DIY Farmhouse Coffee Table – A Diamond in the Stuff

DIY Outdoor Coffee Table

Courtney Carmean — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 10:00:10 +0000

On the blog last week I shared our huge DIY Backyard Makeover. My hubby and I did a complete overhaul on our boring backyard. That included our porch area. I wanted to make it a place where I could sit and watch the kids play or we could have friends over and hang out. We purchased a patio set last summer when we moved into our new home. I love it. Well except for the coffee table that came with the set. So I decided to whip up a DIY Outdoor Coffee Table to complete our backyard makeover.

I spotted an awesome DIY Coffee Table over at the Shabby Creek Cottage and knew that this is the direction that I wanted to go. So I looked around our garage and started gathering supplies. Luckily we had most of the things we needed to complete the project. I love stash buster projects!!!

I used some 4×4 and some 2×4 boards because that’s what I had on hand. My hubby helped me get all the wood cut and put together.

Once the table was put together I painted it with spray paint that I also had on hand. One item that I did buy was 4 casters to put on the bottom of each table leg. I love that I can just wheel the table around where I need it! Awesome for an outdoor space.

For the top of the table I went searching in my garage. My hubby had recently cut down some 6ft fence boards to create covers for the air conditioner and electrical box in our backyard. So I had a bunch of 2ft boards in a pile. They made the PERFECT table top. We planed each board down as they were quite rough and then I stained them with some of my DIY wood stain.

We used the nail gun to attach the fence board remnants to the table base. I did give the table a coat of Polycrylic to protect it.

The fence boards ended up taking a redish look because of it’s type of wood. But I think it turned out fabulous!

Now my patio set definitely has more personality. I love this table way more than the one that came with our set.

What do you think of my stash busting DIY Outdoor Coffee Table?

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

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If you want to see my entire Backyard Makeover check it out HERE! There’s lots of fun stuff to check out!

Broken Coffee Table Rescue

Courtney Carmean — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 11:00:43 +0000

One of the great things about being a DIYer is everyone knows your a DIYer. Why is that such a great thing? Well you will often find yourself being given all kinds of random furniture and supplies from friends and family. Soon after we moved to Louisiana I had a friend give me an oak oval coffee table. It was the kind that held a piece of glass in the top and that glass was broken and gone. My friend must have had faith in me because honestly I had no idea how to make this broken coffee table into something beautiful.

This is what the coffee table looked like before. Sorry for the phone pic, I got all set up for a “before” pic and somehow it didn’t get taken. I went back and forth with a few different ideas, but the fact that the coffee table was oval made it difficult.

Luckily I still have some really awesome old fence wood laying around. I decided to turn the coffee table into a farm style plank table.

My hubby got a new DeWalt wood planer and I think he was a little excited to try it out! I love the old wood, however some of it is a bit too rough. So we gave them a pass through the wood planer and they came out smooth as butter. We used two long pieces of wood as braces across the back of the planks to hold them all together.

Obviously once the wood was planed down it lost some of it’s beautiful darkness. So I grabbed some of my homemade natural wood stain and brushed a coat over the whole thing. It darkened it right up! I also put on a couple coats of polycrylic on the table top to seal it all really well.

When it came time to paint the bottom of the coffee table, I grabbed my Annie Sloan chalk paint in old white. It took two coats to have full coverage….but no sanding, no priming! I just love it! I did some distressing with sandpaper and gave it a wax top coat.

My husband was able to take the existing top of the coffee table (the part that held the glass) off before I painted it. What was left was the base of the table with some ready to use hardware to attach the new top. The plank top was attached by screwing it down through the attached hardware.

You can see how beautiful the wood top turned out. It’s amazing to think it was once old shabby looking fence wood. It still has some of the imperfections you expect to find on old wood though. Honestly I wouldn’t want to totally get rid of it’s character.

The chalk paint turned out beautifully. I love pairing some chippy white paint with old salvaged wood. The combination makes me happy.

Overall I’m really happy with how the coffee table turned out. The best part? Coffee table=free. Old fence wood=free. A little paint, stain, and elbow grease=fabulous farm style coffee table. So the lesson learned? Never throw out a sad discarded piece of furniture until you’re really sure there is nothing you can do to make it into something awesome!

Thanks for checking out my Broken Coffee Table Rescue!! I’d love to hear what you think about it?

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While your visiting, come see my project from last week! Which just so happens to be another fabulous coffee table…..

DIY Farmhouse Coffee Table

Courtney Carmean — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Several months ago I was given a coffee table. The owner no longer wanted it and I have been dubbed the person who takes all cast out furniture. A role that I am of course happy to play. I gladly took the coffee table, stored it in my garage, and wondered what to do with it. The table just lacked any personality. So I decided to give it a little face lift and turn it into a DIY Famhouse Coffee Table.

I knew I wanted to cover up that blah pressboard coffee table top. The first step was very nicely asking the hubbster to help me cut some 1×4’s. We cut them to the length of the old coffee table top, with a little over hang.

Once the boards were cut it was time to do some staining. I used Minwax wood stain in Dark Walnut. The dark color of this stain is right up my alley!!! I used a couple coats of wipe on Polyurethane to protect the wood.

While the wood stain and poly was drying I whipped up some creamy DIY Chalk Paint. I am loving the pairing of white furniture with stain wood combo. I painted the coffee table with the chalk paint and did a bit of distressing.

I waxed the painted table once the chalk paint was dry (I usually wait 24 hrs for the paint to REALLY dry). Then I called the hubs in with his nail gun to attach the stained boards to the newly painted coffee table.

Is it just me or is knotty dark stained wood just dreamy???

Here’s a close up of some of the distressing that I did to the chalk paint.

I seriously think if I didn’t already have a coffee table I would be making this on all mine!!! The new top of the coffee table is oh so much better than the drab one of the past.

Do you have a boring coffee table at home in need of a little something? Why have a cookie cutter coffee table that looks like everyone else’s, when you can make a DIY Farmhouse Coffee Table of your very own!!!

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

Check out some of these other farmhouse inspired projects that I’ve done……

Stained Inlayed Wood Table

Little Farm Table

Farmhouse Buffet Table

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While your visiting I’d love for you to come by the Time to Shine party!!! We’d love to have you party with us!!!