How to Make a Coffee Table From a Door

With a little elbow grease and imagination, a door be turned into coffee table. A solid core door is best, as it will be sturdier and you won't have fill in or hide the hollow end after you cut it. Look at the door type and pictures of coffee table styles for inspiration, then make your own one-of-a-kind piece of furniture. If you have a jigsaw, consider cutting the door into a shape other than just a rectangle. You may also find a hardware shop or wood shop that will do custom cuts for you.

Instructions

1




Try to preserve any architectural interest.

Cut the door to the size you want. Plan your cuts on paper first, so you can cut it in a way that preserves any architectural interest, such as arches, raised panels or interesting markings. The size of your coffee table is up to you, as there is no standard size, but most doors are too large for the average room.

2

Sand the entire door, front and back, to remove rough places, old paint and splinters. Choose the sandpaper based on the look you want and the condition of the door. If there is a lot of dirt and old paint, you will want to use a coarse sandpaper first, and then finish with a finer grit. Also, if you want a distressed look, you will sand it less than if you want a highly polished look. Wipe it down with a damp cloth to clean off the dust.

3

Mark the places at each corner where you want to put the legs and drill a hole in each place for the table legs. Use a drill bit that is just slightly smaller than the screws that are already built into the table legs.

4




Screw-in table legs come in many styles.

Screw the coffee table legs into the holes you drilled at each corner.

5

Paint or stain the coffee table using any paint or stain made for wood. There are low-fume and non-toxic paints that might be more suitable if you have toddlers or young pets. There are kits available to help you create a distressed look, faded look or another effect. Apply at least one coat of polyurethane over the fully dry paint or stain so the finish will resist stains, spills and water rings.