One Man's Trash...

My backyard backs up to an alley.  It's one of those old skinny overgrown alleys that nobody uses anymore.  Our garages are all out front so it's basically just the old trash pickup alley.  I've been back there twice...maybe three times.  The first time was to admire my dad's handy work when he cleared out all the overgrown weeds so that I wouldn't be ticketed.  About a month later I peeked my head out to ensure it didn't need any additional mowing.  Then last week I went out there to pull this beauty into my backyard.

This is the old trash bin holder.  Now that we use fancy plastic trash bins on wheels it's really just a piece of junk.  But I see potential.  I'm thinking it just needs a little...wait for it...spray paint!  That coupled with some type of counter top and I'll have myself an outdoor potting bench/buffet station.  Unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of the look I'm going for so you're just going to have to trust me.

First order of business was to clean this puppy up.  I used a wire brush to knock of rust flakes and dirt and then hosed it down.  The next day I went at it with my Rust-Oleum Hammered.

I figured Hammered Copper would class this piece up a little.  And the can claimed I could spray it directly on to rust.  Score!  I have no idea how those geniuses over at Rust-Oleum do it, but sure enough it actual loos like hammered copper with no effort on my part.

After a couple of coats, my junky trash bin holder was looking quite nice!  Now I'm on a mission to find some sort of cheap 5 foot weather resistant countertops to add to the two levels.  Wish me luck!