How to Make a Nice Coffee Table

So you want to build yourself a nice coffee table. A good wood coffee table is an essential in any room, and can add character as well as functionality. Coffee tables, as most furniture, tend to be somewhat expensive; anywhere from a couple of hundred to a thousand dollars. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Establish how big a coffee table you want; height, depth and width. Write down your measurements.

2

Your coffee table will need the following pieces: a table top, which will be where you set things; an under shelf that is the same size, which will add extra storage as well as additional stability (and also determine the table's length); four legs (which determine the table's height); four support pieces (which will determine the table's width); and two additional support pieces (which add support down the length of the table).

3

Go to the Home Depot and pick out a nice hard wood. Have someone at the store cut the necessary pieces of wood you need with a power saw. This will ensure more accurate cuts, as well as less wasted wood.

4

Sand down all the rough edges of the wood. Then, stain the wood with whatever color of wood stain you want. You will need to do at least three coats of stain. After each coat, allow the wood to dry for at least 48 hours.

5

Build the frame of your coffee table, laying out the four legs on the floor. Take two legs and connect them with one of the shorter support pieces at the top of the wood, using wood screws. Repeat on the other ends of the legs, but a couple inches off the floor. Repeat with the other pair of legs.

6

Use the two pairs of legs, and connect them using your longer support pieces.

7

Place in your table top and under-shelf. Screw them in using the wood screws.