Easy DIY sofa tables

Posted on April 11, 2017 by

46 Comments

Easy DIY sofa tables {Heather's Handmade Life}
So after having the same boring beige couch for what felt like forever … (literally since we were 20 and 22 years old!)

Beige sofa + white coffee table

… we splurged during a Boxing Day sale and bought the grey sectional I’d wanted for ages.

Easy DIY sofa tables {Heather's Handmade Life}

We’ve spent the last few months without a coffee table, since our old one no longer fit in the space, and it left us . . . well, really lacking a place to put down a drink.

Tutorial for the farmhouse coffee table here

I still haven’t decided what kind of coffee table I’ll make for our living room, but there was no question that we needed some kind of table close to the sectional. Inspired by a modern slide-under-the-couch table I saw on Pinterest, I thought I’d try building my own version.
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The materials list for this project is really basic: a couple of 2×2 boards and a small piece of wood to serve as a small tabletop. Since I had some scrap wood on hand, I was able to build two of these tables for about $15.

For tools, I used the RYOBI 7.25-inch miter saw and RYOBI drill-driver I got for my birthday.

My drill/driver!
My saw!

(Nerdy woodworking note: Remember how I once said 1×2 boards were my favourite and I was building everything out of them? Well, now I’m obsessed with 2x2s. They don’t split like 1x2s are prone to do, they’re stronger and they have a nice chunkiness to them.)

I made up the ‘plans’ as I went along, and there is almost no measuring required. I just cut down a 2×2 into eight short lengths (half approximately seven inches and half about nine inches) and screwed two ‘longs’ and two ‘shorts’ together to make two wooden squares.

Easy DIY sofa tables {Heather's Handmade Life}

Well, who knows if they were actually squares, but the edges lined up, so that’s all that matters.

Once I had two squares of wood — a table base and the support for a tabletop — it was time to make the legs of the table.

I was quite scientific about this part. I carried both pieces upstairs, stuck one square under the edge of the sectional, held the other square where I wanted it to be. Then it was just a matter of measuring how long the “joiner pieces” (a.k.a. table legs) needed to be.

(I built one table sofa-arm height, and the other table was designed to fit over the arm of my husband’s gaming chair, so the only difference in their construction is the height of the legs.)

I cut two long lengths of 2×2 to be the two legs, and screwed them into the squares on one side. By adding two legs — instead of four — the table base can slide under a couch or chair, which puts the tabletop snugly over the arm.

Easy DIY sofa tables {Heather's Handmade Life}

Easy DIY sofa tables {Heather's Handmade Life}

The final step was screwing on a square of wood — slightly larger than the original squares, but it doesn’t matter if there’s much overhang — to be the top of the table.

Then I decided to get a little creative and mess around with angled cuts to make some ‘decorations.’ I clicked my mitre saw over to 45 degrees and cut a few scraps to nestle between the legs on an angle, and then screwed them in place.

Easy DIY sofa tables {Heather's Handmade Life}

I painted my first table a pretty blue and then changed my mind once I’d built a second. Now they’re both painted with a soft greige (Fusion Mineral Paint’s Putty) with warm stained tops (Minwax’s Early American). I wanted them to look rustic, so I grabbed the nearest dark paint (Fusion Mineral Paint’s Midnight Blue) and lightly dry-brushed along the edges. I love the effect!

Easy DIY sofa tables {Heather's Handmade Life}

Because these tables will pretty much exclusively be used for cold and hot drinks — hello, ugly condensation rings — I slathered four coats of polyurethane on the tops to protect my staining job.

Easy DIY sofa tables {Heather's Handmade Life}

The new tables are super convenient and I find myself using them multiple times a day for drinks, remotes or the laptop. I love that they’re neutral but still have unique touches — not to mention an indestructible tabletop, no matter how many glasses of ice-cold Diet Coke sit on the surface.

Easy DIY sofa tables {Heather's Handmade Life}

Pin this project to read later!

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Category: DIY, Fusion Mineral Paint, My Handmade Home, WoodworkingTags: , , , ,

46 Comments on “Easy DIY sofa tables”

  4. Nice project, I think I will do this with my boys ;-). By the way, I met Bill Mills in Calgary when he came out west for a visit at the March for Jesus. I believe he was the mayor of Truro. Don't hear much about the place but it was neat to see Turo on your wall.

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  6. This is gorgeous. I just got the grey sectional I've been wanting as well. If you would have any interest in building and shipping two more just like this, I would gladly buy!

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  7. Your table is excellent and just what my husband needs. I just need to persuade him to make one!
    By the way, did you know that there is a Truro in Great Britain? It is in Cornwall, which is in the South West of England. It is the town where I was born. It is called a city because it has a cathedral but it is a medium sized town by English standards.

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  12. The couch is fairly new, Victoria — bought in late December — but it's perfect so far. Very comfortable and we got it scotch-guarded so it's held up to red wine spills, even! It's Decor-Rest from Leons.

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  13. I love these so beautiful! What is the measurement for the top board?

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  16. Ik ook.graag dat tafeltje laten maken door mijn kleinzoon .
    Is jammer nu op vakantie naar zee.
    Maar goedwat in het vat zit verzuurt niet zullen maar denken .
    Bedankt .

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  17. This was the best tutorial on Pinterest. I like the way you think! I made this for my daughter’s new and very small apartment, and it worked out great. She loves it!

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  20. I love this! I need this in my small living room, you made it look simple enough for me to try. What are the dimensions of the table top? Thanks so much!!

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  21. Someone is using your images through their online FB store. I thought you should know.

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  23. Great job! I will follow your plans to make this for my living room and get rid of my cheesy folding tray tables

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    • I’m so pleased, Kat! Would love to see a photo when you’re finished.

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  24. I’ve been looking for something like this on Amazon. They are super ugly and very boring. This is so beautiful and personal I am going to make these for my livingroom
    ! Thank you for the wonderful tutorial!

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  28. Nice table. tx for posting I may try it for my wife. Quick ? what type of screws did you use?

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  37. Building a arm table based on your design tonight. Thanks for sharing.

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  39. Pingback: Easy DIY Console Table and Sofa Table Ideas – dle-destek.com

  40. You need to countersink the screws and put some wood plugs or buttons on top .otherwise very nice.

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I’m Heather Laura Clarke. I’m a writer living in beautiful Nova Scotia, I have a 13-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter, I married my high school sweetheart, and this is the story of my handmade life.

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