Easy Coffee table DIY

Thursday, November 14, 2019

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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!

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...
  • 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
Quick overview.... If you are a veteran at making furniture, then you can read through this and reference the rest of this blog post as needed, otherwise, skip this paragraph. Your 1x6s are going to be the table top, and they will b


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! 
Tag me on INSTAGRAM so I can share your post! 

xoxo, Sharee



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How to achieve the perfect blend of Boho Farmhouse!

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

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I had someone send me a message the other day on INSTAGRAM asking about combining the two styles of boho and farmhouse. It seems all the rage right now in the decor world. And I gotta say, it's my JAM! I love mixing the two styles! Soooo for my last week of the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE and as I finally reveal all the nooks and crannies of our loft, I thought I would give you a few tips on how to achieve the perfect blend of Boho Farmhouse!

So lets get started!




TIP 1... First things first, you need to decide what it is you like about the boho and farmhouse styles.. For me, and for the purpose of this post, I have found that the easiest way to mix the two is to focus on the two major design elements of them... The industrial look of the metals and woods from farmhouse, and the textures, layers, and charm of Boho. Wooden tables with metal legs, metal curtain rods and wood shelves, etc!








TIP 2... For any room you are decorating, you're going to want to start with your large furniture items. For our loft, I wanted them to be items that we will love and enjoy for a long time. I LOVE this CABINET that I got from Amazon, and we already had this COUCH  from RC Willey. Then I loved this COFFEE TABLE from Amazon, but decided I wanted to make one instead of buy one. (That blog post and tutorial is coming SOON!!) All these items have that farmhouse feel, but the cabinet also has a little boho vibe because of the chevron design, color, and finish. Pay attention to the design of the items you choose. Try to find things that are unique to your taste, simple, and easily adaptable to both styles. 


TIP 3... One of the reasons I LOVE the cabinet I chose is because of the storage it has! We put all our games in it and are able to turn around and play on the coffee table I built. It warms my heart thinking ahead to all the fun we will have in here! I, also, had these old floor pillows from my parents house that I loved growing up and they were still in really good condition, so instead of going out and spending a bunch of money on new pillows, I recovered the ones we had.... (I am not a seamstress so I'm afraid there will not be a tutorial on recovering pillows... remember the instagram stories?! hahahah) But I wanted my kids to be able to grab a floor pillow and sit on it while we play games, or they could lay on them on the floor while we have family movie night! They also used them for building forts and I was not about to take that fun away from them. Ha! 

TIP 4... Another great way to mix Boho and Farmhouse is with your textiles! (Textiles refers to anything that is woven.. pillow covers, rugs, curtains, throw blankets, etc) Farmhouse patterns are stripes, buffalo check, solid colors with words, etc, while Boho patterns have more leather, fringe, tassels, and poms. I gathered a bunch of pillows from Homegoods, Woven Nook, and then I recovered some pillows I already had with the leftover fabric I had from the floor pillows. Boho-Farmhouse is more about having an overall cohesivness than matchy pillows, so try to feel free to gather a mix of textures and patterns with your pillows and throw blankets! 

When I found THESE CURTAINS from Amazon I fell in LOVE! They are solid, and white, and have a little lace down the sides and along the bottom. A perfect mix of Boho and Farmhouse!


TIP 5... Wall art! If you are doing wall paper, a large mural, or any type of big wall covering, try to choose something neutral that can serve as Boho or Farmhouse. THIS WALLPAPER from Home Depot was the exact wall covering I was looking for! I loved that it was neutral but still eye catching and I felt it would be perfect with the board and batten we installed. (See related links at the end of this post for wallpaper and Board and batten installation tips) Since this is where we hang a lot I wanted my family to feel like this really was their space! Adding a photo ledge shelf with family photos, was exactly what I was looking for to bring familiarity and comfort to the space. Plus I like that the shelf is wood (hello Farmhouse!) and has a low profile. I didn't want it to stick out too far from the wall! 

Some other really cute, and really boho things you can add to your wall is baskets and macrames! You can sometimes find cute baskets at your local thrift stores, OR find a vintage shop like THE SALTED OLIVE and buy some from there! And I LOVED the idea of a hanging plant macrame, so I asked THE WOVEN WILLOW to make me one! I LOOOVE how this little corner turned out! Let's just all cross our fingers that my kids don't start playing with that macrame. hahah!




TIP 6... Something I LOVE about Boho decor is how unique each space can be. Boho is more about your lifestyle, showcasing unique items, and letting things live where they fall. So, I thought about what we like to do in our loft and I designed around that. I knew before I started that I wanted it to be a retreat for my family. A place where we could watch movies and play games, read books or cozy up with hot chocolates, and even have epic dance parties if we want to! I also wanted the space to be stylish.. with design elements that will allow for LIVING.

My goal was that we would all feel at home and comfortable and I feel like I achieved that!!

 

Thank you SO MUCH for following along with my Loft project! It means so much to me that youa re here! Participating in the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE has been such a fun challenge!!! Am I going to do it again? PROBABLY! I have learned so much and could not have done it without YOU! Make sure you go check them out all the other participants, so inspiring!

Have a friend you think would like this post? Share it with them! Or repin on Pinterest!

And I will see ya over on good ol' IG!

Happy decorating my friends!

xo, Sharee


Bonus tip.... Use functional knick knacks like Mr llama here. He's holding all our checkers pieces. Llamas are totally boho, but he's also wood, leaning back into that farmhouse vibe! 











And lest we all forget, here are the BEFORE pictures of my loft! Just 6 weeks ago!!




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Everything you need to know for easy wallpaper installation
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Build a picture ledge shelf- in less than an hour!

Friday, November 1, 2019

1 comment
Ok ok, I know what you are thinking.... Less than an hour, NOT POSSIBLE.

It is totally possible! And you don't even need a saw!! Well, unless you have to cut pieces of wood to size. Then you will need a saw.

So let's get started!


Here is what you will need...
1 1x4 length of wood
1 1x3 length of wood
1 1x2 length of wood
wood glue
stain
plastic gloves
lint-free cloth
nail gun.
hand sander




Your three pieces of wood should all be the length that you want the shelf. For example, I wanted my shelf in my loft 6' long, so all three of my lengths were cut to 6'. Sand those pieces of wood with you hand sander.












Next, put on your plastic gloves and stain the wood! I like to apply the stain with a bristle brush. As you apply, wipe the excess stain off with a lint-free cloth. This is the part that will take the longest.

Let those dry for a minute while you put all the sander, and stain away. 


Keeping your plastic gloves on, take your 1x2 length of wood and put wood glue on the lower half of one of the 2 inch sides. Line that up with a 1" side of the 1x3. Then use your nail gun to secure the two pieces of wood together by nailing it into place. Careful to make sure they line up as you go. It might be a good idea to step on the 1x3 to hold it into place as you nail. Just be careful not to step right where you are nailing.

Next, do the same with the 1x4. Put glue along the bottom of one of the 4 inch sides, and line it up on the other side of the 1x3. Then secure it with the nail gun!

It should look like this at this point! Allow your shelf to fully dry before you put it into place. I like to wait a few hours for this, preferably overnight.

And voila! You're done! Easy Peasy!





This is going on my wall above my couch in my loft that I am doing for the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE. I have LOVED following along with all the other designers! It's been incredible to watch all the transformations!! If you haven't checked it out yet, then you definitely need to click HERE. And make sure you head over to my INSTAGRAM and follow along as I put the final touches on this next week!

See you soon! Happy building!

xoxo, Sharee
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