DIY Farmhouse Coffee Table with Building Instructions and a Cut List

A guide with building instructions and a cut list for building a simple DIY farmhouse coffee table. This coffee table is perfect for a family with kids and a budget. 

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We recycled the legs from our old glass-top coffee table to create a farmhouse style table. Our new table is simple, but it’s better for our living space and growing family.

For more DIY furniture builds check out our farmhouse dining table and our nightstands!

Deciding on a Coffee Table Design

When we decided to build the new table I knew that I wanted something rectangular rather than square. I wanted it to feel more symmetrical with our sectional. I used the edges of the sectional cushions to measure out the dimensions.

To keep things simple, we decided to keep the table about the same height by recycling the legs on our existing coffee table. This meant that we only had to construct a new apron and tabletop versus building the whole thing from scratch. The dimensions for the new DIY farmhouse coffee table are 47″ x 33″ x 16 3/4″.

Once all of the cuts were made we stained the tabletop using Minwax Dark Walnut stain. This is my favorite stain. In case you couldn’t tell, since it’s the same as what’s on our dining table, the console shelf behind the couch, and our nightstands upstairs. I’m just obsessed with it!

For the legs and apron, I opted for Olympic Faint Flicker. It’s the same soft gray that is on the walls behind the sectional. I contemplated using white. But I didn’t want it to blend too much with the large white tv stand. I sealed the top with a few coats of polyurethane to keep it protected from scratches and spills. 

We assembled the DIY farmhouse coffee table using pocket holes made with our Kreg Jig. This tool has been the absolute BEST for all of our furniture projects. It keeps all of the screws hidden. That makes for a much cleaner, more professional-looking piece of furniture.

There are also brackets that keep the legs attached. This makes removing the legs super easy in case the table ever needs to be stored away or during a move.

I’m absolutely IN LOVE with how this DIY farmhouse coffee table turned out!

I was ready for a change in our living room and a new piece of furniture is the perfect kind of change. The only sad thing is now we have to babyproof it. I 100% know that we have to add foam bumpers because my kids have hit their head already. Girls play rough, so it’s better safe than sorry. 

I’m looking forward to the time spent around this table as a family, watching tv together, coloring, doing puzzles and eating charcuterie.

One day I’d love to invest in a nice round table, but this DIY farmhouse coffee table is perfect for us now. It will see lots of wear and tear from our kiddos, but it’s sturdy and can survive. Having expensive, non-DIY furniture is for after kids right?

DIY Farmhouse Coffee Table Materials and Cut List

Materials

• 5 – 1×6 – 8 ft. long
• 2 – 2×2 – 3 ft. long (These will be the table legs. Ours were recycled from our old coffee table and are exactly 2×2)
• 1 – 1×2 – 4 ft. long
• 14 – 1 1/4 pocket hole screws
• 6 – 1 1/4 screws
• 4 metal table leg corner plates (We recycled these from our old table as well, but these are similar to what we used)

Cut List

• 6- 1×6 @ 47″ (tabletop boards)
• 2- 1×6 @ 27.5″ (apron width)
• 2- 1×6 @ 41.5″ (apron length)
• 4- 2×2 @16″ (legs)
• 1- 1×2 @30″ (support beam)

DIY Farmhouse Coffee Table Assembly

This was a very simple build. We attached the legs to the apron pieces using the corner plates from our previous table to create the bottom structure. Then, using a Kreg Jig (If you don’t have one, get one! It changes the game when building furniture.), we drilled pocket holes in each of the tabletop boards to attach them to the apron. There are 2 pocket holes under each tabletop board at either end. Since the pocket holes are drilled from under the table, so there are no visible screws. Woo! This picture is from our nightstand DIY, but it’s a good illustration of what a pocket hole looks like: 

The 1×2 is attached to the center of the underside of the table for added support and stability. It’s attached using pocket holes at either end and 6 1 1/4 screws, one for each tabletop board.

The final dimensions for our table were 47″ x 33″ x 16 3/4″ and for reference, the following image includes all the dimensions for the underside of the table (minus the added support bar).

This DIY farmhouse coffee table was so simple to build and it really looks fantastic in our space. It’s the perfect spot for building with LEGO, eating snacks, and putting my feet up after a long day!