Easy DIY side table

When we moved into our home our hot water heater was on a metal stand in our enclosed back patio. The addition was added later but they never moved the heater to outside of the patio. When we decided to get a new hot water we fixed the issue and redirected the heated outside. The hot water heater no long needed the stand. I decided to recycle the metal table/frame into an industrial inspired side table. I started by scuffing the metals so that when I spray painted the metal it would stick for years to come. I decided to go with a flat black paint inspired by the popular industrial design that combines recycling industrial materials such at metals or piping with other natural wooden tones. In addition to painting the base black, I cut a couple 2x4s I had on hand and cut to make a frame that completely encased the metal base. Then I went back and cut a few more boards to cover the base and the frame. Before attaching I sanded and stained the boards. I drilled a pilot hole for each one of my screws to insure that the wood wouldn’t split when attaching. Screwing in a star pattern to ensure that the even attachment then screwed an extra screw in middle of each side. Then I brushed on a layer of polyethylene to make it long lasting. That’s all it took. I used all materials I had on hand essentially costing me nothing. It’s still holding up years later.