A forgotten element of living room decor or its highlight? We create a unique coffee table with our own hands

Coffee tables were very popular in the 90s of the twentieth century; they were placed in living rooms and served to store newspapers. In the age of high technology, many people read the latest news on the Internet, and therefore rarely buy magazines.

But such tables have not yet lost popularity and are still installed in apartments, because they are comfortable and functional. And instead of spending money on buying new furniture, you can make a coffee table out of wood with your own hands. All you need is a little imagination and effort.

DIY wooden coffee table

General recommendations for making coffee tables

To create a table, they take into account their physical and financial capabilities, the availability of the necessary materials and tools, their handling skills and free time.

If you have access to certain materials, it is better to go with what is available and create your own sketch

How to prepare your own drawings with dimensions for a coffee table

Even those people who did not study drawing at school are faced with the need to work from drawings. To make some models, a drawing may not be required, but for a do-it-yourself wooden coffee table you cannot do without it.

The drawing can be made in one projection indicating all dimensions

In two projections you can see the entire product

Simple standard-shaped models are easier for a beginner to work with

If the table has additional elements, they must be reflected in the drawing. Usually the most difficult thing is to make a drawing of a folding coffee table to make it yourself

To create your own drawing, arm yourself with a large sheet of paper, a pencil, a ruler and a tape measure. The dimensions of the future product are measured using a tape measure; it should fit smoothly into the allotted space in the room.

All dimensions are recorded and transferred to paper using a ruler. All parts are cut out according to the drawings. Don’t forget to include the thickness of the legs and table top in the drawing.

What materials can a coffee table be made from?

Let's decide what kind of model should be in the room. There are different options, and each has its own nuances.

A wooden product requires basic skills in handling such material

Interesting inclusion of any products from other spheres and glass

Carved elements require the hands of a master and a set of tools for this

Another interesting option for using wood cuts

Chipboard is a classic of the genre. Does not require processing, you can immediately prepare the parts according to the drawing and assemble the product

In any case, it will not be superfluous to prepare a hacksaw, hammer, scissors, pliers, fasteners, carpentry or furniture glue, screws and nails.

Related article:

DIY furniture made of wood : for the garden, children's room, kitchen, bathhouse, garden, gazebo; How to restore pieces of furniture, useful tips and recommendations from experts - read our publication.

Tabletop

The tabletop determines not only the appearance of the product, but also the decor of the room. It is not at all necessary to make a standard rectangular or square tabletop; its shape can be unique. Also, the type of countertop serves as a determining factor for which style the product will suit.

A massive wooden tabletop is suitable for a do-it-yourself coffee table in a loft style.

Mosaics can decorate any surface

It’s more difficult to work with glass without skills; if you don’t have any, it’s better to turn to a professional.

Legs for coffee table

The legs must be strong and be able to easily support not only the weight of the tabletop, but also the objects placed on top. The type of legs matches the style of the tabletop.

The most budget option: one leg consisting of a metal rod and books strung on it

Budget option for a light tabletop: legs made of PVC pipes, covered with rope or twine

For such graceful beauty you need to be skilled in artistic metal forging

Excellent slatted frame legs

Shaped carving requires a lathe

Advice! You can take legs from old furniture, cleaning them and treating them.

Related article:

Furniture made from pallets : photos of the best ideas. What can be made from pallets for an apartment, office and cottage; rules for selecting and processing pallets; master classes on making a table, sofa, bench, armchair and shelving - read our publication.

general characteristics

A universal rule: the table does not exceed 50 cm, but not lower than 40 cm. A similar standard was introduced in his time by Le Corbusier. Today, these standards are no longer observed, and on the market you can find products of completely different sizes and shapes.

Living room with a low table Source dekoriko.ru

A folding piece of furniture belongs to a separate category. When unfolded, the product is equal in height to the kitchen table. Users are expected to sit on high chairs while dining.

