DIY Furniture - Crate Coffee Table

Oh friends, have I got a treat for you today.  Ever since we returned home from our hike, we have been looking for creative, but affordable ways to furnish our new home.  We don't have a lot of space in our condo so each piece has to have a purpose.  And if that purpose is extra storage... well, that's pretty much a win in my book. 

So I turned to Pinterest, the source of 99.9% of my DIY projects, and came across this table on Etsy.  My first thought was, "oh so cute!" but that was quickly followed by, "HOLD UP.  I can totally make that."  So off I went. 

With a quick trip to a craft store (I found everything at Jo-Ann Fabrics) and a few basic tools/supplies (drill, drill bits, screws, wood glue, wood filler, stain) you can build this too.  If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section and I'll do my best to help.  Have fun!!

The hole on the far left is after both drill bits. The other two are after the 5/32 bit.

Six screws in one side of crate. Repeat this four times.

• I started by laying the crates on their sides and marking where I was going to drill the holes.
• After measuring the length I would need for each screw (for me it was 3/4" screws), I bought 24 of them - 6 for each crate. 
• Before drilling the screws in, I used a drill bit to create a hole.  The 5/32 size worked for my screw, but you can ask at the hardware store when you buy your screws if you're not sure which size to use.  
• I also used a 19/64 drill bit to create a wider space for the screwhead to sink into.  They sell drill bits specifically for this purpose, but I don't have one so I just made the best of it with what I had.
• I drilled 6 screws into each crate and used a little bit of Gorilla Wood Glue to give it extra strength. 

Patching the holes with wood filler.

Sanding the wood filler down, after it has dried.

• Once the screws are in place and the unit is secure, you can patch the holes with wood filler.  This is why I created a bigger hole for the screwhead in the earlier steps.  The goal is to hide the screws and  create a more polished finish.
  
• Once the holes are patched and dry, you can sand them down.  They will blend right in with the wood and be smooth.  Once you stain or paint, they will seem invisible.
  

Glue the bottom pieces to the base (optional)

• I opted to add a few boxes to the bottom of the crates to make our coffee table higher. This is optional, but if you do add them you can just use the wood glue. 
  

Stain or paint the entire table. Q-tips work well for some of those hard to reach little nooks.

• Once the table was assembled, I sanded the entire thing in the direction of the wood grain, vacuumed the dust off and then wiped it down with a damp rag to remove anything the vacuum missed.
  
• I used 2 coats of MinWax Wood Stain in Jacobean to stain mine, but the options are endless.  Use whatever matches your decor - that's the best part of DIY.
  

The finished product!

• That's it!  This project took me about 2 hours to build and one hour to stain.  It looks great in our new living room and I was able to build it for less than $60 thanks to sale prices and a coupon. 
  

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