diy furniture Archives - Page 2 of 2

I have a habit of liking and wanting things that are not super budget friendly. When there is something I want that is cost prohibitive I try to find a way to make it instead. This happened recently, I found a fluted coffee table and couldn’t stomach the cost, so I found a way to build one.

How to DIY a Fluted Coffee Table

I built myself a fluted coffee table with scrap wood and PVC pipe. It really was so easy. Once I gathered my PVC pipe I glued it together in a circle using construction adhesive. Then I laid out my scrap wood and made a circle jig using a board nailed to the center of the wood with my router attached to the other end. Using the circle jig, I hopped around in a circle all day lowering the router with each pass until I had cut two circles out of the scrap wood. I used construction adhesive to glue the two circles together and added screws for extra hold. Then I used Bondo to give the edge of the table a finished look. The Bondo is fiberglass so it is much stronger and more durable than regular wood filler. It is able to be sanded and painted just like wood filler. Once the Bondo was applied I sanded the edges and primed the PVC for paint. I attached the PVC to the table top by using the construction adhesive again. Then I painted the whole thing a nice neutral color to be a beautiful addition to our game room.

Woman holds PVC pipe to create fluted table base

Bondo is being added to edges of table top.

The DIY Fluted Coffee Table Finished

I love the way that the coffee table looks. It makes me so happy to create something that I wanted and learn new things in the process. I had so much fun creating a circle jig and trying out the Bondo. The table fits the space so well and is exactly what I was wanting. Click here to watch my video of the step by step making of this coffee table.

Fluted coffee table looks amazing in the game room

You can DIY this console build with faux caning using placemats! I was so inspired by $2000 designer consoles that I set out to build my own. Boy, did it turn out GOOD. I’m particularly proud of this project and I used my favorite hack to create faux caning with PLACEMATS! You can’t get this kind of affordability, washability, and durability with real caning but you can still get the woven texture! Scroll down for stain details and the budget break down.

diy console build using placemats as caning styled in entryway with table lamp, vase with stems, black mirror, and stenciled tile floor

woman stands next to wall with painters tape marking a console cabinet shape

What You Will Need:

Poplar Boards (7-1×6 and 4-1×4)
Placemats (I used the table runner version)
Hinges
Magnet Cabinet Stops
Cabinet Pulls
Paint
Wood Glue
Screws and Clamps
Safety Glasses
Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
Drill
Miter Saw
Staple Gun

table runner rolled out to be used as faux caning next to polar board and gold cabinet pulls. Woman feet with white toe nails and script tattoo nearby.

Getting Started on the Console Build with Faux Caning:

I started my console build by creating my cabinet box using Poplar. I chose this wood because its a cheaper hardwood. It tends to be green but I made sure to sift through the lumber to find the lightest colored boards The top, bottom, and sides were all 3 boards wide (1×6). I cut the top and bottom to be 72 inches long and the sides to be 24 inches long. Pocket holes and wood glue is how the boards were attached to achieve my desired 3 board width.

woman at miter saw in safety glasses and messy bun cutting wood — Cutting each board to the correct length. I love these safety glasses.

woman drilling pocket holes with the console build with faux caning — All my boards got pocket hole to attach them together.

using a glue brush to apply wood glue to the sides of each board for the console build — The glue up. I love this handy glue brush!

clamps holding together 3 1x6 boards to create the console with faux caning — Clamps are your best friend to keep things tight while gluing and screwing.

pieces of console build laid out in garage — You can see the 5 pieces of my cabinet box. Top, bottom, left side, right side, and middle divider.

close up of console top glued and clamped

woman poses with screws in front of assembled console frame — The assembled frame with original legs.

The Console Legs:

Originally I had made the legs out of 2x2s but quickly scrapped them. They were looking a little too rustic and because of my own inexperience- too wobbly. Instead, my husband helped me weld some out of a square tube and flat bar we found at Lowes. I spray painted it black and they were so much better! Learning to weld might have been my favorite part about this project!

corner clamps holding together metal to create legs for the console build with faux caning

woman practices welding in garage wearing black, white, and red face shield, sparks flying

assembles cabinet frame with black square metal legs and hinges attached

The Doors and Faux Caning Using Placemats:

Surprisingly these doors were the easiest part of this console build project. Using Poplar 1x4s I mitered the corners and made 4 frames to be inset into my cabinet box. Admittedly I’m not great at measuring or math so either I’m a pro eye-baller or I got lucky that they fit so well. I used pocket holes once again to assemble my frame. *Make sure to account for your hinges!

Now for the show stopper of this console project, the faux caning using placemats! I cut my placemat/table runner to size and stapled it to the back of the door frames. I made sure to pull it tight as I went. If the edging of the placemats bother you, you could always add a trim box around it to look more finishes. I left mine as is for now since it won’t be seen inside the cabinet.

1x4s with mitered corners clamped and being attached with pocket holes

inside shot of cabinet where faux caning using placemats was staples to the back of door frame

The Stain:

This is where I really started experimenting. I couldn’t find a stain in existence that was quite what I wanted so I decided to do a paint wash instead. The colors used were Gravelstone by Behr (1st coat) and Dovetail by Sherwin Williams (2nd coat).

See my blog post on using paint as stain for more details on the process.

Budget Breakdown For the Console Build with Faux Caning:

This is an estimate since I didn’t keep my receipts and this project also happened during the high post-pandemic lumber prices. I believe if wood prices were normal it would have been half this cost!

Cabinet Frame (7 Poplar 1x6s): $200
Cabinet Doors (4 Poplar 1x4s): $80
Faux Caning Table Runner: $13
Cabinet Pulls: $12
Hinges and Cabinet Stoppers: $12
Metal Tubing for legs: $40
Misc Supplies (Staples, screws, glue, paint): $40

Estimated Total: $397