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    Home » DIY Projects » DIY Console Table for $20

    Last updated: May 20, 2019 by Melissa Riker · 33 Comments

    DIY Console Table for $20

    A DIY console table with greenery, lantern and candlesticks on it

    A DIY console table with greenery, lantern and candlesticks on it

    If you've been reading my blog for a while you've probably noticed that I haven't posted nearly as many building projects since we moved to DC last May (has it almost been a year already??) There's a good reason for this-we just don't have the space we had at our last house for the actual building process or space inside to keep any new furniture....urban life is definitely more cramped than it was in the 'burbs! That being said, my husband had been tossing around the idea of building a console table for our living room after I may have complained a few (hundred) times about not having enough "surfaces" in the house to decorate and place pretty vignettes! He finally decided to take advantage of our last big snowstorm of the winter a few weeks ago to knock out building our DIY console table!

    snowy day

    As I said, we knew we were getting a big snowstorm a few weeks ago, and my husband being the busybody he is decided to book it to Home Depot as the flakes started coming down so that he could have a project to work on while we were trapped in the house.  He made it home just before the roads got too bad and left me to wrangle my three boys while he got to work in our garage. (Don't judge the garage pics y'all-it was dark and the floor is an absolute mess of stains!) *post may contain affiliate links

    Supplies:

    • (1) 8 foot 1x12 board
    • (6) 96" 2x3 boards
    • 3" wood deck screws
    • drill (We use this Ryobi Impact Driver and this drill-they are my favorites)
    • wood filler
    • sandpaper
    • stain (I used this and this)
    • wood conditioner (I didn't have this as it turned out but I don't recommend skipping it like I did)

    building console table diy tutorial

    (Did you notice he grabbed my pink safety glasses? I didn't until I was editing the pictures!) Excuse the dryness of the tutorial-I was peeking in every few minutes to take a picture-it was so cold in the garage!!

    Cut the 2x3 boards as follows:

    • (2) 7' long
    • (6) 30" long
    • (4) 9" long
    • (4) 6" long
    • (4) 3" long

    The first thing he did was create a frame for the tabletop using the two 7' boards and 4 six inch boards.  He pre-drilled all holes prior to securing with the screws.

    table base

    Once that that framed out he added the 1x12 for the top, using 2 screws in each of the six inch framing boards to secure it. He then filled the wood holes with putty.

    IMG_1810

    Next the entire table was turned upside down so he could attach the legs.  On each end of the table two of the 30" boards were attached to the inside of the frame, then a third 30" board was wedged between them to create a very shallow "U" type of shape.  This wasn't part of our original plan (what we had of a plan as this was more of a plan as you go build!) but it looked much better with the third board between the legs due to how narrow it was.  Next the entire bottom was boxed in to create a base using the 9 and 3 inch boards.

    diy console table tutorial

    At this point my husband switched out with me so I could finish the table and he could have a go at the three crazy kids bouncing off the walls wanting to get out in the snowstorm!

    how to build console table

    I sanded all the edges of the table as well as the areas where he had filled screw holes with putty.  At this point I realized I was all out of wood conditioner which was very inconvenient because I ALWAYS condition wood before I stain it and there was no way to get out in the storm to get more.  I decided to try and stain without the conditioner but don't recommend it...I ended up having to do more coats to fix blotchiness.

    staining diy console table

    I can't even tell you how cold I was out in the garage staining! My husband thought this was hilarious as he poked his head to check on my progress and snap this pic...he likes to make fun of my Southern disdain for any temperatures under 60 degrees.

    how to stain diy table

    I used one coat of Kona stain followed by a coat of Mission Oak Polyshades to try and correct the irregular staining I mentioned before.  The Polyshades has polyurethane already in the mix so I didn't have to do that additional step.

    A DIY console table with greenery and a lantern on it

    I really love the way it turned out, and it was a fairly quick project! It's actually between the wall and our couch right now but I moved the couch to so you could see it.  I'm hoping at our next house it will be able to be behind the sofa but visible because I think the details are worth seeing!

    console table diy project

    We also made ours to fit the exact length of our sofa and the plans could be easily altered to fit any area you wanted, although I wouldn't recommend going much longer than ours unless you are going to brace the bottom or add more stability to it.

    Is anyone else ready to get to work on some DIY builds now that the weather is warming up? I have a huge pile of things waiting to be spray painted that I'm tacking this weekend!

     

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    Comments

    1. Lindsey says

      November 23, 2020 at 11:05 pm

      Just curios how strong it is in the center? How much wider would you make it for a stand alone to keep it from tipping?

      Thanks!
      Lindsey

      Reply
      • Melissa Riker says

        November 29, 2020 at 1:59 pm

        Ours is very strong in the center, I currently have some heavy planters on it. I keep mine against a wall and it doesn't tip but I'd probably increase the base to at least 12 inches for added stability.

        Reply
    2. Emily says

      September 02, 2020 at 10:32 am

      Hey there, I would love to make this table as well, can you provide the dimensions of the table once built? I’m curious if I will be able to fit some small stools underneath it.
      Thanks!!

      Reply
    3. Penny says

      August 09, 2020 at 4:09 pm

      I found you via Pinterest. LOVE this table! I'm learning woodworking, and I think I can do this! I want to make a table to sit an electronic keyboard on. Thinking if I make the top wider it will work! What is the finished width of your top please?

      Reply
      • Melissa Riker says

        August 19, 2020 at 12:53 pm

        It's just under 1 foot wide. I'd widen the legs also if you make the top wider so it will stay stable.

        Reply
    4. Khadeejah says

      December 19, 2019 at 7:37 am

      You sound like me trying to get by with what you have and not conditioning the wood then having to work harder to fix it. But you have done a fantastic job! Will see if I can convince my hubby to tackle this with me in the coming week. Thanks for the ideas.

      Reply
      • Melissa Riker says

        December 26, 2019 at 9:49 am

        You're so welcome, I hope you are able to convince him!

        Reply
    5. Deb & JP says

      November 10, 2019 at 7:29 am

      We are building this today...6 ft long
      I will upload pics along the way
      Thinking of painting the base black and staining the top.
      Here we go

      Reply
    6. Jeanie says

      September 27, 2019 at 10:47 am

      I'm wondering how the feet are attached to the legs (my pea brain), 😕 The table is beautiful, btw.

      Reply
    7. Chris says

      January 03, 2019 at 9:10 pm

      Where did you find 2x3 boards? The only ones I can find in my area 3ft long.

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        January 03, 2019 at 9:39 pm

        The 2 by 3 boards are 2 inches thick and 3 inches wide, for this project I bought 6 eight foot long boards of that measurement. I found mine at either Home Depot or Lowes, I don't remember which but all should have it. Just ask an associate!

        Reply
    8. Diane says

      November 07, 2018 at 10:58 pm

      What is the length and width of the table?

      Reply
    9. Sarah Godil says

      October 09, 2018 at 5:22 pm

      Great console table, the way you listed out the cutes for 2 x 3 boards. Should we cut it in that order to save some waste or does it doesn't matter the order.

      Reply
      • Sarah Godil says

        October 09, 2018 at 5:22 pm

        cuts** not cutes**

        Reply
      • Melissa says

        October 18, 2018 at 12:03 pm

        Hi Sarah, I always cut biggest pieces to smallest to get the most out of the wood I have and save waste. I hope that helps! ~Melissa

        Reply
    10. Sarah says

      July 09, 2017 at 5:28 pm

      Building this today! So excited. Thank you for sharing

      Reply
    11. Nadia Johnson says

      April 21, 2017 at 2:05 pm

      Do you have a picture with the size of wood parts labeled?
      I'm so clueless so I need MAJOR help- I'd like to have this be a 5 ft sturdy standalone table. How do I tweak the measurements to reflect that?

      Reply
    12. Kim Reale says

      February 07, 2017 at 9:04 am

      Good job! Question about how sturdy is it? Mine would be behind couch in a walk way. Does it seem "tippy"?

      🙂 Thank you.

      Kim

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        February 09, 2017 at 6:08 am

        Yes Kim, it can be a bit tippy with these measurements-I would only use between a wall and couch like in my picture-because it's so thin it's less stable. You could widen the plans a bit if you wanted to use it open to a room. ~Melissa

        Reply
    13. Mycah Cherry says

      December 03, 2015 at 5:44 pm

      Love the table! What length of wood deck screws did you use?

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        December 15, 2015 at 7:53 am

        Thanks Mycah, they were 3" wood screws.

        Reply
    14. michelle says

      October 17, 2015 at 12:16 pm

      How tall is the table once it's completed? It's a math thing...

      Reply
    15. Tara B says

      June 19, 2015 at 9:15 pm

      Love this! I just need it to be about 5 feet long. I need to figure out how to shorten it. How tall is it? I'd love any advice you have!

      Reply
      • Steve says

        May 12, 2019 at 12:03 am

        I built the table for my wife using the instructions but made it 5 feet. Just cut the longest 2 × 3 boards to 54 3/4".

        Reply
        • Steve says

          May 12, 2019 at 11:04 am

          Forgot to put in my comment that I returned 2 of the 2 × 3 boards. So if the table is 5 feet long, you only need to purchase four 2 ×3 boards.

          Reply
    16. Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says

      April 09, 2015 at 1:31 pm

      That is a gorgeous table! Well done, both of you!

      Reply
    17. easypeasy says

      April 09, 2015 at 12:14 am

      So simple but fancy! I love it! 🙂

      Reply
    18. Jenni says

      April 08, 2015 at 7:05 pm

      My husband and brother-in-law are each incredible carpenters. If you're not going to stain the wood use any vegetable oil to keep it in good shape.

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        April 10, 2015 at 8:42 am

        Great tip Jenni, thank you!

        Reply
    19. Tracy @ The UnCoordinated Mommy says

      April 08, 2015 at 8:15 am

      I have so many projects that have been piling up in my house! I've just been waiting for weather warm enough to use spray paint! And now of course I'm waiting for all this pollen to go away! 🙂

      Love the table!! As soon as I can get a saw I want to make something like this. I guess I could always have the guys at Home Depot cut it for me!

      Reply
      • Clay says

        December 06, 2019 at 11:17 am

        The length of the short pieces are incorrect. The 9 inch pieces should be cut to 8 1/2, the 6 inch pieces should be cut to 5 1/2, and the 3 inch pieces should be cut to 2 1/2. This way everything will fit tightly together. I just finished building this table and these measurements worked out.

        Reply
        • Cindi L says

          September 22, 2020 at 5:46 pm

          Thanks for the tip! Going tomorrow to buy the wood and other materials. Since this was 5 years ago, when I priced everything out from Home Depot/Lowes, the cost was around $60. Still, a GREAT price for this size table!!!

          Reply
          • Melissa Riker says

            September 26, 2020 at 1:22 pm

            I'll make a note to update the post after I go to the hardware store this year, 5 year old prices are definitely outdated!

            Reply

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