Upcycled Pallet Coffee Table

A few weeks ago when we first started sharing our sustainable adventures online, Priscilla posted a picture on Facebook of one of my favorite DIY projects that I completed a few years ago:

My upcycled pallet coffee table

I had wanted to change out our old coffee table for something with more storage for books, magazines, and our laptops.  After perusing the local thrift stores and not finding anything that would work, I figured I might have to DIY a table – enter: Pinterest. 

With lots of inspiration (er, pinspiration) I came across the following pix:

http://www.caisak.com/

http://3girls1apartment.blogspot.com/

http://design-shimmer.blogspot.com/

http://emilypaigeoslie.blogspot.com/

Swoon worthy, right?!

I told my ever-thrifty sidekick (aka: Priscilla) that I was in need of a few pallets.  A week or so later, three, free, dumpster-bound, now-salvaged pallets showed up at my door (that girl Priscilla has some mad skills!) 

I read a handful of “how-to’s” – but not being one to follow directions, I just used the pictures from Pinterest as a guide.

Because I wanted two levels (allowing for 8 shelves: four shelves on one side for me, four shelves on the other side for Mr. MacGyver – my husband) I used two pallets for the table and one for spare parts.

I flipped one pallet over (the base) and set another pallet on top of it (the top).  Of course, being pallets and not perfect – I had to fill in the missing spaces with the spare boards from the third pallet.

Once I had the whole table figured out, I pulled out my handy-dandy hand sander and began sanding (80 grit to 100 grit to 150 grit to 220 grit)…Lots and lots and lots of sanding. 

After all the pieces were smooth, I primed everything (top, bottom, sides, inside and out) with Zinsser Water-based Primer.  After all was dry, I went over all the knotty areas with primer again to seal them in (FYI: over time, the primer has not stopped the knots from bleeding through the paint which kinda bothers me so I may at some point research how to fix this problem).

A day later, I lightly sanded and wiped down all the pieces and painted two coats of white paint (not sure which white, brand, or finish…sorry).

When all the pieces were dry, I assembled the table and nailed it all together matching the original nail lines on the pallets.  Once assembled, I used my hand sander again to distress the edges and then wiped the whole thing with watered down brown acrylic paint (my own version of antiquing) and quickly wiped off the excess.  I wanted a rustic and worn look but not too dirty or dingy.

Before attaching the casters, I had to fasten two extra boards on the bottom (double decker style) to reinforce the area where the casters would go (pallet wood can be very brittle and weak - third picture below, note the hairline crack on the bottom pallet). Oh and I orderedthe locking casters from Amazon. 

When it was all assembled, antiqued, and dry, I applied a light coat of Deft (non-yellowing satin brushing lacquer) to the top and as far inside the shelf cubbies as possible.  It’s not the most eco-friendly product but I needed something that wouldn’t yellow over time and would hold up to the use and abuse of a daily-used coffee table (read: propped up feet, many-a-meals eaten here, TV remotes tossed around, mail collection piled up, etc. etc.).

Here a few more gratuitous shots of our beauty…

This was an easy enough upcycled project that has more than earned its keep in our home.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lots-o-love,

Lexie