Stepladder Turned Side Table

Since I am on quite a small, no, tiny budget, I had to be creative when trying to figure out what I would do for a table between my 2 wicker chairs. I had been racking my brain for quite a while when all of the sudden a lightbulb went off.  I realized that a 2' stepladder with a piece of wood on top would be the perfect height so I got to doing research on the internet to see much it would set me back.  The cheapest I could find was around $25, so onto Plan B: Craigslist. I looked for a few weeks with no luck and I finally decided to post an ad in the 'wanted' section and got a response that same day.  I ended up spending $10 on the ladder, which I think was a little pricey considering it stunk like cigarette smoke and one of the legs is bent, but since I hadn't had much luck, I jumped on the offer.  I took a picture of the before, but it seems to have magically dissapeared into thin air which means I will probably find it the second I publish this post =)

Anyway, here is a photo of a much nicer version of my ladder:

Source

I had my dad cut a piece of pine that measured 15x12 (it's actually 11.25 inches and I've never understood why they round it up to 12!).

Then I primed and painted the ladder and piece of wood Lucky Bamboo by Behr. Sorry for the lack of pics, but sometimes I get so into a project that I forget to snap away.

Then I used some Minwax Early American to give it an aged look.

I have to admit that I only got a coat of poly on the ladder and not the top yet, but I am impatient and took pics anyway. I haven't even screwed the top on yet! But this will give you an idea as to what it will look like.

FYI My wicker chairs (I have 2) used to be the typical white and had a country feel, but I sprayed them with Rustoleum's Satin Espresso spray paint to better fit my style. It took at least 2 cans of primer and 6, yes SIX, cans of spray paint, but considering the chairs were hand-me-downs $20 in spray paint aint too shabby! I just need to do some touch ups and do a protective coat before my cross-country move.