DIY: The Coin Vase

A common misconception these days is that DIY is mainly pursued to fix or build things. What people forget is that there a few things you can do to improve upon an object or parts of your house, either for appearance or functionality purposes. If you have been following our Facebook page, you would have noticed that we at Black & Decker are on a mission to convert shoppers into what we like to call, DIY-ers.

Stop buying and start making. That is our philosophy and this week we are going to show you how to glam up an old vase. Many of you will say that most vases are already decorative and very pleasing to look at.

Well, if you have owned one you would know that after a few years the same design can get a little boring and it will soon defeat the very purpose it was bought for (To please your taste). Follow these steps and we guarantee a smile with a tilted head at the end of it.

What you will need

• An old and boring vase
• Lots of coins, about 100 to be on the safe side
• Black acrylic paint. Nothing too glossy
• A strong adhesive

The procedure

1. First, paint the entire vase with the black acrylic paint. Once it has dried, give it another coat.
   
2. Leave it for a while until the vase is completely dry.
   
3. This next step requires you to get the coins out and stick them next to each other, moving all the way around the vase, like this.
   
   
   
    Source
   
   
4. Once you have covered the entire area with coins, you need to let the glue dry.
   
5. Once the glue is dry and you are sure that none of the coins will fall off, the next step is to find a spot to place this vase and fill it with flowers or potpourri.
   
   

                           Source

As simple as that

That was simple enough. For more great home improvement ideas, follow us on Facebook and bookmark this page. We will be back next week.

Do It Yourself - The ideal Portable Summer Table

The summer breeze has been said to bring new friends; with that it brings more parties and trips to the beach. A portable table for these activities will always come in handy to keep food and drinks. This portable table can be rolled up into a nice bundle as you move from place to place. Go ahead and try this ten step method to build your own portable table.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Things you’ll need:

· one 48 x 7/8 (inches) wooden solid cylindrical rod

· three 2 x 1/4 x 8 (inches) hardwood planks

· one 1 x 1/4 x 8(inches) hardwood plank

· four 1/4-20 x 1(inches) Carriage bolts                                                                     
· four 1/4-20 threaded insert nuts

· 4 x 1(inches) nylon web belt

· ¼ (inches) staples

· a Black & Decker Circular Saw (CS1500 184mm)                                                                                                                          

· a Black & Decker Hammer Drill (KR554RE 13mm)      

                                         

Here’s what you need to do:
1. Commence by cutting the rod into four equal length pieces.

2. Cut the two inch hardwood planks into 24 inch pieces. You will require ten pieces. Trim the whole stack at once to make sure they are all of equal length. You'll need two 24 inch pieces of the one inch hardwood plank too.

3. Scrub the ends of the rods and the planks with sandpaper.

4. Cut two 24 inch pieces of nylon web belt and burn the ends. This will protect it from fraying.

5. Arrange the planks side by side and make sure they are evenly spaced.

6. Staple the belt to the planks; make sure the staples are shorter than the thickness of the wood and staple. Use a strong stapler gun. Use a hammer for assistance.

7. Install all the planks making sure to move your spacers and keep the web belting pulled tight.
8. Place the one inch planks across the table top and drill ¼ inch holes in the corners. These one inch planks serve as spreaders to keep the nylon web belting tight. Widen the holes in the tabletop to receive the square head of the carriage bolts. After this, install the spreaders.

9. Now, for the legs, Mark one end of each rod in the centre and drill a 5/16 inch hole one inch deep into the end.

10. Install threaded inserts in the rods.





Finally, throw it together, screw the legs onto the carriage bolts and flip it over. You can now paint it or customize it as you wish. Enjoy your new portable table!

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