Turn Old Tree Stumps Into Cute Side Tables

Thrifty and Chic
by Thrifty and Chic
Did you know you can turn old stumps destined to be firewood into cute home accents? I drive by a tree removal lot everyday and they have mounds of tree stumps just sitting there waiting to be hacked into firewood. A few years back, I decided to turn a few of those stumps into a cute little coffee table. Recently, I decided to stop by again and grab some more stumps for some cute side tables I had in mind. Total cost per stump was only $4! Not a bad price for a cute unique piece of furniture...especially when West Elm sells the same type of thing for $250!
This stump was at the bottom of the pile and a little gross, but it was the perfect height and width for a cute side table.
This stumps was sitting on the top baking in the sun and had the perfect rustic character so I decided to paint it white to bring out all the nooks, crannies and cracks.
When searching for tree stumps, you want to make sure they have been sitting out in the sun for awhile...like a year at least. You can see on the left that the stump is perfectly seasoned.
I loved the tall tree stump as mentioned before, but it had a ton of bark left on it, even though it was well seasoned. So I had to remove the bark and then sit it back out in the sun to dry out a little more.
The next step is sanding it.
I participated in a Spray-off contest with these stumps so I had to spray paint them. I was a little worried that it wouldn't work, but the spray paint worked great! You'll need about 2 cans of primer and 1 can of top coat to get decent coverage.
This stump was beautiful without of the spray paint and it took all I had in me to spray paint it, but I loved the gold! I guess I'll just have to go and grab another stump and keep it natural :)
This tree stump was perfect for a night stand since it had a lot of space on the top. I painted the top turquoise to give it a great pop of color and added interest. It also sits on casters so it's easier to move and it makes a great way to level uneven stumps :)
Here's the original tree stump coffee table I did about 3 or 4 years ago. They are still holding up great!


To learn more about where to find the stumps, know if they are 'ready' and the whole process, check out the tutorial here: http://www.thriftyandchic.com/2014/09/spray-painted-tree-stumps-turned-side.html
Thrifty and Chic
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Pat Pat on Jan 31, 2015
    Good info. I have been wanting to do this for so long and this summer I will start. I think they are beautiful!
  • Moosie Moosie on Oct 02, 2016
    They look great, but how do you prevent or eliminate pest infestation?
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