DIY Console Table

Last week my sister mentioned that they needed a console table for their entry and asked me where they could buy one. 


Buy one?


I'll make one!


And just my luck, I happened to come across Diary of a Preppy Mom's blog where she had a tutorial on how she made her fabulous console table.

Diary of a Preppy Mom

It's perfect. Just what I was looking for!


So with that, I set out to make it. Fingers crossed....


I was hoping to get free planks but wasn't able to find any and it rained so anything lying around outside was wet and unusable. 


I got four 1x4 pine boards from Home depot. They come 8 feet long and I got them to do all the cuts- free! Awesome. 


After several calculations and keeping in mind 1x4 really means 1x3.5- I finally came away with these cuts for a table measuring: 34"W x 12"D x 31"H. (This includes a top with a 2" overhang)


4 - 30" for the legs
4 - 6" for the sides and reinforcements
2 - 30" for the sides
2 - 23" for the apron
3 - 34" for the top


I started with the meat of the table:

Life Designed

Preppy Mom used corner brackets to reinforce table but since I had left over wood, I decided to put them to use. (The picture shoes 2 reinforcements, but I ended up just using one in the center).

My sister/brother in law didn't have a preference for the colour so it was all up to me and I decided on a two toned look- dark table top with a white base. 

Life Designed

I just love how pine looks once it's stained with dark walnut. You can really see and appreciate all the knots and imperfections of the pine.

Life Designed

The legs were attached using a combination of screws and Gorilla wood glue.

Life Designed

Now for the apron- I screwed it in from the inside - thankfully I had a special screwdriver that bends 90 degrees! 

Life Designed

With such skinny legs, the table was a little wobbly so I glued some 1x1 trim to the legs to give it more substance. Any gaps or seams were filled in with Elmer's wood filler.

Once the filler dried, the whole table got sanded down and then painted! 

Life Designed

As you can see from the picture, there is a 2" overhang on 3 sides- the side of the table that is going up against the wall doesn't have an overhang so the table can butt up against the wall.

Life Designed

The table will look much better in my sister's home because here everything's very very white. My sister's walls are a grayish beige so this table will look a lot better there. Once I deliver the table to my sister's home, I'll take another picture and show ya'll! 


Now are you wondering about the cost?


Just under $60 for materials and supplies- and that's using the most economical lumber I could find! Crazy how fast everything adds up. 


My sister and brother in law graciously gave me a cool $100 for the table.  I'm really blessed to have a family who supports my crazy crafty endeavours!