DIY Mid-Century Modern coffee table

After being coffee-table-less for a couple of years, I decided that it was a much needed addition to my living room. My go-to place to look for furniture is IKEA, it’s cheap, afforable and good enough for a rental unit. However, the selection at IKEA for coffee tables was pretty lacking, they were either too big or too bland/boxy.

So I decided to look at other furniture stores and online web sites for one. I found this one on Etsy which I loved, it had style (mid-century modern minimalist look, which is the rage these days), appropriate size for my tiny san francisco junior one bedroom apartment and a functional design (compartment for magazines). However, for the size I wanted, it came at a sticker shocking price of more than $800. While, I’m sure the quality and craftsmanship of the coffee table justified the price — I wasn’t willing to shell out that much money for one.

So I decided to build one myself.

The first step was to figure out the materials I needed. Here is a list of what I bought.

Materials

1. Hair pin legs. This was probably the most expensive item out of all. I got them from an Etsy seller (link) for about $60 including shipping.
2. 6' x 12" wood planks (2). I got them at a local discount builder supply store. I got pine wood but I’ll mention later why another wood would be better. You will have to buy larger plank and have to get them cut.
3. 6' x 4" wood plank (1).
4. Nails (about 1.5–2")
5. 3/4" screws (20)
6. Corner braces (1 packet with 4, including screws)
7. Wood stain (I got the American Walnut color, but you can customize to your taste)
8. Foam brushes (3–4)
9. Wood conditioner.

NOTE: This was key, using a wood conditioner before staining the wood really helped spread the stain evenly over the wood panels and prevented blotching. It really helps giving an even color.

9. Sand papers, you will need multiple. I would advice buying a single sheet (a dollar each at the hardware store) each of the following:

a. 60 grit (coarse)

b. 120 grit,

c. 220 grit,

d. 320 grit (super fine).

NOTE: Get a sanding block for a better sanding grip to hold your sand paper.

10. Wood glue (something like this)

11. Polyeurathane finish (Like this satin sheen but you can use gloss or semi-gloss based on your preference).

NOTE: I would definitely find a fast drying option. The one I used required 24–48 hours of drying between coats which made this project span weeks instead of days.

I got the wood panels cut at a local lumberyard.

Tools

1. Electric Drill
2. Hammer
3. Philips screw driver

Instructions

Sanding

I took all the panels and sanded them thoroughly. Starting with 60 grit, then 120 and finishing up with 220 grit for the final smooth finish. The finer grit sanding is mainly to smooth out the finish and even out the scratches left from the sanding previous rough grits. Make sure you do this in an outdoor location because sawdust can end up everywhere! Wipe the panels with a moist rag to make sure all the sawdust has been removed and dry out the wood.

Conditioning

Having done some staining work before for a previous project, I had a better strategy on this. Before applying stain, make sure you apply a coat of the wood conditioner on all the panels. This is key because in my previous projects I had not done so and saw the stain setting in unevenly on the panels causing a blotchy look.

Staining

After the conditioner had dried (about 1–2 hours), I applied my first coat of stain with a foam brush on all panels. After applying, I gave it 10 minutes to set in and them immediately wiped the excess stain off with a rag (you don’t want excess stain sitting on top of the wood, it makes the wood sticky and gives an uneven look). I left the stain overnight to dry up.

Polyeurathane Polish

This is the part which required the most patience. Poly polish is necessary for the glossy finish on top of the wood and more importantly it protects the surface of the wood from spills/stains. You MUST apply multiple coats of poly after you finish staining a piece of wood. I used a foam brush to apply the poly over the panels. It took me 3 coats to get the required level of smoothness.

After the first coat dries up, the surface will feel very rough, you need to sand it with 220 grit sand paper after the first coat has cured (dried) and then wipe and apply the second coat. After the second coat has dried, repeat the sanding and coat process again (I know, it’s laborious). At the end of the THIRD coat, you will need your 320 grit super fine sand paper to lightly sand the surface. This final sanding makes the surface really smooth and silky. I highly recommend doing so.

Lot of websites recommend wet-sanding, where you dip your sand paper in water before sanding. I didn’t really try this, if you do — please let me know how it worked out for you.

You can optionally apply beeswax on top of the final coat to get that super smooth look. I didn’t think it helped that much, but I used the leftover beeswax that I used to wax my leather boots so maybe I used the wrong kind :/

Panels drying (left) and fully cured (right)

Assembly

Before assembly, just putting things together.

I attached to two top panels onto the side panels first using wood glue and left it out to dry for 30 minutes. Then I re-enforced the joint from the inside with corner braces which I attached using an electric drill and screws. I could have just hammered the top braces in but I didn’t want to expose the nails on the top of the table surface so inside corner braces worked like a charm.

To attach the bottom two panels, I did use the old hammer and nail approach. No one was going to look below the table so I wasn’t going to fuss about the aesthetics there. Also, with the top panels attached, it would have been very hard to reach in and apply the corner braces to attach the lower panels to the side panels.

Finally, I measured and drilled pilot holes on the bottom panel to attach the cast iron legs.

Panels attached (left), legs attached (right)

That’s it, the table was now ready!

Finished product.

Things I wished I did differently

Although things turned out great, there are a few things I wish I had done differently.

1. Wood quality: I purchased pine wood planks for this project. While they look amazing, they are definitely a softer wood. Which means they can dent/splinter with relative ease. I would advise going for a harder wood, it may jack up your cost by a bit more but I think it would be worth it. (Also, avoid common board planks as, according to a reader, they do tend warp with humidity changes).
2. Pay more attention when making precise cuts — I got the wood panels cut to the desired dimensions and the lumberyard and I kinda assumed they did the right job. However, things ended up being a fraction of an inch longer/shorter in certain cases. Though it wasn’t a big deal in the final look of the product, my OCD-self would have liked it if it was a perfectly flush fit. Carry a measuring tape with you to the lumber yard and double check the cuts made.
3. I wish I had an electric sander instead of sanding the boards by hand. This would have dramatically reduced the time and effort involved in the process. It took me at least 3–4 hours of hard labour working up the different sand paper grits to get the boards feeling smooth which could have otherwise be done in 1 hour with a sander. So rent/buy/visit a co-working space for special tooling. A reader mentioned a radial sander with adequate randomness is a good pick.
4. I also wish I had proper clamps to hold the panels in place when hammering nails to fasten the panels together. I did it in my kitchen atop my kitchen island and had to deal with the panels constantly shifting as I tried to hammer them in.
5. At first, I wish I had researched on various quick drying polyeurathane wood finishing before purchasing one. The one I bought dried in 24–48 hours, so I had to wait a couple of days between application of polishes before the poly cured and I could sand and apply the next coat. But I have learned from a reader that slow drying poly do ensure better quality and less streaking.

Thanks for reading, and please do send me your comments on how you would have done this differently or if this inspired you for your DIY project at nadeemk at gmail dot com.