This week's project at the Turtles and Tails household involved upgrading the dog feeding area. If you recall, last year we built plumbing pipe open shelving in the dining area. We decided that we wanted to carry the look over into the kitchen and give the dogs an upgraded spot for eating. This is what their feeding area looked like before. The raised buckets - available here - have a carrying handle and built-in bowl areas in the lid. I stenciled their names on the buckets a few years ago and we liked to pretend that they always go to the correct bowl because they can read. It's all quite serviceable, we were just looking for something a little more rustic and easier to keep clean. We were lucky enough to have some old lumber given to us recently. These 10" wide boards (1.5" thick) were originally the sides of a waterbed. A quick run through the planer to remove the lacquer and scratches and they were ready to go. Each "shelf" ended up being 8.5" x 22.5" x 1.25" thick. We started by taking the dogs' bowls and tracing them on the board and cutting out holes with a Rotozip. Important: You'll want to cut your holes slightly smaller than the circles you traced so that the edge of the bowl rests on the wood and holds it in place. After puttying any imperfections and sanding everything smooth, I stained the wood with Minwax's Jacobean stain and then waxed it with 2 coats of Minwax's dark finishing wax. Another tip: To get a silky-smooth surface, finish by buffing the wood with extra fine steel wool. The framework to hold the shelf to the wall is made of everyday plumbing parts. For each shelf we used: 8 - 2" length 3/4" nipple pipe 2 - 4" length 3/4" nipple pipe 2 - 6" length 3/4" nipple pipe 4 - 3/4" floor flanges 6 - 3/4" 90 degree elbows 2 - 3/4" tees 2 - 3/4" caps The framework was assembled and then painted using Rustoleum's Flat Black spray paint. Once the paint was dry the pipes were reassembled with the shelf and mounted to the wall. Make sure you either hit a stud with your screws or use anchors as you don't want the shelves falling down. We also made a stand for the water bowl using the same wood and plumbing pipe. We considered mounting it to the wall (with support feet at the front) but decided it wasn't necessary. And the different style breaks up the look. The dogs were unsure at first (and Sasha went to the wrong bowl the first day), but since then it's been business as usual. The new setup takes up much less space, leaving a clearer path from the hallway through the kitchen. And cleaning up the water spills and dog hair is so much easier. Here is one more before and after: