This easy-to-make rustic side table is made of a wooden crate turned upside down and simple wooden legs that are attached inside the crate. I had fun decorating it with a red, white, and blue theme in honor of the Fourth of July holiday here in the States. Decorated to your liking, it could be a lovely side table for use in a child’s bedroom, in a nook by the recliner, or even as a plant stand next to a sunny window.
This is an easy DIY furniture project that can be made in less than a day, and that includes paint and glue dry times! Here we go.
The Easy DIY Patriotic Crate Side Table project has four parts:
This DIY bistro table is just the right size for one or two people and would work great for a small dining space or to create a cozy nook in a wide open patio, deck, or yard. The pedestal base is made of an industrial galvanized steel plumbing pipe and a wooden serving bowl, turned upside down and weighted with concrete for stability. The table top is a store-bought pine panel.
This is the first dining table that I have made, and I’m happy with how it turned out. The table is standard height, 30 inches high, and the table top is 24 inches diameter. The bowl that I used for the bottom of the base has a diameter of 12 inches. When I was “designing” the table, I scoured the internet for information on how wide the base should be relative to the table top diameter to reduce the possibility of the table tipping over. What I found out is there are no hard rules on the ratio of the base to the table top. But, generally, the base diameter (what sits on the floor) should be at least half the diameter of the table top. Variables that affect the ratio, while I don’t understand it all, include the weight of the base, the weight of the table top, and the height of the table top off the floor.
Why am I telling you all this? The bowl that you use will probably be different from mine, with different dimensions and may hold more or less weight in the form of concrete. My table seems very stable, so you will probably be okay if you stick with the dimensions that I used. But if you want a larger-diameter bistro table (for instance 30 inches diameter) or you want a bar height table (36 inches), I suggest getting a bigger wood bowl to use in the pedestal or install a “foot” underneath your bowl to increase the base diameter.
The Rustic Modern Pedestal Bistro Table project has six main parts:
Preparing the wooden bowl for adding concrete
Weighting the wooden bowl with concrete and finishing the bowl
Painting the plumbing pipe and flanges
Cutting flattening cleats and attaching them to the table top
Here is another easy DIY side table and my first IKEA hack. (Well, it’s my second IKEA hack if you count the mid-century modern inspired cement replacement sofa legs. Check the cement legs project out here.) For this DIY furniture project I used the legs from an IKEA Frosta stool. The IKEA Aptitlig chopping board made a great bamboo table top to go with the interesting Frosta bentwood legs.
I decided to do another project for my new “Easy” category of furniture-making adventures. I’m really enjoying getting projects done in quick order and hope you appreciate it too!
For this DIY project, I upcycled the legs from an inexpensive TV tray table and used two pine stair risers as the table top.
I’m really excited about this x-base coffee table because it folds like a tray table, making it a snap to store when it is not being used. Wouldn’t this be nice for a small living room–you can get it out when you want it, and put it away when you don’t.
Because the entire legs/base is from a tray table, this coffee table is about as sturdy as a tray table. Keep that in mind, and see if it meets your needs.
Here is my folding coffee table loaded up with about 60 pounds of goods, so I feel okay about putting a laptop on it, and some books, a drink, a remote, and kicking back with my feet on the thing. But I’m not going to sit on it or let my children sit on it (they’re teenagers). You get my point.
