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DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

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I continue to expand my concrete/cement DIY repertoire. I know I’ve told you in the past how much I love working with cement, particularly working with RAPID SET® CEMENT ALL®. In my eyes, no other concrete/cement product compares. It is super easy to use. Just add water, mix, and pour. Cement All® is crack resistant so it will continue to look good and last for a long time. Plus, it won’t shrink when it dries, like a lot of other cement products do. Cement All® is rock solid in one hour, whereas other cement/concrete that takes 24 hours to cure. It’s also more environmentally friendly than conventional portland cement concrete with a 65% lower carbon footprint. And it’s 3x stronger too. Plus, there are so many uses for it. I love using Cement All® for my decorative concrete projects and casting, but its also great for concrete repairs, home improvement projects, and remodels!

 

DIY CONCRETE CLOCK

 

Today, I’m using Cement All® to make totally fabulous modern industrial bar stools. And I’ve added an additional element to complement that modern industrial look of concrete. It’s PVC!

I initially considered using galvanized metal industrial pipe for the bar stool structure. But when I went to the store and felt how heavy the pipe was and how expensive it would be for the amount of pipe needed, I started thinking about other options. I do love the look of galvanized pipe and I am sure I will incorporate it into a future project, but for this project I thought PVC would be really cool.

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

 

Here are the “ingredients” for each bar stool:
– 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

(Notice the crossed out pieces in the above picture. Before starting the structure, I had a basic idea of what I wanted my bar stools to look like, but I had to play around with the design before getting it just right. I had purchased the elbows, but didn’t end up using them.)

– 2 3/4″ metal pipe straps and 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
Epoxy or similar
Polyurethane (or Polycrylic)
WD-40 Lubricant or similar (I used a generic brand from the Dollar Store)
Rapid Set® Cement All®
– 3/4″ wood dowels cut into:

  • Two 46″long pieces
  • Two 36″ long pieces
  • Two 13″ long pieces

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

 

Here’s how the PVC is put together…

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

For the legs, the 1″ PVC pieces go between every tee fitting and then also on the top and bottom so that the caps can be attached.

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

The two front legs are made up of 13 tee fittings each. The two back legs are made up of 17 tee fittings each. The tops and bottoms are capped and all pieces are connected with the 1″ PVC pieces.

diy concrete pac bar stool

 

Here’s how to set it up:

– The first four horizontal pieces (from the bottom up) are fit from side to side and fit right into the tee fittings.

– The 5th PVC piece goes front to back (simply twist the tee fitting perpendicular to the first four).

– Horizontal pieces 6 through 11 again go side to side.

– 12 and 13 are front to back (there are some additional instructions for #12 below).

– 14 through 15 are side to side.

– Use PVC cement (following the product instruction) in every joint to attach and stabilize the structure.

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

The PVC cement comes in a little can with a brush attached to the lid. Simply apply the cement to the adjoining pieces and then fit them together. The stuff has serious fumes, so work in a ventilated area.

Because I was fooling around with the design as I went, I actually finished the structure first, then went back and cemented the pieces together once I was satisfied with the final design.

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

 

Before capping the tops of the PVC structure, slide a 36″ dowel all the way through each front leg. This will help give additional stability to the structure. For the back legs, slide the 46″ wood dowel through each leg and then cement the caps on.

I spray painted my bar stool when the structure was only partially put together. I found that the pieces that were spray painted before putting together were a little harder to insert into the tee fittings because of the layer of paint on the ends. So I recommend painting after the structure is complete.

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

 

You can paint any color. I used a metallic hammered bronze spray paint. Once dry, it looks metallic, but I don’t think it looks hammered. But I still really like it.

Now, let’s move on to the cement seat. You won’t believe how ridiculously fast and easy this part is. To create the seat, I used a 11″ x 17″ x 1″ baking pan. I needed something that I could use multiple times because I plan on making several more bar stools. The baking pan turned out to be the perfect solution.

