ladder Drink Station:

Wood step-ladder (we used one that had a “painter’s tray” on it, but you could use any ladder and add a “tray” to it.)

Galvanized bucket

Drill

Jigsaw

Paint (I used this color from Fusion Mineral Paint)

Scrap wood

Rope or heavy duty twine

Sander

Gingham paper cups

Mason jar glass mugs with gingham lids

Steps To Make This DIY Step Ladder Drink Station:

Set your galvanized bucket on the tray of the ladder. Trace around the bottom with a pencil.

Drill a hole inside the circle you just drew. Make sure the hole is big enough for your jigsaw blade to fit into.

Using your jigsaw, cut out your traced circle.

Try your galvanized bucket on for size. You may need to cut a little more in some areas to get it to fit just right. Only cut a little bit at a time. You can always cut more, but you can’t put it back on after you have cut it. 🙂

When you have the hole just right, sand around the edges to make it smooth.

Now it is time for paint. You can leave your ladder as is, but I thought this “Seaside” color from Fusion Mineral Paint was so pretty for the summer season.

I couldn’t bare to paint over the beautiful patina the top of the step-ladder had.

It’s perfect.

Once the paint dried, I used my sander to rough it up a little bit.

After I had it all painted and sanded, I decided the station needed a little tray for more storage and better serving. I grabbed some scrap wood we had in the garage and made a simple box that we could put on the bottom part of the ladder. (To see how we make wood boxes easily, head HERE.)

I didn’t paint the tray. The boards had some paint splatters on it that fit so well with the paint that was still on the step-ladder.

I used heavy twine to make handles on the tray. Easy peasy.

To make the tray fit on the ladder, we had to add a piece of wood where the back of the tray would rest. I just nailed it to the ladder.

We had a fun piece in our hardware stash that made the perfect hook for a towel.

That’s it! The drink station is ready for service.

The top of the ladder and the steps are great for holding drinks and trays of food.

You could set this at the end of a table when you are dining “alfresco” style or just set it up in its own area so people can see it and get to it easily.

I think this DIY Step Ladder Drink Station is so fun. It will definitely be a conversation piece at our next party.

Do you have an old step-ladder you aren’t using? Give this easy project a try!

If you don’t want to make your own drink station, I found some fun option online:

PIN THIS POST!

If you liked this DIY drink station project, you will also love these projects:

Repurposed DIY Tiered Stand Tutorial

Architectural Salvage For The Entry

Repurposed Chairs Become Wall Decor In Entry