Table near the white sofa Source dekoriko.ru

Making your own wooden coffee table

I really want a wooden coffee table like the one in the photo! If the desire to have a thing made of wood is strong, then there is no point in stopping yourself: arm yourself with tools, study articles on wood processing and teak, and “full speed ahead”!

Country style table made from a wooden barrel

The DIY coffee table made of wood and barrels looks amazing in the photo. Country style is not as simple as it seems, with such a table it is something sophisticated.

You can cut the barrel crosswise, make a shelf in it, put a variety of decor on it and attach glass as a tabletop.

If you add legs and a tabletop to the barrel, you get a compact product

Interesting decor: a table with a decorative clock. This model can be placed in a corner or near the bed.

Since the barrel is a durable product, you can attach a fairly massive tabletop on top

Materials and tools

You can get neat shaped cuts with a jigsaw

The simplest coffee table (see photo), made by yourself, can consist of only a few parts. To make the legs we will need wooden blocks, metal corners or pipes. You can buy ready-made steel or aluminum racks in specialized stores.

To assemble the tabletop, board, plywood, fiberboard or chipboard are used. It is advisable to match the wood to the tone of the rest of the furniture. The product can be equipped with additional shelves for dishes or storage drawers. This type of furniture can be simply made up of separate boxes, fastening them together. The result is an original piece of furniture with an unusual shape.

To work we need a minimum of tools and fasteners:

• roulette
• screwdriver or screwdriver
• self-tapping screws
• jigsaw: you can also use a regular saw, but the cuts will be less even and will take longer to grind; It is better to order cutting of figured sections at the nearest workshop
• grinder: you can replace it with attachments for a screwdriver or drill

Making your own coffee table from chipboard

Chipboard is a relatively inexpensive material, and the finished product looks modern and stylish.

You can make a comfortable and practical table with your own hands

If all the parts are cut out according to the drawings, then there will be no problems during assembly.

Let's try to make a table step by step:

1. Creating a drawing.
2. Preparation of material and tools.
3. Working with a jigsaw - all the parts are transferred to a sheet of chipboard and cut out.
4. The legs are attached to the back of the tabletop lying on the floor using furniture corners.
5. All edges of the chipboard are glued to match the tone of the furniture edge.

The more complex the drawing, the more attention is needed in the work.

Working with a drawing

To create unique models of tables, you will have to develop drawings yourself, but the easiest way is to use a ready-made diagram, adapting it to your needs. The main thing is to choose the right drawing. It should clearly display every detail of the future piece of furniture with clear indications of measurements. If there are a lot of details, they should be numbered and placed next to each other in a separate list. The drawing also shows the joints of the parts, the presence of gaps, indentations, and indicates the type of fastening of the elements to each other. It is important to select a drawing based on the selected materials for the coffee table, since the designs may differ.

The next step is detailing. It is necessary to carefully examine the drawing and highlight all the necessary parts of the future table, write down their parameters, and at the same time determine the required fasteners. At the last preparatory stage of assembling the coffee table, you need to check the accuracy of the detailing by checking your notes with the drawing.

How to make a coffee table from laminated chipboard

A coffee table made of laminated chipboard plywood can be made in a short time. Advice for inexperienced craftsmen: cutting of all parts can be ordered at a building materials store. Based on the sheet thickness of 18 mm, we order 800×800 mm - tabletop, 460×100 mm - four slats, 700×500 mm - shelf, 700×500 mm - two bottoms, four plastic corners, eight confirmations and 3.5× self-tapping screws 16 mm (16 pieces should be enough). All elements must be covered with melamine edge.

Let's move on to the assembly:

1. According to the drawing, we cut out the required shape of the shelf with a jigsaw. Be sure to use a wood carving saw with fine pitches.
2. We screw the vertical strips to the tabletop using corners and self-tapping screws.
3. In the middle of the slats you need to install a shelf on the confirmations. To screw them in, we pre-drill the holes with a 4.5 mm drill. Also, the confirmations need to be screwed to the bottom.
4. All conspicuous confirmations are covered with stubs.

