$15 Easy DIY Modern Side Table + Building Plan

Our next Turning Tables DIY guest is yet another talented DIYer and blogger, Amanda from A Crafted Passion, and she’s here to show you how she built an easy DIY modern side table, perfect for a living room or a nightstand. We also sketched up a building plan to make it extra easy for you to build your own!

Give Amanda a warm Remodelaholic welcome, and don’t forget to check out all of the #TurningTablesDIY posts here (and be sure to subscribe by email or RSS and follow along over on Facebook so you won’t miss a single one of the amazing posts we have coming up!)

How to Build a DIY Modern Side Table for Just $15
by Amanda from A Crafted Passion

Hi there! I’m Amanda and I blog at A Crafted Passion where I share DIY projects, craft tutorials, and parenting tips and tricks. When I became a mom I found myself looking for a creative outlet where I could share my passions and have an excuse to build fun things. Through that desire, my blog has morphed into a place to document my creative journey the last few years and I hope to inspire you to be creative as well.

I love using power tools and I find it so rewarding being able to take some boring, plain boards and within a few hours I can have a gorgeous piece of furniture or wall decor. This rustic state wall art was so fun to make and gave me a great excuse to use the bandsaw. I recently relaunched my 7 Days to Nailing Power Tools course where I help others learn about the most common power tools. If you haven’t signed up yet and are ready to take one step closer to becoming a power tools pro, I’d love for you to join me right here.

One of my favorite projects to date was a set of modern side tables that add a fun pop of color to our bedroom. If you’re anything like I was, I had some makeshift side tables in our bedroom and finally after years of a mismatched set I decided enough was enough and I was going to do something about it.

When I couldn’t find the perfect modern side tables for a reasonable price I set to work on designing my own, like any good diy-er would, and today I’m excited to share with you how to build your own modern side table. It’s really, simple and with clean lines and angled legs it adds a nice modern touch to any room.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own.

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Modern Side Table Plans

Front View

Side View

Supplies:

• (1) – 8′ x 8″ x 1″ – pine wood
• (1) – 72″ x 1-1/4″ – dowel rod
• (4) 2.5″ screws
• Nails
• Paint

Tools:

• Miter saw
• Drill
• Impact driver
• Nail Gun
• Micro pinner
• Paint brush

Cut List: (Length x Width x Thickness)

• (4) 20″ x 7 1/4″ x 3/4″ – Top and Bottom of box
• (2) 14 1/2″ x 7 1/4″ x 3/4″ – Side boards
• (4) 15′ x 1 1/4″ – Legs

Once you have all your supplies and tools you’re ready to get started building.

Instructions

Basic Steps:

Step One: Bottom

Step Two: Sides

Step Three: Top

Step Four: Legs

Detailed instructions

1. Start by cutting your 8″ x 8′ boards down to size. I went with pine because pine is inexpensive, lightweight, and takes paint well. If you don’t have a miter saw you could use a table saw to cut your boards down to size or if you know what size you need before you buy your boards you can ask at the lumber store, and many times, they will cut it for you at no cost.

To build the same size side table as pictured you will need (4) boards 8″ x 20″ for the top and bottom and (2) boards 8″ x 14.5″ for the side boards.

2. Once you have your boards cut to length, time to paint one side of all of your boards the paint color you have chosen for the inside of your side table. You’ll need to give it at least a few hours to dry before going on to the next step. If you want to hide the wood grain you’ll need to do multiple coats or use a good primer prior to painting.

Make sure you leave plenty of time to dry completely in between coats or you could risk warping your boards when it sucks up the moisture from the paint.

3. While you wait for the paint to dry, set your miter saw at a 5 degree angle and grab your 1-1/4″ dowel. The 5 degree angle will give your legs a subtle angle to add a fun effect to your table.

First, cut one end of the dowel and then measure 15″ and make a mark. Be sure you don’t twist your leg in between cuts or else your leg could be angled all funky and not sit flush with the ground. Repeat these cuts every 15″ until you have your four legs cut.

4. Next, you’ll want to paint your table legs. I chose to use a simple white spray paint because I’ve found spray paint is easier to apply to curved surfaces rather than using a brush.

While the legs are drying it should be about time you can start assembling your tabletop.

5. Using your brad nailer (or a hammer and nails works just as well), nail your bottom boards into the side boards as shown below. You’ll want to leave your box without the top until after the next step.

6. Now, it’s time to attach the legs to the base of your table top. Start by taking one leg and setting it on a flat surface up against another flat surface. Twist your leg until you can tell which direction your leg is leaning and mark an arrow. I found this was the easiest way to get all my legs angled in the correct direction.

Once all your legs are marked with arrows, you get to decide which way you want the legs angled. You have three options: legs angled towards the front and back, directly to the side, or angled out to each corner. I chose to angle my legs to the side. This also can depend on the other furniture in your room so take a look at the legs on the furniture in the room the side tables will be going in before you decide which way to attach the legs.

Note: This can also be changed at any time by twisting the legs but may be a little more difficult once they’re attached.