Before adding the cement to my pan, I sprayed the pan with some WD40 to reduce adhesion to the pan.

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

 

Simply mix your Cement All® with water according to the instructions. The instructions call for three parts Cement All® and one part water. I was a little more generous with the water because I wanted a more pourable medium.

I used approximately five 16-oz scoops of the Cement All®.

Make sure to wear a dust mask because you don’t want to be inhaling cement dust.

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

 

Pour your mixed Cement All® into your baking pan and heat to… okay, just kidding. Just pour your Cement All® into your pan. Make sure your work space is level. Mine wasn’t, which I could see after pouring the cement. So I used some paint stick to level it out.

This whole cement making step took me all of about 10 minutes. So easy.

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

 

Your Cement All® will be dry in just about one hour.

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

 

Now, here is the coolest part. I simply flipped over my baking pan (gently) and my new concrete seat slid right out easier than any cake ever came out of one of my baking pans. (By the way, please don’t use your baking pan for baking again. I’m guessing it’s probably not a good idea.)

My new seat fit perfectly, but I ended up adding an additional front to back bar above the concrete piece and then an additional piece in the back…

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

Yes, that’s cat food in the lower left corner, but Booboo was kind of camera shy today.

Now, here’s how to secure your concrete seat to the PVC….

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

I went back and cut PVC pieces #12 in half and added a tee fitting to the center where I cut. I inserted the 13″ dowel pieces into both sides then fit both halves back together and adhered with the PVC cement. Then I took my thin piece of plywood and attached 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.

Finally, I spray painted the added PVC pieces and then painted a coat of polyurethane over the entire spray painted area. And done!

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

 

DIY CONCRETE PVC BAR STOOL

There you have it! DIY Modern Industrial Concrete and PVC Bar Stools made with RAPID SET® CEMENT ALL®.

DIYfunideas_October_2014_Banner_8

 

RAPID SET® CEMENT ALL® is available at Home Depots across the U.S. and Canada.

Are you hooked on concrete yet? Then check out these other fun and easy DIY concrete projects…

DIY CONCRETE PLANTER HANDS FOR SUCCULENTS

DIY succulent concrete planter hands

 

With Halloween on the way, these DIY CONCRETE ZOMBIE HANDS are just the thing. I made them using the same technique used for the planter hands.

diy concrete hand planters 6

 

DIY MODERN INDUSTRIAL CONCRETE CLOCK

DIY CONCRETE CLOCK

 

DIY TALL CONCRETE CANDLE STICKS FOR TEA LIGHTS

DIY Concrete TeaLight Candle Sticks

 

DIY Concrete

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[Disclosure: This post is sponsored by RAPID SET® CEMENT ALL®. I have used Cement All numerous times prior to this sponsorship simply because I prefer the product. All opinions are my own based on my experience with the product. This post also contains affiliate links. Full disclosure available here.]

 

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68 Comments on DIY MODERN INDUSTRIAL CONCRETE & PVC BAR STOOLS With Rapid Set® Cement All®

    • Thanks Hope! Yes, you can definitely use Rapid Set Cement All for countertops and Rapid Set has multiple products that can be used for counter tops. They have Cement All, Mortar Mix and Concrete Mix. Cement All has a fine aggregate about the size of salt, Mortar Mix has a salt and pepper look and Concrete Mix has a larger aggregate that’s the size of 3/8″ rock. The product you choose will depend on the look you want. For instance, if you want to see rock in your countertop, you may want to use Concrete Mix. You can add color to any mix and they all polish well. I hope that helps. Are you planning on doing countertops? Definitely let me know if I can answer any other questions.

    • Oh my goodness, Donna, thank you so much. That is so sweet of you to say! Yes, I’m loving all the things I can make with cement and the ideas keep coming. Can’t wait to get started on the next thing!

  1. This is so creative! And I love the way it looks, from the first picture I would have never guessed it was painted PVC. Awesome work, I love DIY and you succeeded on this one.

