I know what you're thinking.... "Easy, yeah... right...." Well, it's true! AND it won't even take you that long! If you follow along on INSTAGRAM, you know all about my coffee table search! Now, this all came about because I saw a one on Amazon that I liked, but we were already a little over budget on my LOFT REMOD so... I decided to go the slightly less expensive route, and make it! PLUS then I could have the table be the exact size I wanted. So, you want to know how I did it? Lets get started!
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NOTE: The measurements can all be adjusted to the size you want your coffee table. Just make sure you adjust all the wood. This table ended up being....
Here is your list of materials you will need...
e placed, glued and nail gunned on top of the MDF- the MDF will be help stabilize the top. Then the 1x2s will be attached around the whole top, and you'll 45* the corners. You'll then sand the top really well so it's nice and smooth and distress with the hammer, screws, and coarse sandpaper. After than, you can fill the gaps and nail gun holes with wood fill. Let that dry for a while, at least a few hours, and then stain! Allow the stain to dry, and attach legs to the bottom! That's it! Below you will find detailed instructions.
Grab your 1x6s and cut them to length. Keep in mind that your 1x2s are going to go around ouside of them and cut the 1x6s 1.5" shorter than your final table size. For example... if you want your table to be 44" long, then you will want your 1x6s to be 42.5" long. I wanted our table 4 planks wide, so I cut four 1x6s to 42.5". Line these up nice and tight.
Next, measure the length and width. Then cut your MDF to that size. (Note: we had extra MDF laying around so we didn't use a sheet of MDF, rather pieces that were cut to the length necessary to line up with the 1x6s. See photos below for reference.)
After your MDF is cut to size, attach the 1x6s to it. (We always use Titebond wood glue.) Apply glue to MDF and then line one 1x6 up on the MDF. Then use the nail gun to secure it in place. Do this with all the 1x6s. Allow glue time to dry. After the glue is dry, use the hand sander and sand the edges of the table to ensure they are nice and smooth. It will make attaching your 1x2s sooooo much easier! Note: You see my lining the MDF up on the 1x6, remember we were using up wood we had in our garage. The instructions are the same either way you do it and your table will end up looking like the one to the right, except the entire bottom of the table will be MDF.
Next, 1x2s! Now these are a little trickier because you are going to cut each corner on a 45* angle. (Now, you don't have to. You can just cut them end to end. and then sand. I just really like the look of the 45ed corners.) Measure the length of each side of the table, that will be the short side of your 1x2, 45* angle cut, or the side that will touch the 1x6, you want those two to line up perfectly so there are not many gaps in between the wood pieces. Measure, cut, and attach one side at a time. It will be easier and likely turn out better if you do it one at a time.
Here is your list of materials you will need...
- 2, 1x6x8 wood.
- 2, 1x2x6 wood
- 1 piece of 5/8 MDF dimensions, 42 1/2 x 21 5/8
- Chop Saw
- Hand sander
- coarse sandpaper
- fine sandpaper
- wood glue
- wood fill
- Metal table legs
- Oil Rubbed Bronze metallic spray paint (optional)
- Nail gun
- Hammer
- Screws
- Wood stain
- bristle brush
- lint-free cloths
- Finishing wax
- Finishing wax brush
- Wax cloths
e placed, glued and nail gunned on top of the MDF- the MDF will be help stabilize the top. Then the 1x2s will be attached around the whole top, and you'll 45* the corners. You'll then sand the top really well so it's nice and smooth and distress with the hammer, screws, and coarse sandpaper. After than, you can fill the gaps and nail gun holes with wood fill. Let that dry for a while, at least a few hours, and then stain! Allow the stain to dry, and attach legs to the bottom! That's it! Below you will find detailed instructions.
First off, you can order table legs off Amazon! Who would have thought?! Anyway, THESE ARE THE TABLE LEGS I ordered, and you could also use these HAIRPIN LEGS. But I thought they would clash with my rug, and I couldn't have that. ha! When they arrived, I wanted the legs to match my other metal in the Loft, so I spray painted them with Metallic Oil Rubbed Bronze paint.
Grab your 1x6s and cut them to length. Keep in mind that your 1x2s are going to go around ouside of them and cut the 1x6s 1.5" shorter than your final table size. For example... if you want your table to be 44" long, then you will want your 1x6s to be 42.5" long. I wanted our table 4 planks wide, so I cut four 1x6s to 42.5". Line these up nice and tight. 
Next, measure the length and width. Then cut your MDF to that size. (Note: we had extra MDF laying around so we didn't use a sheet of MDF, rather pieces that were cut to the length necessary to line up with the 1x6s. See photos below for reference.)
After your MDF is cut to size, attach the 1x6s to it. (We always use Titebond wood glue.) Apply glue to MDF and then line one 1x6 up on the MDF. Then use the nail gun to secure it in place. Do this with all the 1x6s. Allow glue time to dry. After the glue is dry, use the hand sander and sand the edges of the table to ensure they are nice and smooth. It will make attaching your 1x2s sooooo much easier! Note: You see my lining the MDF up on the 1x6, remember we were using up wood we had in our garage. The instructions are the same either way you do it and your table will end up looking like the one to the right, except the entire bottom of the table will be MDF.
Next, 1x2s! Now these are a little trickier because you are going to cut each corner on a 45* angle. (Now, you don't have to. You can just cut them end to end. and then sand. I just really like the look of the 45ed corners.) Measure the length of each side of the table, that will be the short side of your 1x2, 45* angle cut, or the side that will touch the 1x6, you want those two to line up perfectly so there are not many gaps in between the wood pieces. Measure, cut, and attach one side at a time. It will be easier and likely turn out better if you do it one at a time.
When you're done, with the 1x2s your table top will look like this!
Now for the fun part! After you have all the 1x2s on, take your sand paper and sand REALLY WELL. Make everything line up as good as possible. Next, it's time to distress! Take your screw and hammer. And hammer the side of the screw onto the wood so the pattern of the screw thread is in the wood. Also, take the backside of the hammer and hit that on the table and then your coarse sand paper and sand, not to make it smooth, but to make scratches in the wood. I like to go against the grain of the wood for this. Do those things as much or as little as you want.
At this point, you can attach the legs to the bottom of the table. OR you can wait until the end, like i did. Either way works! You will turn the table top side down, and then measure where you want the legs. I made them 3.5" from each side. Pre-drill holes into your MDF, and then the screws go into the pre-drilled holes.
Next, fill in the nail gun holes and large gaps between the pieces of wood. Allow your wood fill to dry and when it's dry, take the fine sandpaper and softly sand the places that you filled, then wipe the table clean with lint-free cloth.
You are now ready to stain! You can choose whatever color you want! If you are using a stain that is new to you, i recommend trying it on a scrap piece of wood to make sure you like it. I used a combination of these two stains. Brush the stain on with a bristle brush and then wiping the excess with a lint-free cloth, you can even use the same one you used to wipe after you sanded!
Allow stain to dry.
I like to allow stain to dry all night. After it's dry, apply a finishing wax! My favorite is this one made by BBFROSCH. Hands down, I've tried others and this is my FAVE. Also this brush. The best! You'll also want these WAX CLOTHS. Apply the wax with the brush, and wipe off and buff when the wax cloths. Easy as that! If you want to watch a quick video on this technique, CLICK HERE. I suggest doing small 1-2' sections at a time. This wax will dry and harden really fast! One of the reasons I love it!
And then voila! Your table is DONE! Enjoy!!
Happy building and can't wait to see your projects!
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xoxo, Sharee
