What is it about treadmills that make them so unappealing on the eyes? Don’t get me wrong, they are an amazing machine but they don’t really go with any decor. Well, except maybe a gym’s decor. Not the point. A few years ago I got an old treadmill for free. And I mean old. It doesn’t even have a cup holder or a place to put a book so it certainly can’t hold a phone. So we made a table for it. But it’s time for a table upgrade. Hence, treadmill table 2.o.
Back in the early months of this blog, I shared how I made a treadmill table. It was a simple little hack. A card table with PVC pipes the legs fit into to make it taller. And that little hack has served me so well! But our basement isn’t an unfinished space anymore and the table was kind of distracting. Now, I understand, you’ll see a maroon couch on top of a yellow and blue rug. You could argue that’s distracting and you wouldn’t be wrong. (Coordinating sofas are on the way!) But beyond the color chaos, the black and white of the table and PVC pipes and the contrasting colors on the actual treadmill legs (sides?), it is a distracting sightline behind the couch.
In someways, my treadmill table needs have also changed. The first table was great to prop my Nook up to read or set my laptop on to stream a show. But it was too high and not close enough to type. We now have a TV in the basement so streaming on my laptop is not needed. I also have read a lot of regular books while walking and they require me to hold them. I don’t have a problem with that. But I still wanted a table to be able to set a drink down and keep my phone nearby. And that is why we created a new table that blends in more.
This was such a fast DIY, I never really got pictures taken of the process. We had a scrap piece of wood leftover from a previous project (stay tuned!). It was 1x8x36″ and was the perfect length to go across the treadmill arms. The arms slopped down so to combat that, we tried some more scrap wood and found a piece that fit to make the board level.
The next couple steps were all Landon. He drilled holes in the board on either side of the arms so we could use gear ties to secure it. They are basically giant heavy duty twist ties so the table can be removed easily if we want. Landon also glued the scrap piece to the board for leveling. I spray painted it black. We will need to get a couple more black gear ties to blend in better but the bright ones help show up in photos for demonstration.
And here is the before and after comparison photos. So much sleeker! And it’s actually a lot sturdier too.
