I have been on the search for a storage option for our rat terrier Rocco's pet food. I had purchased a "Pet Vault" pet food holder from PetsMart about a year ago, and they are great if you keep your pet food in a pantry or closet. Which is what we used to do, but as our pantry is not in our kitchen and is no where NEAR his bowls, it proved a bit inconvenient for us. I had moved the pet vault to the kitchen when we went out of town one time to make it easier for our pet sitter and it just never got moved back.
So it just sat there - in all it's plastic, plain glory, taking away from the decor of our kitchen - and bothering me at every turn.
I had seen THIS awesome crock at Pottery Barn
Source: www.potterybarn.com
And it is on clearance to boot! Well I almost broke down and bought it, when it occurred to me, I have TWO large crocks that would be perfect for pet food!!!
Only problem was... mine has no lid.
Well... I got to thinking and I figured "I can make one!" and it was pretty easy so I am sure you can too!
Materials needed:
Pine round to fit your crock - I used a 15" Spruce round from Lowe's
(At the time of writing this post, I could not locate it online for reference. I purchased it in the lumber section over by the millwork and it cost just under $6)
If you cannot find one to fit on the top of your crock you can cut one out of pine or whatever wood you would like, or have someone cut one for you. - Cutting circles is not as hard as it looks, it just takes patience and a good blade in your jig saw.
Plywood round - cut to fit the interior dimensions of your crock - I had PLENTY of scrap plywood on hand leftover from our ceiling re-model
I cut my own plywood, I found many sources online to help me in cutting a round - basically I drew a round and used my jig saw to cut it out
Handle of choice - as this project was so economical, I did splurge on a really great handle.
This one is from Lowe's online - you can find it by clicking HERE
Clear Silicone Calk - to make a nice seal on the underside - Recommended if you are storing pet food
Construction Adhesive - I used what I had - any brand will do - Like Liquid Nails
A few wood screws - I used 5
Tools needed:
Jig Saw with blade
Sander or sanding block with sand paper
Screwdriver
Drill with drill bit to fit your screws
Thats pretty much it! Total cost was about $14 for what I had to buy, even if you had to buy plywood and calk this will still be an under $20 project.
First thing I did was soak my pine round in warm water to raise the grain, This was a totally optional step but I wanted my lid to have a more rustic look so I just put it in the bathtub with a brick on it for about 2 hours then let it dry.
After cutting out the plywood round, (I just measured the internal diameter of my crock and cut the circle that size - In the case of the #12 crock - just over 13"
Then I sanded the holy heck out of the plywood round -
one - to make it fit perfectly (vintage/antique crocks are hand made and are NEVER perfectly round, so I had some sanding to do to make sure the lid would fit on the crock - again simple but takes patience.
and
two - to round the bottom edge (the side that does not go against the pine round - I left that edge sharp)
Next I had to find the center of my circles - This is a quick way - Using a T square put the circle in the corner
Next, use a long ruler or another square to line up the bottom along the long edge then make a mark,
Turn the circle a little and make another mark and where they intersect is center.
I used my Omnigrid quilting ruler - even if you are not a quilter you may want to invest in one of these - they come in VERY handy for loads of projects.
Mark center on the rounded side of the plywood round AND BOTH sides of the pine round
Once center was marked, I pre-drilled holes for my screws - I just used 5 - I didn't measure I just eyeballed the 4 around the circle
I also pre drilled a hole in the center of the Pine round taking care to only make a shallow hole - just for lining up purposes DO NOT drill very far into the wood and you may want to use a bit that is smaller than the diameter of your screw so it holds.
Now get your construction adhesive and...
Slather some on your pine round - as you can see I was very scientific about this part ; )
Line up the pine round with the Plywood round use the hole in the center of your plywood - put a screw in and match it up with the pre drilled hole in your pine round - tighten down that screw
Place the other screws in the other 4 holes and tighten down.
Line up your handle with the marks on the right side of the lid, install the screws and then remove. Lightly sand to remove your marks.
Then Stain your lid using wood stain. I used Minwax wood stain in Provincial - I stained the whole lid, pine and plywood
After letting it dry, I applied a small bead of clear silicone calk around the bottom edge of the lid.
I also wanted my lid to have a weathered look so I got myself some White Wax by Miss Mustard Seed
Apply following instructions on the jar
The completed lid - I think this whole thing took about 2 hours to make - including the crazy amount of sanding I did. Not bad and it is PERFECT!
It fit the crock perfectly both architecturally and style wise. Now Rocco's food is contained, safe and it looks good!
My Hubbie asked me, as I told him about this project, "does everything have to be pretty?" my reply,
"Yes, yes it does."
If you have some crocks around your house, try employing them in everyday storage. and if you need a lid - try making one for yours too!
