How to Make a Coffee Table With a Cushioned Top

Before giving away an old worn-out coffee table, throwing it out with the trash, or relegating it to a basement or garage, consider its possibilities. You don't have to keep it where it is if it's cluttering up a room or giving that room an unbalanced look. Instead, you could transform it into a cushioned seat that fits perfectly beneath a window somewhere. You could also move it next to, rather than in front of, couches or sofas when you need extra seating. A repurposed old coffee table might be just the right addition to a bedroom, kitchen, or family room. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Start with an old coffee table that you have in your home or purchase one at an antiques store or garage sale in a basic style that you like. Disregard the color as you will be painting over it. Dont worry about scratches as youll be covering the top with a cushion.

2

Sand the top and edges of the table with 150-grit sandpaper until they're smooth. Rub the top and edges with a soft dry cloth or dry paintbrush to remove sand ash from the table.

3

Choose a color of paint and fabric that you like and that will complement the colors and style of the room where you plan on placing the coffee table. Paint or stain the coffee table and allow it to dry completely for at least 24 hours.

4

Measure the surface of the table. Decrease your measurements by 1 inch on all sides. Cut a 1/4-inch-thick plywood sheet to match these measurements with a hand or jigsaw.

5

Clamp the plywood sheet to the top of the table with four metal clamps. Turn the table on its side. Use a power drill to make pilot holes through the table at eight, evenly spaced points along the bottom of the table and about 2 inches in from the edges of the plywood on its top.

6

Mark the top of the table with a fabric pencil around the edges of the plywood sheet so that you know where to place the plywood sheet after you cover it with fabric.

7

Remove the plywood sheet from the table. With a utility knife, cut two pieces of polyfil foam filling to match the dimensions of your plywood sheet. Attach the foam filling to the plywood with a staple gun.

8

Lay a piece of fabric out flat and right side (pattern side) down on a flat surface. Place the plywood board, filling side down, in the center of the fabric. Fold the fabric up and around the edges of the board. Mark where the fabric covers 3 inches deep into the back of the plywood board on all sides. Cut the fabric at these points.

9

Wash and iron the fabric; then fold it back up around the plywood board as before. Use a staple gun to attach the fabric to the back of the plywood board.

10

Place the fabric-covered cushion on top of the coffee table, lining up its edges with the marks you made with a fabric pencil. Secure the cushion in place with four metal clamps.

11

Turn the coffee table on its side. Thread eight wood screws through the pilot holes and into the plywood base, securing the cushion to the top of the coffee table.