DIY Entryway Table / Sofa Table

I have a pin that drives a lot of traffic from my Pinterest board to my blog – and the pin itself isn’t even mine?  It was something I put in an article a few months ago “Styling Your Entryway” and this is the pin that has been going crazy:

This entryway table / sofa table was made by Modern Refinement on Etsy and is available for sale….

but, it’s a tad out of my price range.

I searched everywhere for instructions on how to build something similar, but nothing came up, so I decided to ‘wing it’ and create my own plans to share with you.

DIY Entryway table / console table

Please read entire instructions before proceeding.

You will need:

• Mitre saw
• Drill
• Random orbit sander
• Sandpaper – 60, 120, 180 and 220 grit
• Wood glue
• four to six 3″ wood screws
• box of 2 1/2″ wood screws
• Wood filler

Wood:

• 2×6  – one 6 foot board (there will be approx. half leftover)
• 1×6 – one 6 foot board  (there will be approx. half leftover)
• 2×4 – seven 8 foot boards

Cuts:

• Base – 2 pieces of 2×6 cut to 17 1/2″ long  (edges at a 45 degree angle)
• Base – 2 pieces of 1×6 cut to 14″ long
• Under top – 2 pieces of 2×4 cut to 17″ long
• Centre – 2×4 cut to 26 1/2″
• Centre – 2 pieces 2×4 cut to 14 12″ long (see illustration for angles)
• Centre – 2 pieces 2×4 cut to 13 1/2″ long (see illustration for angles)
• Cross beam – 2×4 cut to 46″
• Top – 5 pieces 2×4 cut to 64″ long

Start by making your DIY entryway table / sofa table legs:

Your 2×6 (17 1/2″) is the bottom of your table leg.  On top of it centre, glue and screw your 1×6 (14″) piece using 2 1/2″ wood screws (drill up from the bottom of the base for a clean finish)

Next you’ll need to centre the perpendicular 2×4 (26 1/2″) on top of the 1×6.  Again, use wood glue and screw up from the bottom of the base into the leg using 3″ wood screws.

At the top, and running perpendicular to the centre ‘pole’ you will attach your ‘under top’ 2×4 (17″).  This time drill down from the under top into the pole using 2 1/2″ wood screws (after gluing first).

This is the base of your DIY entryway table / sofa table legs.  If you want to save yourself a pounding headache, some time and cut knuckles – sand these pieces smooth going from 60 to 120 to 180 grit sandpaper on your random orbit sander.

Now comes the tricky part – and I’m going to suggest you test this out before committing to all four pieces –  the angled braces…

The lower angled sections are 14 1/2″ long at the longest edge.  The bottom angle – between the base and the ‘pole’ is 28 degrees.  The upper angle, which stops at the mid-point of the pole is 62 degrees.

My mitre saw doesn’t reach 62 degrees, so I laid my 2×4 board down underneath my base and pole and then traced a line where it met with each.  It’s not an Engineer’s way of doing things, but it was a fairly accurate DIY way.  I then cut on the lines and checked for a nice fit before moving on to the second lower angled piece.

Repeat with the upper angled 2×4’s – my measurements might be slightly off from yours due to variations on wood, cut lines etc – so tracing before cutting is the best way to ensure a nice fit.

Sand both sides of your angled boards before attaching them with wood glue and 2″ wood screws at top and bottom.

Next is the easy part – adding the top boards.

I wanted my DIY entryway table / sofa table to be 64″ long, but the leg braces are strong enough for you to be able to adjust this to shorter or longer depending on your needs.

I cut five 2×4’s down to 64″ long and laid them on the floor with the best sides facing the cement.  Place the legs on top of the boards – inset about 5 1/2″ from either end and then drill through the under top and into the boards using 2 1/2″ wood screws.

Now all you need to do is add your centre cross beam – for this plan it is a 2×4 cut to 46″ long.  Pre-drill your cross beam on the narrow sides where it will attach to your legs.  Use a Kreg Jig if you like, or use a regular drill and have your holes go in on an angle.  Use 2 1/2″ wood screws to adhere to the centre of your legs (where the X lines meet).

Use wood filler to clean up any visible screw holes or areas that have gaps.

Sand your entire piece smooth with your random orbit sander and work through grits 60, 120, 180 and a 220 grit for the top.

My DIY entryway table / sofa table was for my new basement, so I opted to “wash” the entire piece by mixing latex paint and water at a 1:1 ratio.  Paint the surfaces, let it soak in for a minute or two and then gently remove any excess with a clean, dry cloth.  If you want a darker finish, repeat this step until you’ve achieved your desired results.  (below is after one coat of wash)

Once your piece is completely dry (say overnight) finish up by protecting it with a clear polyurethane or a triple-thick varnish if you’ve stained it.

My basement lighting is a tad yellow, so my photos will be slightly off – but you get the idea.

This DIY entryway table / sofa table was sized to fit behind our loveseat.  Right now it’s decorated with my mason jar planter and a movie theatre treat box.

Our wicker basket houses extra/ out-of-season toss pillows for those nights when the kids want to sprawl out on the floor.

The legs were made with extra wood I had lying around in the garage and the paint was leftover from the walls, so the only outlay of money on this piece was for the sandpaper, screws and $20 worth of 2×4’s for the top.  If you were to make this DIY entryway table from scratch, you’d probably come in around $40 to $55 depending on the finish you decided to use.

Easily built in an afternoon, and after painting and drying time, you could have this in your house in two days!

Have a great one!

 

Linked to:

• Between Naps on the Porch