DIY coffee table made from scrap materials

Do you adore designer interior items, but cannot afford to buy the furniture you like? Or maybe, on the contrary, nothing in the store caught your eye, and you decided to make a coffee table from scrap materials with your own hands?

Whatever causes the creative impulse, you should not stop it, since in fact, anyone can independently make such a simple piece of furniture, regardless of their taste, the thickness of their wallet, gender and other nuances.

Let's figure out together what we need to collect and do to furnish the apartment the way you dreamed of.

DIY coffee table made from scrap materials

Disadvantages and advantages of homemade coffee tables

Like any other phenomenon in this world, self-made coffee tables have their own:

• dignity;
• flaws.

In other words, you can make a whole list of significant arguments “for” its independent assembly, as well as “against” carrying out this process, and each of them will, of course, be perceived by each person individually. Some seemingly insignificant shortcomings may seem too significant to some; for others, just one plus is enough to take up the tools.

A coffee table can be made even from simple bars combined with each other

So that you can evaluate whether you should, in principle, get to work creating a table with your own hands, let’s start looking at the table in which we have collected all the pros and cons of the product that interests us.

Table 1. Advantages and disadvantages of self-assembled coffee tables.

Stylish pallet table

As you can see, the pros and cons we are considering are significant. However, only you can decide which side will prevail. For example, people who lack construction skills may be deterred by the fact that it will be difficult for them to assemble an intricate structure. And at the same time, the design of the table does not have to be intricate, since there are truly a huge number of ways to make the piece of furniture that interests us.

Table made of drawers

In order not to talk about what you have not yet understood, but to learn all the intricacies of the process of creating tables with your own hands, let's start looking at the instructions, which describe in detail each of our steps. So, let's begin.

Useful tips

Look for upcycling materials at flea markets. In such places you can find antique doors, windows, and fittings that will form the basis of your craft. Moreover, they will cost mere pennies.

Pallets, boxes and scraps of boards and plywood can often be found on special stands in large hardware stores. The trimmings are subject to write-off, so they are given away free of charge.

You can even use waste material to create tables. For the countertop, you can use old tree stumps, metal or plastic barrels, even bottle caps or drink cans glued together.

Don't be afraid to show your imagination. Frequently visit flea markets and yard sales and let the materials tell you what you can make with them.

Instruction No. 1 – creating a coffee table in a marine style

The marine style has been and remains one of the most favorite design styles for various pieces of furniture of our compatriots. Perhaps the fact is that only dreams of the sea warm us in the winter cold, or it is some kind of subconscious craving for the secrets of the depths. We are not given the opportunity to find out the reason for the enduring love for the marine style, however, we can quite rekindle it even more by assembling a coffee table with our own hands and using all the attributes of our favorite interior design in it.

Here's an unusually beautiful table you can make with your own hands

Step #1 – necessary materials.

So, in order to bring our planned marine masterpiece to life, we must first collect the materials and tools with which our idea will be realized.

So, the following are subject to collection:

• handle for a rake (about 140 centimeters in length);
• old window frame;
• if the frame contains something broken, tarnished, etc. glass, you will also need two sheets of window glass (one regular, the other 4 millimeters thick);
• sandpaper of various fineness;
• end cutters;
• white acrylic paint;
• saw;
• rubber or felt coasters;
• thin hemp rope;
• paint scraper;
• drill with a set of drills;
• wooden boards;
• various decor (glass pebbles, artificial starfish, clean sand, etc.).

We will make our table from half of an old window frame like this

Having collected everything we need, we will proceed to the step-by-step production of the table.

Step No. 2 – process the window frame.

So, take the previously prepared window frame and start cleaning it of old paint and dirt:

• first remove the base layer with a paint scraper;
• then with sandpaper, first coarse-grained, then fine-grained.

First of all, it is necessary to remove all dirt from the frame.

Treatment from dirt and roughness must be done carefully. Otherwise, our product will never look like a piece of furniture, but will remain an old window frame.

The old layer of paint is removed with a paint scraper, and subsequent contamination is removed with sandpaper of various grains.

After complete processing, it will be necessary to deal with the glass. So, if the glass is intact and does not look dull, there are no cracks or scratches on them, then their surface should simply be washed thoroughly with a special product, or using ordinary hot water and soap.

If the glass is intact, it does not need to be replaced with a new one.

If the glass is cracked, you will have to pull out their fragments and replace them with purchased new sheets of transparent material. Finally, using end cutters, the metal corners that previously played the role of frame clamps are removed.

The final stage of frame processing will be as follows:

• applying several layers of white acrylic paint to the cleaned product alternately;
• waiting until the layers of paint dry.