Advice! If desired, this table can be mounted on wheeled supports.

Surface preparation

Removing old paint

Whatever decoration technique you choose, before finishing the tabletop you should first prepare:

• For ease of operation, unscrew the legs first
• Using a sander or sandpaper, completely scrape off the layer of old paint or varnish
• To remove small nicks and tiny dust particles, treat the surface again with fine-grained paper
• re-screw the table legs
• seal all board joints with putty and dry the surface thoroughly
• cover it with a layer of acrylic primer in 2-3 layers; each subsequent one is applied only after the previous one has completely dried; this requires at least 4-5 hours
• paint the tabletop with varnish, and then treat it with fine sandpaper to improve adhesion

Making a glass table with your own hands

For lovers of everything airy and spacious, a glass model is suitable. If you don’t have the skills to handle glass, it’s better to choose a table without unnecessary details.

Glass must be tempered

The glass tabletop and the same shelf look beautiful. Triplex (10-12 mm) is suitable for such a product.

Assembly:

1. Drawing a drawing and making a cardboard pattern based on it.
2. Cutting glass according to pattern.
3. Sanding the edge with sandpaper or a drill at low speed.

The tabletop assembly diagram is shown in the photo below.

You can add a glass tabletop to a table made from car disks, barrels, wood, saw cuts, and pallets.

Pallets

Photos of handmade coffee tables made from construction pallets look unusual and stylish. It is not difficult to repeat this design.

To create a tabletop, use 2 identical pallets, placed on top of each other and fastened with self-tapping screws. At the bottom of the pallets, it is necessary to carefully remove excess sections so that the table is not so heavy and a lot of free space is freed up inside the future table.

Both pallets must be carefully processed: remove protruding nails, secure poorly connected elements, sand down any unevenness in the wood with sandpaper. If you want to preserve and emphasize the structure of the wood, use a clear varnish to cover the pallets.

Making your own coffee table from scrap materials

A favorite topic for many creative people is how to use available materials for practical use. Products made from tires are especially popular - they are convenient to install in dachas and verandas, and from suitcases that have served their time as travelers.

Tire table

There are different ideas on how to use tires as a table. The good news is that such products are durable, original and take minimal time to manufacture.

A whole furniture ensemble is achieved thanks to a creative approach

If the entire wheels remain, they are screwed to each other and the glass is secured to the top wheel

Step-by-step photo instructions for creating an interesting table

Tires can be painted in colors that match the interior

For home use, the tabletop can be made of wood

Here are a few instructions for creating a garden furniture set with a small table at the head.

Suitcase table

Do you happen to have an old suitcase? How wonderful!

You can't take an old suitcase with you on a trip. But using it in the interior is easy!

If you attach the legs from an old Singer sewing machine to it, the result will be just a sight for sore eyes.

What do you think of this decor option?

It’s easy and simple to make a massive coffee table from a spacious suitcase

So, what is needed for such a rapid transformation? Four stable legs of any type - the main thing is that they are combined with the final decor option and easily support the product. Legs can be bought on Avito or torn off from old unnecessary furniture and made on a lathe. You can use white enamel for painting, as it is easy to decorate. But, in general, the color can be any, even gilding. If the exterior of the suitcase is perfectly preserved, then you don’t have to paint it. If desired, you also need PVA glue, decoupage napkins, brushes, sandpaper, gold or silver acrylic.

First, paint the base and let it dry. All irregularities are sanded and a second layer of enamel is applied. Now we paint the legs and, as soon as they are dry, glue them to the base with furniture glue. That's all the work! We turn the table over and admire the result of our labor.

Tabletop

To cut the tabletop, determine what size the working surface of the side table will be; the configuration of the structure depends on this. We wanted a rectangular base and tabletop. The boards remaining from the renovation were narrow, so the work surface was simply assembled from two parts.