    • Thank you so much Genevieve! Even in real life it doesn’t look like PVC at all. I’m really in love with my stool. Can’t wait to finish the entire set!

  2. A really great blog post with lots of fantastic photos and instructions.

    I loved the way you tell your audience about every part of how to put it together, nice job Jenise!

    • Thank you so much Haydn. I try to make my tutorials as comprehensive as possible so readers can easily follow along and create for themselves!

  3. My uncle is so into these DIY projects at home. He might like to do this as well. Your instructions together with the pictures are so clear.

  4. I love all the different things you can do with pvc pipe! You did such a great job! I’ve never seen anything like that made this way before! Very creative!

    • Thanks so much Heather! And I agree. There are some crazy awesome things you can do with PVC AND with concrete. And it’s so much fun!

  5. That’s a great looking chair but I’m concerned about the use of concrete. It’s a very brittle material. I suggest putting a support brace under the concrete for any serious use.

    • Thanks Jon. There actually is a support brace under the seat, along with a piece of plywood. Plus, this brand of concrete/cement is specially formulated and 3x stronger than traditional concretes. That seat ain’t goin’ no where. :-)

    • Thank you so much Jo. It is actually really sturdy. And with the wood dowels down the center of the PVC, that baby will hold up anything.

    • Thank you so much HilLesha (what a pretty name!). It definitely takes a time and patience, but it’s not difficult. The fun part of PVC is that it’s like legos for grown ups. :-)

  6. This is a great little project to do. I normally work with one of my friends who works with metals and have him bring my designs to life. I could see myself putting something together like this for some of my outdoor furniture.

    • That is so nice of you to say Melissa! Thank you so much. And I’m sure you could definitely pull it off. It’s really not difficult. It’s just like putting together Leggos, except made of PVC.

  7. How do you come up with these amazing DIY ideas/ This is brilliant!

    Thanks for sharing this at the Say G’Day Linky Party. I’ve just shared your post on Pinterest/Twitter/Facebook.

    Best wishes for a great week!
    Natasha in Oz

    • Thank you so much Natasha! That’s so nice of you to say. The annoying thing is that most of my ideas come to me just when I’m about to drift off to sleep. So I have to get up and write it down or else I forget. Lol. Have a great week too and thank you for hosting each week. Always love stopping by!

  8. This is a super cool project! I love it! And… I will be featuring it on my Well That’s Freaking Cool Friday roundup at anygirlcandoit.com

    ~ Stacy

    • Oh my goodness, thank you very much Stacy. I am completely honored to be featured and so excited! Can’t wait for Friday!!!

  9. Stopped by during the blog hop and am really glad I did. This is a great, great, great project! Thanks for the amazing photos, too. I have used that bronze hammered spray paint on everything from beat up outdoor furniture to picture frames and love it! Good job.

    • Oh my goodness Sue, you are much too kind. I do really like the bronze hammered paint and I’m sure I’ll be using it again and again.

  10. I was just sitting here thinking…”What am I going to do when my kitchen island is complete?” (I am building it from old cabinets, some new wood and good ole ingenuity.LOL) I thought “Barstools are so expensive. We may not have any for a lil while because Christmas is coming.” Then I opened my email…and….. WHALA! My solution!!!! THANK YOU!!! I am gonna LOVE making three of these!!! Can’t WAIT to tell my husband!!!

    • Yay, Robin, I’m so excited that you’re going to make these! The one additional recommendation that I think I may have left out of the post is that when you glue the PVC joints together, make sure they are COMPLETELY lined up. Otherwise, your chair will get a little warped as you put it together.

    • Gosh, Bruce, it’s been such a while since I made it. I think one chair totals about $50 though, give or take. :-)

    • Hi Jessica,
      I don’t know what the uppermost weight limit is, but I do know that my friends and I sit on the stools with no problem. So the highest weight we’ve tried is probably around 140lbs.

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