I’ve always thought coffee tables were incredibly overpriced. Most of the time, they consist of a slab of wood, and very few of the more stylish choices offer any significant storage space. Building your own DIY coffee table means you can create a piece of furniture that meets your exact specifications. Can’t find a coffee table that provides enough storage for pillows and blankets? Want a piece that matches your living room’s rustic style? Make it yourself!
By investing a bit of time and energy, you’ll create a custom piece that fits your needs, and save money in the process. What’s even better is coffee tables are relatively easy for DIY. Projects range from simple to more challenging and are suitable for either beginners or pro DIYers.
Before you start, remember to consider your abilities and avoid taking on a project that’s too advanced. Tackling a DIY project that’s out of your comfort zone can be fun, but don’t forget that specific specialized skills (e.g., carpentry) require particular tools and knowledge to get the job done.
Build from scratch or use found objects and upcycled goods to create your perfect coffee table. Here are 25 excellent DIY coffee table projects for you to dive into this upcoming weekend.
Hairpin Leg DIY Coffee Table
I adore mid-century modern furniture. The trouble is … it’s often insanely expensive. If you’re itching to add a retro flair to your living room but can’t afford an upscale coffee table, try crafting your own. You’ll need some wood planks (repurposed from the top of an old dining table, maybe?) and hairpin legs — which are easy to find online.
DIY Geometric Art Wood Coffee Table
Here’s a modern-style coffee table with hairpin legs that adds an earthy feel to your space. Not only is it a large, functional coffee table, but the geometric design adds some artistic flair to the piece.
Simple Wooden DIY Coffee Table
A coffee table project doesn’t need to be complicated. For this simple table, all that’s required is some wood, nails, and a hammer. This is a great DIY option for beginners who aren’t yet comfortable with power tools and don’t have a massive budget for supplies.
Wood Pallet Coffee Table
Another simple DIY coffee table idea uses wood pallets to create a tabletop surface for your magazines, coffee mugs, and other knick-knacks. I always have wooden pallets lying around near my driveway because I’m an avid gardener and order supplies in bulk.
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They arrive on pallets, and when I’ve unpacked it all, I’m usually left wondering what the heck to do with the chunk of wood. But when left on the side of the road, I’m surprised to see the pallets are often gone in the morning. I imagine the leftovers have been made into many a coffee table. And if a rustic farmhouse look isn’t quite your jam, try painting the pallet or covering it in fabric.
Wood Pallet With Wheels
Here’s another idea for your leftover wood pallets. This time, sturdy legs with wheels have been added, and the effect is rather outdoorsy. Not interested in investing in pricey outdoor furniture? Use pallets to outfit your outdoor space.
Related Post: Rustic Coffee Tables
The neutral color scheme pictured here is beautiful, but if you’re looking to bring a bit of color outdoors, try adding a fresh coat of bright-hued paint.
Gold Leaf Coffee Table
Not everyone can afford real marble furniture, so create your own faux marble effect using cement and gold. Like an actual slab of marble, though, this will be heavy once it’s complete, so you may want some help moving it or to find a spot near its final placement location to build. If you’re not sure how to go about creating the effect, check out this helpful YouTube video.
Faux Marble Laminate Coffee Table Makeover
The above DIY coffee table has a faint resemblance to marble, but if you want to replicate a real doppelgänger, there are a few easy strategies to achieve a luxe effect.
This easy DIY turns an existing (and boring) coffee table into something that looks ultra high-end. All for the low cost of $15! A bit of spray paint and some marble-effect laminate is all you need.
Faux Marble Resin Coffee Table
Another way to achieve the marble look is to use epoxy resin on an existing wooden coffee table. The coating provides a sleek, durable surface that looks a whole lot like the real thing.
Vintage Trunk DIY Coffee Table
If you’re after the vintage look, why not repurpose that old trunk that’s been sitting at the back of your closet? Add legs to the bottom and voila! You’ve got a coffee table with built-in storage.
Optical Illusion Coffee Table
It looks like the coffee table is a 3D rendering, but really, it’s just a bit of smart DIY. Use paint and a steady hand to carefully construct this visual brain teaser.
DIY Coffee Table With Storage Drawers
If you’re ready for a more involved DIY project, check out this plan for a gorgeous coffee table with built-in drawer storage. It’s beautiful enough that it could double as a TV stand and be the focal point of a room.
Repurposed Wood Coffee Table
Sometimes all you need is an afternoon with a can of paint to revive an old, out-of-style piece of furniture. Here, a fresh coat of white paint helps turn this retro-in-a-bad-way coffee table into a surface fit for a farmhouse-style living room.
Wood Crate Coffee Table
Wood pallets can easily be DIYed into a coffee table, but they don’t offer up much in terms of storage space. Wood crates, on the other hand, have actual built-in storage. This type of coffee table is great for readers with an always overflowing TBR pile.
Bobby Pin Coffee Table
Has nothing caught your eye? What about this unique DIY coffee table design? It requires two-by-fours and a bit of woodworking know-how, but the result is a truly fantastic addition to a modern-styled home.
Farmhouse Coffee Table
Get your drill and saw and build this coffee table in a single weekend. It looks expensive, but Ana White assures viewers of her YouTube DIY that the build costs less than $40.
Plywood DIY Coffee Table
What can you do with a sheet of plywood? It turns out you can DIY a coffee table. A bit of handiwork results in a modern piece of furniture that’ll fit in well with minimalist decor and mid-century modern spaces.
Rustic Farmhouse Coffee Table
If you’re after a simple rustic look and don’t mind putting in a bit of work to build a table from scratch, check out this no-frills wooden farmhouse table.
Water Pipe Coffee Table
Water pipes and ceramic tile? Not really the supplies you think of to build a coffee table, but this YouTuber takes creativity to a whole other level to put together a unique mosaic table design.
Sawhorse DIY Coffee Table
The sawhorse legs on this table add a rustic touch to your living room. And if you have a set of saw horses that are in good condition, you could upcycle them into this table. Just make sure they’re sturdy enough to work as a table without being wobbly.
Automated Coffee Table
Huh? Automated? Yes! This DIY coffee table is the most complicated on the list because it involves integration with Amazon Alexa.
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It’s an advanced project that requires technical skills beyond woodworking but so cool I had to include it here.
High-End Coffee Table
Here’s a glam DIY coffee table that utilizes wood, silver spray paint, and mirrors. This glitzy DIY is an inexpensive way to add luxury to your living space.
Modern Concrete DIY Coffee Table
This simple, modern coffee table DIY video includes explanations on how to create a concrete-based look and information on mistakes to avoid as a beginner — which is incredibly useful if you’re totally new to do-it-yourself projects of this nature.
IKEA Hack Coffee Table
This DIY project takes a small IKEA shelf and turns it into an industrial coffee table on wheels. You’ll need some carpentry experience to put it together, but the outcome is pretty impressive.
Mosaic Coffee Table
This DIY utilizes cardboard. Yep. You read that correctly. A cardboard box, duct tape, mirrors, and grout are a few of the ingredients required to build this mirrored mosaic coffee table.
Related Post: Outdoor Coffee Tables
You probably wouldn’t want to sit on it or put a whole lot of weight on top, but the final product is a far cry from its humble cardboard beginnings.
Tufted Coffee Table
Here’s another luxe coffee table made with cardboard. Instead of a flat top, the DIYer uses foam and fabric to create a fancy tufted surface. The wood frame makes this option reasonably sturdy (despite the use of cardboard), and with slightly different dimensions, this table would make a great ottoman.
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