Rustic DIY Coffee Table

2 Days
Advanced
Let’s look at the project and how we got started with this awesome Rustic DIY Coffee Table idea. Hubby and I were out for an afternoon date, and after lunch I just had to stop by my favorite thrift store to see what unique upcycle DIY project spoke to me. There she sat, with others running past her - I was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. I just knew the moment I hit the door I could waive my magic DIY wand and BAM out would pop a fab upcycle Rustic DIY Coffee Table that any homeowner would love!!!!
Rustic DIY Coffee Table Once home, I ripped off her old top (which will become an awesome upcycle DIY chalk board project post – I never toss anything ;-)), and I started designing her new top. Once we had the plan, we ran off to The Home Depot to purchase three 8ft - 2 x 8s.
We cut each 2x8 board in half, after all it is easier to handle a 4’ board then a 8’ board. Since the 2x8 board widths (Big Box store rarely have consistently sized wood - they were off by up to ¼”) were not consistent, we also had to cut two straight edges. We used a sled, with one true straight edge, made from ¾” birch ply that was 12”x4’, the same length as our 2x8 boards. We then secured the untrue board edge to the birch ply with a screw and set the straight edge of the birch ply against the fence. This gave us a straight edge on the 2x8. We then ran placed the newly cut 2x8s straight edge against the fence and created our second cut. This provided two true edges and gave us a tight connection between the boards with no gaps.
Next, we planed both sides using our Porter Cable planer. We feed a sacrificially board of the same thickness as our 2x8s to ensure the first board didn’t have the ever present planer divot, and ran the same sacrificial. Remember, to remove just a small amount, about 1/32” with each pass. It is better to run the wood through several passes, versus taking too much off with one pass. We then feed each board one after the other until each board was a consistent thickness. We then lowered the planer another 1/32” and planed the other side. We repeated this process two times to provide a consistent thickness and a smooth top and bottom surface.
We then edge glued our boards with Titebond wood glue and Kreg joined them all. We clamped the boards and let them dry overnight.
With the glue dry we started the finish work. We added an edge molding as you suggested, which jazzed up the sides and gave it that classic look! Next, we popped open some wood filler and filled all the Kreg screw holes, and areas we did not want to have deep cracks that could trap dust or dirt (or the occasional cracker crumbs ;-) – We all know who we are!)
Next up was the dreaded sanding process. We used a couple sanders in the process, and finished up with our Ryobi cat sander, which we discussed in an earlier blog and featured on Bob Vila Nation. We started with 80 grit sand paper, followed that by 120, and did a third round with 220 to give it that extra smooth finish – you know for when your feet go up on that table – no sock snags here ;-) !
Once the sanding was done, I came to you, our readers, for a vote for the grand finish. Your votes were awesome, and totally left me overwhelmed that over 2K of you wanted to be involved with the vote. We want you to know, WE LISTEN when we ask our readers to vote, so with your great vote we got to work staining our piece with Minwax, Aged Oak stain color. As you all suggested we left the top plain (no hardware this project around, but I promise all of you who voted for the hardware, I will find that special piece to support your vote and share it with you all).
Just look at this wonderful Rustic DIY Coffee Table that we all created together! As a person who loves DIY Projects and to upcycle furniture, I think we did a wonderful job – kudos to us all! We hope you all enjoyed this wonderful project and visit our page often. This year Hello I Live Here will be bringing you wonderful projects that virtually any skill level can complete, and I promise a good deal will be so awesome you will want to run right to your local Lowe’s or Home Depot and get started. Until we vote on the next project together – Stay warm and keep reading and following Hello I Live Here – 2014 is going to be an exciting year for us all :-)
Thanks for the suggestion and coming over to our blog to cast your vote! We are so proud that all our readers wanted to vote and help Hello I Live Here with this magical creation. Until next post - Stay warm out there.
Linda :-)
Finished Rustic DIY Coffee Table found at a thrift store and brought back to usable life.
Old Table
Painted base in
Cutting wood
Using large planer Wood
Planing wood hand plainer Ryobi
clamping wood
Sanding Wood
Staining of the wood
Finished table our readers voted on the finish and trims
Finished #2
Finished table bought from thrift store and upcycled by Hello I Live Here
Linda Crandall
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 165 comments
  • Elaine Elaine on Apr 30, 2017

    I wouldn't have passed this by either - it looks great!

  • Diana Deiley Diana Deiley on Dec 13, 2017

    What a beautiful table. Looks so rich. Thanks for sharing your wonderful find and fabulous makeover.

    • Linda Crandall Linda Crandall on Dec 13, 2017
      Thank you for stopping by to see them - your visits are why I keep going :-)
Next