Turn a thrift store chest into an awesome treasure chest cooler! This is a sponsored post.
I have a hard time passing up wood chests and metal trunks when I find them at Goodwill San Antonio. They are so great for storage and they look good at the same time. This decorative home storage piece looked like a pirate’s treasure chest, and I thought it would make an awesome cooler. Keep reading to learn how I turned this into a waterproof, insulated cooler that is ready for parties and get-togethers.
Supplies Used to Make a Treasure Chest Cooler:
- Large Wood Chest from Goodwill SA
- Household Utility Foam
- Solarize Insulating Fabric
- Waterproof Fabric
- Clear Silicone Caulk Sealer
- E-6000 Adhesive spray
- Barnwood Effects Paints
- Aged Effects Wax
Measure the base and all 4 sides of the inside of the chest. Cut 5 pieces of foam to fit inside the chest. Use the silicone to attach the foam to the inside walls of the chest.
Seal the edges of the foam with the clear silicone and let it dry completely, preferably overnight.
Repeat the above process with the Solarize interfacing. This insulating fabric will keep the ice and drinks in the cooler very cold. Use E-6000 spray adhesive to attach the liner to the foam insert. Cut the fabric to fit the five inside panels, spray the glue on, and attach the fabric.
Cut five pieces of the waterproof fabric to fit the interior of the chest. This will be our last layer! Use E-6000 spray to glue the fabric over the Solarize liner. Let the glue dry. When it is dry, use the silicone caulk to seal the edges of the fabric. I decided to cut small strip of foam to hide the caulk lines. This is optional.
Paint the chest with the base color for the Barnwood Effect. I want the finish to have an aged, worn look so I only painted one layer of the base color. Let the paint dry.
Loosely brush the second bottle of paint from the Barnwood effects set over the first layer of paint. Use a paper towel to smear the color over the piece. Let it dry.
Brush tinted wax over the dry paint. Let the wax dry, then use a soft cloth to buff it.
This treasure chest cooler looks arrrrr-some open or closed! It’s large enough to hold a ton of drinks for a big party, and thanks to the foam and Solarize, the party drinks will stay cold for a long time. For more project ideas made using items from Goodwill San Antonio, click HERE.
This project first appeared on the Fairfield World site, where I am a Master Maker.
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