Carefully paint the frame white with fresh acrylic paint.

When it becomes clear that the frame is completely dry, you will need to take sandpaper and rub the part a little in some places in order to make the wood show through. This way, you will create a perfectly aged look for the product.

Step No. 3 – making legs for the coffee table.

So, take a previously prepared rake handle, and using a jigsaw or saw, divide it into equal parts, each of which should be approximately 35 centimeters.

Using a saw, divide the handle into several parts to obtain four pieces that will serve as table legs in the future.

Each cut piece will need to be sanded with sandpaper. Then determine where the bottom of each cutting will be and place a stand on it from:

• felt;
• rubber.

It is best to attach the stands with glue, but you can also attach them to a self-tapping screw.

These overlays are perfect for your homemade rake handle legs.

Step No. 4 – cut out the parts from the boards.

So, now you will need to take wooden boards and cut them into blanks the same width as the frame. In this case, the length of each part should be 8 centimeters.

Sand the cut parts with sandpaper

Sand the base of each part with sandpaper, and then make holes in it in four places, as shown in the picture. They will be needed in order to attach the cuttings.

Cutting out holes

Step No. 5 – putting the details of the coffee table together.

Using self-tapping screws of the longest available length, we place each leg on a wooden base. After which we attach the parts to the frame using any available fasteners, also with self-tapping screws.

Place the part with attached legs onto the frame

Now watch carefully. The part of the frame to which the legs are attached will be located at the bottom. It is on this that we will lay out decorative elements. However, we need to wash and degrease both glass parts:

• the one that is already part of the frame;
• glass purchased separately.

Both sides of each glass need to be treated.

While the glass is drying, braid each leg with the rope you have prepared. Both ends of the rope will need to be glued to the legs:

• one at the base;
• the other at the junction of the leg and the table.

Now we need to carefully glue the rope directly to the handle, repeating this action for each of the legs

Step No. 6 – decorate the product with “seafood”.

Now you need to scatter the seafood in the frames. Perfect for this:

• sand;
• glass colored pebbles;
• imitation of sea inhabitants.

Decorate the table with items with marine symbols

It is advisable to fasten all the elements in the frame with glue so that they do not bunch up, thereby breaking the composition you created with such care.

Step No. 7 – place the glass on the workpiece.

Take glass 4 millimeters thick and cover the box you made with it, leaving about 2 centimeters of the former window frame uncovered on each side.

Please note: first, in the workshop, you must ask the 4-mm glass to be ground so that its edges are rough, and also that there are 4 holes along its edges, each of which will have a diameter of 4 centimeters.

Cover the frame with glass, leaving free edges on each side

It is also necessary to stock up on rubber gaskets and place them under the fasteners when you “seat” the mirror onto the frame using self-tapping screws.

Screw in the screws carefully, because the glass may crack and you will have to make a new one, spending money again.

Step No. 8 – decorating with ropes.

Take the same rope that was used to cover the cutting legs we made. Then tie an oblong knot from it, going around the frame on all sides with rope, and gluing the rope on all its sides.

If you know how, tie a sea knot

When the loop of the not yet connected corner reaches the free end of the rope, thread them, if you know how, so that you get a sea knot.

Afterwards, the rope will need to be doubled, pulled in the opposite direction, and glued again to the frame.

If desired, the outer corners of the table can also be decorated with the kitsch that lies inside your frame. Hurray, the table is ready!

The table could use ready-made decor

Second life for a tire

An unusual solution for creating a coffee table can be a base in the form of an old tire.

Firstly, it must be cleaned of dirt, then dried thoroughly; if desired, the tire can be coated with a special compound for additional blackening to refresh the rubber.

The second stage is preparing the base for stability and the table top on top; for this you need to cut two circles from plywood equal to the diameter of the tire, then treat them with varnish or paint.

We fix the resulting sheets of plywood on top and bottom of the tire, using glue or through self-tapping screws. The height of the coffee table can be adjusted by the number of bars fastened together.

You can leave this design in a loft style, without treating it with twine. But to finish, using a glue gun, from the middle of the tabletop, you need to wrap a rope around it, gradually going down to the base. Then treat the table with waterproof varnish.

Instruction No. 2 – creating a coffee table from a suitcase

Do you have an “old-school” suitcase in your closet at home that has been a travel companion for your family members on more than one occasion, but has long been out of order? It’s not for nothing that you didn’t raise your hand to throw it away, because today we will tell you how to turn it into a functional and stylish coffee table.

Old suitcase as a coffee table

Step No. 1 – collect the necessary materials.

