Hey guys!  Happy Wednesday!  So glad you stopped by… To keep up with all of our DIY projects from start to finish, be sure to FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM!

I am LOVING how my latest furniture build turned out!  Ana approached me about doing this table a few weeks ago and I quickly jumped on board.   Check out how my Pottery Barn Knockoff coffee table turned out!

Coffee Table DIY

Living Room

Isn’t it so cute??

This little guy was a breeze to build!  As always, I will share some tips and photos from my build with you here, and you can check out the full set of free plans over on Ana White’s site!

This table uses 4×4 for the legs.  We often have people ask us where we find our 4×4.  Here in Texas, both orange and blue carry 4×4 untreated Douglas Fir boards.  They run around $10 for an 8ft board.

The only thing you need to keep in mind with 4×4’s, is that many compound saws won’t cut through a 4×4.  I use a Ridgid 12″ compound miter saw (that I love to absolute pieces) and it cuts through them like butta.  I have heard that Home Depot will cut your 4×4 for you as well, but I have not tried it myself.

4x4 wood boards

I used my Kreg Jig to build this whole thing!  For those of you on the fence about getting one… DO IT!

We have an entire section of Kreg Jig projects you can check out HERE!  Both Ashley and I currently use the new Kreg Jig K5
model.  We used the K4 for 2 years and loved it, but the new K5 is the BOMB!  You guys will love it!

This is how I made the pocket holes in my 2×3 boards…

Kreg Jig K5

2x3 for coffee table

Here are some progress shots so you can see where I placed all my pocket holes…

assemble coffee tabel base

how to build a rectangle coffee table

table braces

I attached all of these pieces with 2.5″ pocket hole screws.

pocket hole screws

This next part you need to be careful to do in the correct order.  Only attach one side before adding your bottom shelf, and you want to be sure to attach your top runner with pocket hole screws before attaching it to your table base.

building a wood coffee table

I used my Ryobi Jig Saw to cut my shelf piece.  I opted to used a 2′ x 4′ pine project panel rather than hardwood plywood, so that I wouldn’t have to finish my edges.

Ryobi Jig Saw

Then, I placed my shelf and attached it using my Ryobi Airstrike Nailer before attaching the second side.

wood coffee table diy

build a coffee table

Here you can see where I added my final pocket holes for my top braces…

assemble the coffee table

For the table top, I decided to Kreg Jig all of the pieces together before attaching it to the table base.  This is the easiest way to plank wood and also the strongest!

kreg jig coffee table top

Make sure to use a good amount of wood glue to attach the top to the base.  I also used 2″ finish nails to hold it in place while the glue dried.

glue coffee table top

plank top coffee table

That’s it!  I found my wheels at Home Depot.  These are the wheels I used, but I chose to paint them with RustOleum Black spray paint before attaching them!

Screen Shot 2014-02-19 at 11.46.13 AM

I chose to use Rust-Oleum stain in Carrington to finish my table.  Once it was dried, I used my Corner Cat sander to distress the edges a bit and give it a fun, vintage look!

Rustoleum Carrington Stain

Here it is all finished up!

DIY Coffee Table

Living Room

Coffee Table DIY

DIY Coffee Table Free Plans

I hope you love it as much as I do!

Remember to check out the full set of free plans over on Ana’s site!

I would LOVE for you to share this table and PIN it with all your peeps!  You guys are awesome 🙂

Let me know if you have any questions at all!

~Whitney

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22 Comments

  1. Our first Shanty-2-Chic build and we love it! We found the directions to be missing or not clear with regards to an inset, but we were able to rework it.

    My friend and I are looking forward to the time when we can make everything look as easy as the two of you do!

  2. ?✨?✨??Super excited because I built this myself and it turned out so beautifully! SO happy! I used the plans at WoodworkPlans.info to build mine – I highly recommend you visit that website and check their plans out too. They are detailed and super easy to read and understand unlike several others I found online. The amount of plans there is mind-boggling… there’s like 16,000 plans or something like that for tons of different projects. Definitely enough to keep me busy with projects for many more years to come haha ?✨?✨??

    Go to www. WoodworkPlans.info – click the pink link above for some more plans! Best of luck on your building adventures! ?✨?✨??

  3. I love all your projects! Do you usually use primer before stainig your pieces? I recently tried refinishing a pair of night stands and the finished product wasn’t what I expected. I am new to the world of woodworking so any piece of advice will help! Thank you 🙂

  4. So, I basically just complet ed my first build! Just had a few questions. How exactly do you join the table top to base with nails? (Placement etc). Also, do you just nail the shelf down to the frame in plain view? Thanks for your time! Having a blast!

  5. Hello, I purchased the same wheels to put on my table, however, the top plate is bigger than the 4×4. How did you do it?

  6. Just finished staining and sanding my table. Did you Polyurethane it? I purchased a matte poly and was going to use it. Thank you so much.

  7. Hi shanty gals! I really want this to be my first project I take on, even though I have a long list of your projects lol. But I don’t own a Kreg jig (yet)…are the pocket holes still doable with out one? Thanks in advance (:

  8. Drooling. This is beautiful! I love the look all your pieces have. I’m in the process of redoing my husband’s dresser and am making a new top for it out of pallet boards. I see you guys use your Kreg Jig alot to connect pieces of wood. What would be another method you would suggest since I don’t own one of those?

  9. Love the table, quick question what do you do with your ‘old’ coffee tables? Have you sold them or do you just have some really lucky family members? 😛

  10. OOooooo I like!!! This could also be fun dolled up with homemade chalk paint. 🙂 Paint, distress, wax…. I like!!! Thanks so much!!! ~ Christina in Cleveland