Place the cut pieces side by side along the long side, apply glue to the touching ends, and compress with clamps for better adhesion. After the glue has dried, remove the clamps and attach two mounting plates to the underside of the table. The assembled tabletop is ready, it still needs to be finished, but the first stage of work has been completed.

How to make your own coffee table with additional elements

If the housewife loves rearranging, or the table needs to be moved, wheel supports are attached to the legs as an additional element. It is very comfortable. If the table is small, then it can be served for tea in the kitchen and rolled into the living room. Another additional and functional element is the drawers. It turns out that the table becomes doubly more comfortable.

Table on wheels

To create a coffee table on wheels with your own hands, you need ready-made wheel supports. A small photo gallery of tables on wheels: they don’t have to be small, large metal or plastic wheels look even more interesting!

The wheels are attached to the legs when the supports themselves are already attached to the tabletop.

Table with drawers

There can be from one to three or four drawers, it depends on the table model.

Drawers can be located on opposite narrow sides

A small drawer can be filled with a diary, glasses, stationery or to store remote controls in them

One drawer is also functional

To assemble a simple box, you need 4 small chipboard panels, wood glue, guides, a screwdriver and self-tapping screws.

First you need to make marks on the supports, not forgetting the 2 cm allowance

Then you can start assembling the guides. Place plywood under the side panels of the drawer, pull them out and install guides along the entire length

After securing all the guides, check the smoothness and accuracy of movement. Then we assemble the box and simply insert it into the guides.

Old suitcase

Even something like grandma's suitcase can become the basis of a designer coffee table.

To do this, you will need furniture legs suitable for the design and a piece of plywood the size of the bottom of a suitcase. Mark the places at the bottom of the suitcase for attaching the legs and drill holes in these places.

Place a sheet of plywood inside the suitcase and mark the places for attaching the legs and drill holes. Now the legs can be attached to the frame. The plywood in the suitcase can be decorated with fabric or scrap paper.

Do-it-yourself restoration of a coffee table: photos of interesting ideas

DIY coffee table decor is limited by the imagination of the creator. Any fantasy can be realized with effort. The decor must be selected to match the style of the room, otherwise dissonance will make the item superfluous. But if you don’t want to make a new coffee table with your own hands? Then you need to find out how to restore the old one.

Creative approach: in the photo, do-it-yourself decoupage of a coffee table

Decoupage is an interesting technique using PVA glue and beautiful napkins. If you want to make decoupage look antique, then use crackle varnish.

Decoupage fits perfectly into many elegant styles

The photo below is the answer to the question of how to update a coffee table with your own hands.

Applying acrylic paints makes the table special

If the furniture needs updating due to its condition, then the first step is to turn the table over onto the tabletop and check the fastening of the support legs. If something needs to be corrected, there is no point in delaying it - the furniture will continue to deteriorate faster. You can simply repaint the table, sand it and try painting it.

By tearing magazine paper or sheet music into pieces and randomly mixing them, you can create a fancy mosaic

PVA is applied to the tabletop and scraps are laid. At first the leaves may lie unevenly, but as they dry they will level out. Finally, the product is varnished.

Related article:

Decoupage for beginners: step by step from a photo of a bottle to furniture decor. This decor is especially popular when creating items in a vintage style. In the article we will look at detailed photo instructions for decoupage: furniture, on glass from napkins, on a box.

Decorating the product

To give a room more personality, furniture can be decorated using various decorative techniques. The choice depends entirely on personal preference.

The above techniques can be combined, some of the furniture can be carved or textured. Original results are achieved when decorating coffee tables with shells, sand, precious stones hidden under glass, with or without lighting. Epoxy resin and clear varnishes help highlight the beauty of natural wood. It is best to hide surface defects with veneer, film and paint.

Decoupage

Mosaic

Frame

Crackling