7. Next, decide where you want the leg to be on your table. I chose about 1.5″ in both ways from the edges. Holding the leg to the base of your table box, pre-drill a hole through the bottom of your table into the center of the top of each leg to help guide the screw in at the correct angle and then drill a screw in with your impact driver.

Repeat this step with each leg.

8. Now it’s time to attach the top of your side table. Grab your micro pinner if you want to avoid seeing the nail holes and pin your boards to the top of the table. I did one pin in each corner of the board. If you don’t have a micro pinner you can also use a hammer and nails.

9. Once it’s all assembled, it’s time to paint the outside of your side table. Remember to either tape off the inside of your table so the paint doesn’t get on the inside or just be very careful.

After you’re done painting, leave your table to cure for about a week before setting anything on the table.

I love the splash of color these yellow side tables add to my bedroom! The yellow paint I went with is a semi-gloss called English Daisy. I also used this same paint to make my orb hanging lights that I later built and hung above my side tables. You can head to my site and search for ‘orb light’ to check those out.

I love how these side tables turned out and are the perfect place to store my current reading addiction and a vase of fresh flowers from the garden. In less than a day from start to finish for only $15 you can make a custom modern side table. I’d say that’s quite a deal!

What do you think? Are you ready to go build your own modern side tables now? Let me know what color you would do in the comments below.

Thanks for letting me hang out with you today and I hope you’ll stop by A Crafted Passion to see lots of other DIY projects and tutorials.

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Thanks so much for sharing, Amanda! Remodelaholics, leave Amanda some love in the comments and go visit at A Crafted Passion — I am head over heels in love with her HUGE Fixer Upper inspired clock! 

Check out all of the #TurningTablesDIY posts here and be sure to subscribe by email or RSS and follow along over on Facebook so you won’t miss a single one of the amazing posts we have coming up, like this awesome upcycled patio table:

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A Backyard to Enjoy All Year Long - Today's Homeowner

I recently made several improvements to my backyard, including a new privacy fence, retractable motorized screens, and landscape lighting that also serves as mosquito repellant.

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30 Amazing Table Runner Inspirations

Table runners are a great way to dress up an otherwise bland table.  They’re great for layering over tablecloths for a more formal feeling, laying down the middle of a buffet with a fun centerpiece, or simply draping it alone on the dining table.  Runners can incorporate many different decor styles or elements and add punch to your dining room in an easy, accessible way.  Seasonal runners are fun for different holidays, bright and playful runners are great for summer or birthdays, and you can even bring nature inside your home with a runner!  Try these different ideas to find one that speaks to you!

 

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30 Table Runners to Buy or DIY

Sur la Table sells this cute coral motif, which is perfect for summertime. // Sur la Table 

 

Want to pair something with the cora runner without being too matchy?  Here’s a great graphic fish runner with cute tassels from Target.  Very beachy. // Target 

 

Keeping with that summer theme, how about this runner from Pier One Imports?  It combines bold color and print with adorable tassels that give it a fun party feeling. // Pier One Imports

 

Tribal prints are en vogue, and this multi-print runner from World Market perfectly incorporates the style. // World Market

 

Maybe you’re looking for a boho vibe.  Try this intricate macrame crochet runner from Anthropologie.  Light and airy for summer, but would wear well all year. // Anthropologie

 

Wayfair has an enormous collection of table runners with simple, geographic prints in different colors.  These blue stripes have a nautical feeling, but you can get them in yellow, red, black or gray.  They also have checks, chevron, and irate. // Wayfair

 

This blue honeycomb pattern is modern and fresh.  You can find this at Wayfair as well. // Wayfair

 

 

Here’s a fun teardrop design also from Wayfair.  This red color is perfect for July, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and more, but they have other colors too. // Wayfair

Next: 11 Table Runners to DIY.

 

In this post:

Page 1: 8 Table Runners to Buy
Page 2: 11 Table Runners to DIY
Page 3: 11 MORE Table Runners to DIY

 

You might like these ideas:

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How to Build a Removable Planked Table Top Cover

Are you loving all the great guests we have for Turning Tables DIY Week as much as we are?! We love finding amazing new bloggers to share with you, and today’s new guest is no exception — Rachel came up with a brilliant removable table top cover so she could both craft at her dining table AND still have a nice-looking tabletop for dinner. Check it out below, and don’t forget, you can see all the #TurningTablesDIY posts here (and be sure to subscribe by email or RSS and follow along over on Facebook so you won’t miss a single one of the amazing posts we have coming up!)

This post contains affiliate links. Learn more and read our full disclosure policy here. 

How to Build a Removable Planked Table Top Cover
by Rachel Teodoro of Holy Craft

Hi friends! My name is Rachel and you can find me over at Holy Craft, soon to be Rachel Teodoro.com as I’m in the process of rebranding. I’m a Midwest transplant living in the greater Seattle area where I have grown to hate the rain and learned to love coffee. On my site, I share some DIYing (like this driftwood succulent planter), some craftier projects (like these cotton stems made from pistachio shells), and some Fixer Upper ideas and stories — did you know you don’t get to keep the furniture after the show?