This original table can be made in several variations. To bring our idea to life, you must first collect the following items:

• short legs made of metal or wood (for a table that will move, wheels are needed);
• screws;
• plywood;
• screwdriver;
• drill with thin drills;
• ruler.

Such a table can become an element not only of an apartment, but also of an office.

Having collected everything you need, let's start making the table.

Step No. 2 – attach the legs.

Draw points where you will then drill holes.

So, now on the bottom of the suitcase you need to use a ruler to mark three points located in the corners in identical positions, and then drill a hole in their place.

Drill the suitcase

We will bring the legs to the suitcase, but it will not be possible to hold the fastener on the fabric, therefore, we will need to lay plywood inside, in which holes will be made at the same points as on the suitcase.

Now we attach the legs using fasteners.

Attach the legs to the suitcase and plywood at the same time

Step No. 3 – decorate the table.

That's it, our suitcase-table is ready! All that remains is to decorate it according to your own understanding. We suggest you use the following as decorative elements:

• icons with flags of different countries;
• tags left over from flights;
• stickers;
• brands, etc.

Here your imagination is not limited by anything, the main thing is to keep the look of the suitcase-table aesthetic, and not “drown” it in stickers.

It is not at all necessary to turn a suitcase into a coffee table by blindly following these instructions. In fact, there are many more options available, for example:

• the suitcase can be painted with spray paint;
• the suitcase can be covered with small mirrors;
• The suitcase can not be placed on legs, but placed on the floor without them, especially if it is large;
• the surface of the table can be made inside an open suitcase with an open lid;
• you can put a small suitcase on top of a large suitcase and make a table in several tiers, etc.

In general, nothing limits you, only the flight of your imagination. Listen to him and take action.

The final version can turn out to be absolutely anything

Preparation of materials

Wooden boards for the future table must be carefully prepared for the upcoming work. First of all, the cut is made in accordance with the drawings. To ensure an even cut, markings are first applied to the surface of the material using a metal ruler. To do this, the required distance is measured on both sides, and the finished marks are connected in one line. If the procedure is performed with a long blade, it is convenient to use a rail and a pair of clamps for fastening as a guide.

After sawing, the boards are sanded. Using a special tool, all irregularities are removed from the surface of the material. To give perfect smoothness, the future table is sanded. The procedure is carried out strictly along the grain line, otherwise scratches will remain on the wood. At the rough processing stage, sandpaper No. 80 is used; as the quality improves, you can move on to blades with fine grit No. 120–240.

Antiseptic agents will protect furniture from moisture, damage, parasites, and fungus. An outdoor garden table will last longer if the treatment is carried out according to all the rules. The compositions are applied to a dry wood surface free of sawdust and debris. All manipulations are carried out at an ambient temperature not lower than + 5º C.

Instruction No. 3 – assembling a table from logs

A table made of logs is the ideal embodiment of the idea of ​​nature lovers about what furniture should be like in the house. You may be indignant, saying that no nature lover would cut down a tree in order to make a table out of it, but we hasten to reassure our reader: such tables can be made from naturally fallen trees, and their quality does not suffer from this.

On the contrary, removing dead wood from the forest does not cause any harm. And you won’t, because the logs won’t go into the stove to become fuel and burn, emitting toxic smoke. This is why self-production is good: wood, items made of synthetic materials and various other rubbish find a second life, being used again, thereby protecting our Mother Nature.

Here's an original table made from logs you can assemble with your own hands

Step No. 1 – collect the necessary materials.

So, to create a table of logs with your own hands, we will need:

• plywood;
• a thin wind-fallen tree, preferably birch;
• legs (can be made of wood or metal);
• putty of the same shade as the wood;
• glue gun;
• screwdriver

Having collected everything, let's get to work.

We need plywood to make this unusual version of a coffee table.
Step No. 2 - make the base for the table.
So, cut out a square or rectangle of any size from plywood, but with enough area to fit the logs along its edges, and also to place a frame “box” inside it.

Then you will need to cut out 4 sides of a smaller square or rectangle that will need to fit inside our figure.

Fasten the sides to each other and to the lower segment - the base.

Make a frame for our future table

Step No. 3 – cover the base with beams.

We glue beams on all sides around the square inscribed in the lower part using wood glue.

Then we also glue the bars inside our makeshift box, leaving only a small distance between them.

We glue our part with bars

Step No. 4 – insert putty into the voids and sand.

We introduce putty of the same shade as the wood into all the voids between the beams. After the space is filled with it, let the product dry, and then rub the surface of the table with a grinding machine to achieve the smoothest possible surface.

Install all the beams, and then coat the voids with construction putty of a shade close to them

Step No. 5 – attach the legs.

