Vintage Wagon Restoration

Remember the vintage wagon I salvaged from a neighbor’s trash pile last summer? I finally got around to repairing it and this vintage wagon restoration was so simple. The wagon is now in working order once again and I’m so glad I rescued it from the trash!

When I was a child, we had a wagon just like this at my grandpa’s house. It had belonged to my mom when she and her sister were young and I had always loved it. I loved the removable sides and the distressed red paint, and I have so many great childhood memories with that old wagon.

When I saw a similar wagon sitting in a neighbor’s trash pile, I had to rescue it. The neighbor had had a hard time parting with the wagon but it had apparently been in his garage for years and he knew he was never going to get around to fixing it. He seemed thrilled that I decided to take on the task instead of letting the wagon go off to a landfill.

The wagon was overall in great shape with the exception of the base, which was water damaged, rotten, and full of bugs.

I removed the base and cut a new one from a piece of heavy plywood. The new base slid right into the tracks in the frame and I replaced the original end pieces that prevent it from sliding out.

I love the original hardware even though it’s a bit rusty {or maybe because it’s a bit rusty} so I re-used it to attach the wheels. I drilled holes in the new base, using the old base as a template, and fastened the wheels back on.

The final step in this little restoration was to age the wood with steel wool and vinegar so it would better match the rest of the wagon.

The frame of the wagon is slightly warped so there’s a small space in the middle of the wagon but since I’m planning to use this wagon less for transportation and more for serving snacks and beverages {or party favors} at parties, it won’t really matter.

This vintage wagon restoration was so simple and I’m so happy to have it in working order again!

Comments

barb says

July 15, 2012 at 2:52 am

You amaze me! 🙂

Natasha in Oz says

July 28, 2012 at 2:09 am

Wow, you are so clever! The wagon looks great.

Thanks so much for sharing this post at my Say G’day Linky party Randi. I just shared it on Google + and on Twitter and am featuring it at this week’s linky party.

Hope you weekend is great and that you can join me again at this week’s link up!

Best wishes,
Natasha in Oz

Eclectically Vintage says

July 31, 2012 at 2:26 pm

What a great idea to use for serving food at parties! Now that’s one party I’d love an invite to!

I passed by an old wagon at an estate sale even though I have been kicking myself ever since!

Thanks for joining our Color party!
Kelly

Linda @ it all started with paint says

August 2, 2012 at 5:24 am

What a great little red wagon … and great repair and great idea to use vinegar to age the replacement base …

Thanks for sharing at our Crazy for Color link party!

🙂

Linda

Karah @ thespacebetweenblog says

August 2, 2012 at 12:07 pm

I LOVE it too!! And it often takes me about a year to get to a project, so your timing seems perfect!! 🙂 Thank you so much for linking up. 🙂