Don't Toss An Old Sink, DIY An Activity Table That Kids Will Love Instead

If you've done DIY home renovation projects, you know that they can result in a lot of waste. Old materials are torn out to replace them with updated ones, and sinks are no exception. A perfectly serviceable sink (and they pretty much always are; very little happens to make most sinks unfit) is always eventually replaced by whatever the current fashion or a new owner prefers. With so many perfectly good sinks sitting around, why not repurpose an old sink and turn it into something useful and fun? To complete this project, all you have to do is place the sink into the top of a cut-out coffee table.

Kids, of course, like to play, and if you've ever left a toddler brushing their teeth alone for very long you know a sink is, apparently, a pretty good place for playing. We found a genius project that transforms an old sink into a great sandbox play station for kids. With a little elbow grease, you can upcycle an old sink and end up with something your kids will love playing with.

HGTV posted this nifty little project to Instagram: a sink and old coffee table converted into a two-bay station where kids can play with sand. The project is simple: The cleaned, primed, and painted sink is dropped into a cutout in the coffee table. Generously apply silicone sealant, throw on some paint, and you have the basics for a stand-up sandbox. To help the table stand up better to any moisture issues, seal it well with polyurethane before adding the sink.

If sand rubs you the wrong way, try coconut coir instead. Coconut coir might have some hidden drawbacks when used in the garden, but it's great for child's play. When it's dry, it's super-easy to clean up, practically falling off. Since coir can hold a lot of water, this probably works best where the table isn't in the rain. Whether you use sand or coir, to get drainage without losing your fill, use an appropriately sized cloth, screen, or mesh affixed to the drains with a loosely screwed-on drain locknut or slip nut. 

Of course, sinks don't just hold sand, and kids' outdoor activity tables are often water tables. So why not turn one or both sides of a double sink into a little water park? And you don't have to remove the faucet, which can be connected to a garden hose with an adapter. One final idea for filling the play sink with something new: Bubble foam!