Anyone who does frequent DIY projects has had a project or two that became so frustrating, it had to be abandoned. Here, I want to show you how I snagged someones abandoned DIY project, and turned it into a DIY farmhouse coffee table.
This coffee table was in pretty ugly shape when I came across it in a local thrift shop. However, it was still really sturdy, and the drawers were working great.
I got right to work cleaning it up and filling any holes or gouges. To easily get a smooth surface, I like to use a quick drying spackling compound.
Prime and Paint
You will need to prime over any stains. To keep it simple, I used a tough stain blocking spray primer, and spot sprayed the stained areas.
With stains sealed, the coffee table was ready for paint. Some white satin paint was laying around here in our extra paint stash, so I went with that. To make painting easier, I removed the top of the coffee table.
I also added my new drawer hardware, as it would need a coat of paint too.
New Farmhouse Coffee Table Top
To get a more rustic farmhouse coffee table look, I chose to replace the original table top with some reclaimed wood. I used a combination of 2×6 and 2×4 reclaimed boards. Using the dimensions of the original table top, I cut my lumber to length. The farmhouse coffee table top ended up being a tad wider than the original, because I didn’t want to have to rip my lumber down lengthwise.
Having drawers to deal with on this piece, complicated things a bit. To make it as easy as I could, I laid the original top and new top side by side on the floor. I’m a visual person, so this just helped me see exactly what I needed to do.
To move the drawer guides, I measured the spacing, then transferred them right over to the new farmhouse coffee table top. Fitting the drawers on upside down before attaching the table top to the base, was a good way to check and make sure the spacing was going to work.
Using the the original means of attaching the top, I attached my new farmhouse coffee table top to my painted base. I did not feel the need to attach my boards together as they were individually attached to the base and not going anywhere.
Sand and Stain
After attaching my table top, I got right to work sanding it smooth. A small amount of sanding had been done before attaching the lumber to the base. Using a rougher grit to start with, 60-80 grit, and working my way to a smooth grit, 200, I was able to get a nice sliver free surface.
Using Varathane Weathered Gray wood stain, I stained the farmhouse coffee table top. This stain tends to look a bit too blue for my liking. I sand the stained surface after it dries to tone down the blue a bit.
After the farmhouse table top had completely dried, the last step was to apply a sealer. To protect wood furniture pieces from staining, a sealer is necessary. You can really use whatever sealer you like. I like to work with low odor, water based sealers.
Finished Farmhouse Coffee Table
After just a few easy steps, and a couple hours of labor, my coffee table had endured it’s complete transformation. She was standing proud for a while in our living room before she sold on Craigslist. Now I’m off to hunt for my next project.
Enjoy!
