DIY Pallet Board Coffee Table with Hairpin Legs

Woodworking does not come naturally to me.

You would think that I had learned by now that the confidence of other bloggers should not reflect my own. Statements declaring that they have never built anything in their life ever, yet whipped up a kitchen island in one afternoon, should not fool me into thinking that I too can adopt the same, suspiciously nonchalant attitude toward designing and building sturdy furniture. And yet, my determination to tear apart our third-hand Ikea pressboard coffee table and replace it with a low-cost, DIY table was too strong for the small, meek voice of reasoning in the back of my head.

Everyone else's designs seemed to complicated, so I made up my own. Then, after I had cut and laid out the wood, mine seemed just as complicated as everyone else's. I'm not even sure I can tell you how I did everything. What I can say is that I managed to split a lot of wood, snap a few screws, and un-drill and re-drill multiple pieces, multiple times.

Using scavenged pallet wood and leftover stain from other projects, the overall cost was fairly low. The most expensive aspects of the project by far were the hairpin legs, so if you're looking for a project under $100, I would suggest exploring other options for the base. At the very least, know that even if you have never built a coffee table in your life, even if you are sanding each board lovingly by hand from your balcony then spending a considerable amount of time removing the cat fur from your newly stained boards, and even if it takes you a very long time to finish it, you can do it.