DIY 3-in-1 Coffee Table

Disclaimer: This post is brought to you in partnership with 3MDIY.com. All the ideas are mine and the content is still just as awesome as ever :)...or so I would like to think lol.

 Alright. I've been on a crazy building binge the past few weeks. I might say in a way its therapeutic. Therapeutic for what, I have no idea. lol. Maybe therapeutic for my ever changing mind??? Well, today I'm going to show you how to make an awesome 3-in-1 coffee table. It can probably even be changed to a 4-in-1 coffee table plus side tables if you want to separate them. I've been wanting to make this design for the longest time. It popped up in my head a year or so again but I had no reason to make it. I simply love my tree stump tables, and adore my tufted ottoman that I have in the front room. I spent years looking for the perfect (and cheap) ottoman. So, it's kinda hard to say goodbye. But now that its been a good year or so. I figure it may be time for change, so why not give it a whirl, right? lol. Right.

Okay. So first is to get measuring. But...luckily I already did that for you :) Here are your cuts:
For the biggest table:
Four 1x6: Cut at 25"
Eight 2x6: Cut at 19.5"
Two 1x2: Cut at 21.75"

For the smaller tables (times this by two to get two tables, the amount of cuts below are for one table)
Three 1x6: Cut at 21.5"
Eight 2x6: Cut at 15.5"
Two 1x2: Cut at 16.5"

First Step is cutting all your wood. There's a lot of pieces so have fun :) Make sure to use all proper safety precautions like putting on your eyewear and respiratory protectors, 3M TEKK Protection
makes great products for these :) You may look like a goof, but look...I'm totally rockin' it. lol. ...oh and probably don't cut on the ground like I do...but to my defense, it was only there for a minute ;)

 Step 2: Secure each 1x6 to two 2x6 pieces. Having the 1x6 layover the top edges of the 2x6.

 Since you are drilling holes into the top of your table, you are going to want to make sure the screws are hidden when all is said and done. So make sure you use a countersink drill bit to drill the hole, and then screw the screw in. The head of the screw should be well beneath the wood surface now.

 Step 3: Once you have secured all the pieces of 1x6 and 2x6s together separately, its now time to put them together to make a table. I used these brackets that I found for 88 cents each and screwed them into each adjoining wood piece, as show above.

 Your table should look something like this now, maybe a little wobbly still but we'll fix that in the next step.

 Step 4: Secure the 1x2 to the bottom of each side of legs. This will give even more stability to the table, and finishes off the look beautifully. Screw one screw in per 2x6. You may find that you need to screw in 2 screws per 2x6 depending on how bad the 2x6 is bowed (watch my quick video below to see how I pick out my wood to make sure its not bowed or curved :) )

Yay! The table is done :) Now for making it pretty.

 Step 5: Get some wood filler and fill in all the holes that are left from the screws. Wait for it to expand and dry.

 Step 6: Next is to sand these babies down. I used 3M Advanced Abrasives120 grit sandpaper that's made to flatten grain. Holy smokes, it worked like a charm :) I'm not sure what kind I was using before, but this stuff rocks. lol. It proves how important it is to use the right grit of sandpaper for your project. Also, make sure to sand down the wood filler in your holes to get  a smooth finish.

 I decided to take a different route this time out of nowhere, and sand the corners of tables into a round edge. I guess I have baby proofing my house on the brain ;) Although, I'm not sure how well this will really be baby proof, but at least there are no harsh corners. To do this, just take the sander and move it around the edge, its really easy. It took maybe ten seconds on each edge to get this look.

Once you have sanded, wipe up the dust and start priming. And then....paint! I did two colors for mine. The two smaller tables are Glidden's Crisp Linen White and the large table is Behr's Chocolate Froth. Its barely a difference but it has the perfect contrast, you can see the contrast best in the last two pictures.

Now for playing around with these little guys. You have a multitude of ways to display these. As you know, I have a billion pillows, so this was the perfect place to fit some more. They get used all the time when guests come over, or even when me or the hubs sit/lay on the floor. So, this first way is to display the pillows (or whatever you want underneath) outward. With the measurements I gave you, the smaller tables are the exact length of the big table when you put them this way.

 The next way is putting them facing all the same direction.  It lengthens the table a little bit but now offers a perfect place to sit on the floor and put your legs underneath it and have it act like a miniature table :) I'm doing that right now with my laptop on top. Love it.

The next way is to nestle them together and create a tiered look. Once again, the measurements of the smaller tables let you fit them in the bigger table perfectly. You can put them all the way in, or leave them out a little bit.

Now for a few other ideas, you can use the smaller tables as side tables and use the big table for a single coffee table. Or you can have one of the small tables on a side of the big table kitty corner to other small table to make somewhat of an L.

Here's a short video on some tips you can use when making this table from both me and 3MDIY.com. Don't laugh too hard :) I did this by the seat of my pants and was having a bad hair day. lol You know how it goes ;)

My only question now for you is....should I keep these tables and replace my stumps? Should I replace my ottoman? Should I just get rid of the tables all together and sell them??? lol. Decisions decisions. All I know, is that I'm really liking these tables. I think this dilemma is the exact reason why I didn't want to make them in the first place ;) Hard dilemma to have, I know.... lol

This post is brought to you in partnership with 3M DIY. Learn how to work smart and be prepared at 3MDIY.com.

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