 

I’m a firm believer in using what you have and I’m always doing my best to work on projects that allow our family of five to live well on less. Which is why I’m excited to be sharing this DIY planked table top cover with you today. 

I love to craft and create and found that I would often be working on my kitchen table so that I could binge on Netflix while I worked. Over time, our kitchen table took a beating. I looked to replace it but it was hard to find something I liked on our limited budget.  I also knew that my habits wouldn’t change and that I would continue to be drawn to the kitchen to work on my projects, so my husband and I came up with a solution that works out great for our family. We created a removable planked table top. The new table top fits over our existing table and gives the impression of a new table, but underneath, you will find a dinged up work space perfect for crafting and creating.

We purchased a discount table at a big box store and I think that was our first mistake. The biggest lesson for someone trying to live well on less is to find the highest quality items that you can at the lowest price. We didn’t do this. We purchased the cheapest table and expected it to hold up through multiple uses a day. It didn’t. It was a mess. Between spilled nail polish stains, hot glue gun marks and paint our table was functioning more as a craft table and wasn’t super appealing as a family dining table any longer.  

 

I started my hunt for a replacement table but like I said, not only was I not finding any in my budget, I knew that my habits wouldn’t change. I would continue to want to craft and create on the kitchen table so I needed a solution. My husband and I put our heads together and we came up with the idea to create a removeable table top for our existing table. It cost us around $150 to make, but that was far cheaper than buying a new table for our kitchen and after a year, I can tell you that it’s been the perfect solution for our family.

 

Every table is going to be a different size. I can’t create a detailed supplies list for you because of that, but I can give you an idea of the materials that we used so that you can have an idea of what you will need if you want to make something similar. 

 

Your new top is essentially going to be a cover for your existing table so you will need a rim that will hold it in place. Our rim is made of 1×2’s that are an inch and a half wide. Adding this rim will also increase the length and width of your table. You will also want to create a 1/8″ gap so that the table comes off easily. If that gap is any bigger it will slide around, if it’s smaller, you will have a hard time removing it.  

We used seven 1×6 boards for the width and on the two ends we used 1×8’s. We chose to buy the nicer pine boards called select wood because those boards are typically straighter and easier to work with.

 

We laid the boards out on our table top and created a little mock up of what it would look like.

 

 

We didn’t want any holes in our table, so we used our Kreg Jig to create holes that allowed us to screw the table together from the underside giving us a much more professional look.  Holes were drilled on the ends of each board and a few along the edges so that the boards could be cinched together and it allowed us to eliminate those gaps that wood naturally gives you. We didn’t want kids spilling drinks or poking holes in their homework paper because the table underneath them was uneven.

 

 

The holes on the ends of the boards were used to attach the long planks to the end caps. Once the boards were all drilled, we brought everything inside and started working on the existing table top. It provided the perfect sized work surface! Remember, you will need to work on everything upside down. 

Starting with the edge plank and the end cap, clamp the boards down to the table. Glue the first plank ends with wood glue and then screw it into place.

 

 Each plank that you put in, you will put glue on three edges. The two ends and on the long edge that will be meeting the plank that is already in place.

 

 

Screw in the holes that were drilled in the edges of the plank so that you can attach one plank to the next sucking it in like I mentioned above.

 

 

Once all of your planks are in place, you will add the rim. All you need to do is screw your 1×2’s around the edge of the table top.

 

 

 
Flip your table top over {remember, you’ve been working on it upside down} and sand it to your liking.  I also let the kids go wild with some hammers and chains on the top to distress it a bit. I used two coats of Minwax Polyshades {in Bombay Mahogany} and the table was complete. I was so excited to bring the table top inside. I just love how it turned out.

When it’s time to craft or create, I can simply take the table top off and we have a work surface we don’t mind dinging up a bit.

  The kids can keep using their silly putty 

and I can keep on painting without fear of ruining my new table.
It’s been the perfect solution for our family! I don’t think you can even tell that the top is removeable. It’s like our own perfect {messy} secret. If you notice, I was able to upgrade our kitchen chairs from a discount store. This time, I learned my lesson. The chairs are high quality but because of slight blemishes {easily fixed with wood color marker}, they were donated to this discount store where I bought them for a fraction of the price.

 
If you are like me, and need to find a solution for a table that is structurally sound but not aesthetically pleasing, consider making a new planked table top cover for it like we did. 

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Isn’t Rachel brilliant?! Be sure to go visit her site for lots of great tips and ideas — and this interesting “after the show” interview from a Fixer Upper family, for all my fellow Joanna Gaines fans

Check out all of the #TurningTablesDIY posts here and be sure to subscribe by email or RSS and follow along over on Facebook so you won’t miss a single one of the amazing posts we have coming up, like this oh-so-easy side table or nightstand:

The post How to Build a Removable Planked Table Top Cover appeared first on Remodelaholic.

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