We turn our table and use a drill to make holes along the edges of its parts to which our legs will be attached. Grip them tightly so they don't accidentally fall off when you awkwardly push or hit the table.

Carefully attach the pre-purchased legs

This is where the description of how our table is made ends, however, we want to give you a few more ideas on how it can be made:

• instead of a sawn tree trunk, you can use a large pile of branches, only the branches need to be stronger, not from those types of wood that break easily, plus they should be thicker;
• you can cover the table with slats made of old or artificially aged boards, painted in the same tone as your living room, thereby also giving a second life to worn-out raw materials;
• Instead of filling the gaps between the bars with putty to create a flat surface on which to place dishes or a laptop, place glass on top of the bars or an empty drawer;
• By the way, if you place glass on the box, you can depict some scene from the forest inside, or figuratively arrange twigs, leaves, dried flowers, etc.

Video - DIY coffee table

Installation features

The first stage of making a coffee table is selecting drawings and cutting out the corresponding parts. Suitable diagrams can be found on the Internet or drawn up yourself.

Attention! It is much easier to use ready-made drawings and the table manufacturing process will be completed faster.

So, when all the parts are ready, you can start assembling the future interior decoration.

• All joints and roughness of wooden parts must be primed. This can be done using wood glue or PVA. Then let all components dry completely.

Table made of boards

• The slats and legs should be fastened with the self-tapping screws specified in the list of required materials.
• The resin content of a coffee table can be easily removed with a solvent. The most popular product remains white spirit. Moisten a dry cloth a little with the product and wipe the surface of the table.

Advice. Do these manipulations in an open space, because in the apartment this smell will not disappear soon.

• The table is almost ready. But it needs to be decorated. To do this, you need to mix varnish and acrylic paint with shiny splashes. Cover the entire surface of the table.
• After the paint and varnish have dried, the coffee table can be placed indoors and used for its intended purpose.

Instruction No. 4 – make a coffee table from pallets

If you see ownerless pallets in a store, do not pass by, but rather run to the seller and find out if you can pick them up, since pallets can potentially become your stylish and unusual piece of furniture - a coffee table.

How stylish a coffee table made from pallets can look

Step No. 1 – collect the necessary materials.

So, to make the piece of furniture we are interested in, you will need to collect the following tools and materials:

• pallets;
• hammer;
• nail puller;
• abrasive drill attachment;
• drill;
• primer;
• soap;
• paint brushes;
• paint;
• colorless primer;
• varnish;
• screws;
• nail puller;
• clamps;
• hot glue;
• screwdriver

To assemble such a table, you need the most common construction tools.

Step No. 2 – preparing the pallet to become a coffee table.

So, first, take a drill, put a metal abrasive attachment on it, and go over the entire surface of our future piece of furniture in order to:

• remove old paint from it;
• remove other contaminants.

Clean the surface of the pallet with a special nozzle, and then remove all the nails

Then, using a nail puller, begin removing nails around the entire perimeter of the pallet. If any pieces of wood accidentally break off, return them to their place and fix them with hot glue. Clamp the glued parts with clamps.

Step No. 3 – covering the table with compounds.

To even out all the unevenness, it is necessary to cover the entire body of the pallet with a primer and let it harden thoroughly.

Then everything will depend on whether you are satisfied with the natural shade of the pallets:

• if the answer is “yes,” paint them with varnish;
• if the answer is “no,” paint the pallets in the shade you want, and then just apply varnish.

The pallet needs to be coated with several compounds

Step No. 4 – making the legs.

Using fasteners, purchased legs are quite easily attached to the body of our future table. By the way, since it turns out to be quite bulky, it makes sense to place it on roller legs.

Turn the pallet over, dry after painting, and screw the legs to it, drilling holes for the screws.

Drill holes and secure the legs of the product in them

Please note: pallets are made of rigid material. In order for the screws to easily penetrate into it, they need to be lubricated with soap.

So, our stylish table is ready!

Video - Coffee table made from scrap materials

Let's sum it up

A coffee table, despite its relatively low functionality and modest footprint, can be an excellent decoration for the interior of your apartment. By making it with your own hands, you will create a unique atmosphere of comfort at home and breathe the energy of your love into the life of all members of your family. We think that this is simply wonderful, so everyone should try to make at least one piece of furniture for their home with their own hands. Especially considering that above we have provided you with very detailed instructions that are very easy to follow. Be bold and you will definitely succeed.

Not a single apartment is complete without a dining table, and even modern bar counters cannot completely replace this traditional attribute. It is installed in kitchens or dining rooms; its dimensions and materials depend on the desires and financial capabilities of consumers. How to make a dining table with your own hands? Read in the special article.