Turn an Old Toy Chest Into a Lift Top Coffee Table

Lydia S.
by Lydia S.
2 Materials
$40
2 Hours
Easy
I wanted a lift top coffee table without the big price tag. I found the lift top hardware on Amazon and began my search for my coffee table. I looked at alI kinds of tables but nothing really caught my eye. It had to be heavy and sturdy so it would stay firmly on the floor when the top was lifted. Then I came across an ad on the local for sale page on Facebook for a toy chest. It had a hinged top and sturdy body and I knew I had found the right one.
It's a good size and will hold blankets for chilly evenings on the couch. I started off by giving it a good cleaning and then removed all the hinges.
I got my lift top hardware ready and attached it to the base. It was actually quite easy.
After I attached them to the base I realized I needed a plan to center the top where I wanted it and be able to mark where the screws went. I scratched my head for quite some time and even climbed down inside it and had my hubby put the top on to see if I could mark it that way, but I was stumped. I then had an "ah-hah" moment. Two sided sticky tape (my husband calls it "1000 mile an hour tape"). I put a couple small strips on the top of the mechanism while in the closed position and then my husband and I carefully positioned the top where we wanted it and pressed it down firmly by sitting on it. Then I was able to lift the top and insert the screws underneath.
Now we have a great coffee table, a place to store stuff in the living room and a cozy place to eat on nights we want to have dinner and watch our favorite show.
I am very pleased with how it came out. In my next post, I will be sharing how I gave the boring black top a splash of color by sponge painting it to look like granite.
Suggested materials:
  • Used toy chest   (Facebook marketplace ad - $20)
  • Lift top hardware   (Amazon - $20)
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  1 question
  • Justine Justine on Aug 03, 2018

    I love this idea! I too want a great sturdy lift top industrial coffee table but dont want to pay big bucks. its also hard to find a lift top with a good amount of storage! Can you give us the link to the amazon hardware?

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