How To: Wood Top With Instructions and Pictures!
I love our Ikea coffee table. This thing has seen it all. It was a gift to me for my high school graduation and has since had many owners including all my newlywed friends. And with that much love comes scratches, dents, and stains.
It needed a makeover and with our own newlywed budget, a new coffee table wasn't in the plans.
I'm going to talk you through each step it took to create this look. I'll do a quick version if you're a DIY pro and only need materials and I'll do a longer explanation going through each step in detail for those starting out.
Look for bolded tips throughout the tutorial!
Quick Tutorial
Items Needed:
- Hand Sander
- Power Saw
- Sawhorse and Board
- Sand Paper
- Rag or Stain Cloths
- Stain in the Color You Want
- Wood Boards Fit to Your Table
- Exterior Grade Caulk or Liquid Nails
Directions:
- Set up your sawhorses with a board over top and cut boards to length leaving 1/2 inch overhang on each end of the board
- Use your hand sander to slightly round the corners and ends of each board. Depending on your wood type sand the top that will be facing up so you have a smooth surface
- Wipe down wood with a damp cloth to get all saw dust off. The dust will affect the look of the stain if left untouched.
- Once boards are wiped clean, start to apply the stain. Start at the end and make your way to the middle leaving both ends for last. The ends will always stain darker than the top face of the wood.
- Once your first coat is on let dry for 1 hour.
- Apply second coat of stain to your desired coloring. For us, we wanted a more "rustic" look so we liked that it wasn't completely even. To each his own!
- Once the second coat is completely dry, bring boards inside and line them up on your table top. Arrange boards so the pattern of the wood flows to your liking! When done, keep boards in order but place on floor
- Start with your glue source on your table's surface. Make sure that all glue is at least 1/2 inch away from the edge. With the boards pressed down it could seep out if too close.
- Once you have an adequate amount of glue, press your first board down and make sure ends line up correctly.
- Once first board is in place, run a line of glue along the side that the next board will press against. Run glue on table top for the next board.
- Continue this pattern until all boards are glued down.
- Place heavy boards, books, or other flat items on top of table and let sit overnight
- In the morning take everything off and enjoy your new table!
Detailed Tutorial With Pictures!
Items Needed:
- Hand Sander or Coarse Sand Paper
- Rag or Stain Cloths
- Stain in the Color You Want
- Wood Boards - Can use many different kinds | We used Cedar Siding in 1x6x6 (Need two)
- Exterior Grade Caulk if You Have a Caulk Gun or Liquid Nails
Directions:
1. First you need to choose your wood. I would suggest going to your local Home Depot. Make sure to take measurements of your table before going so you have the exact number of boards needed. If you go to Home Depot, they will cut your wood for you if you don't have the proper equipment at home.
We used Cedar Siding from Menards that measured 1"x6"x6' which is 1 inch in height, 6 inches wide, and 6 feet long. We only needed two boards since cut in half, it equaled the exact measurements of our table.
Once you pick your wood make sure to lay the boards against each other to see if they are warped or have a bend to them. If you don't do this in the store the boards may not line up when you get them home.
2. Once home, lay the boards on your table to 100% know they line up and that there aren't any defects in the wood. If everything is good then you're ready to start!
3. If you don't have sawhorses available you can easily use two garbage cans or tall boxes to lay your wood across. Start by lining your boards up in a way you like. Make sure the patterns in the wood look good the way you have them laid out.
Start sanding! If you don't have a hand held sander like the picture below you can use a regular piece of sandpaper wrapped around a wood block.
4. Sand down the tops of the planks. (Don't worry about the underside that will be glued down)
This process may take a while if you're doing it by hand. Make sure to evenly sand out any rough spots on the top of the wood.
5. Once the tops are sanded to your liking start sanding the ends. If you want a more rough or rustic look do not sand down any further than the picture below. The ends of boards are always more rough so do your best to smooth those out to your liking.
We made a slight rounded edge on ours and left the bottom of the board flat to get a barn wood look. (Props to my loving husband for all his help!)
6. When all your boards are sanded to your desire wipe them down with a damp cloth. This step is actually really important because the extra saw dust left from sanding can affect the look of your stain. Let the boards dry out from the damp cloth before moving on.
7. You can finally start staining! Use an old rag you will toss after or staining cloths from the hardware store. Start by applying stain at one end of the board and working your way across. Don't start in the middle or your stain pattern may look different once you reach the end. Make sure to leave the ends for last. The end and sides of your board will stain much darker than the top. This is common and will turn out that way no matter what type of wood you use.
*Remember* to stain the outside edge of your two end boards. DO NOT stain all inside edges or your glue or caulk won't stick as well.
8. Let your boards dry for at least 1 hour. After that hour look at where your stain is and decide if you need a second coat. For the rustic look two light coats will get you what you want. If you want a more even coat two heavy coats or three light coats will stain even.
*Remember to stain the ends last!*
We used PolyShades in Bombay Mahogany Satin - This also comes in a gloss from Menards
*Do not stain insides of edges!*
*If your wood has knots or cool characteristics make sure to stain around the knot if it doesn't lay completely flat to the other board. What will happen is when you line your boards up you will see the unstained inside of the board next to it. Super important!*
*This shows the stain on a lighter wood - Poplar or Pine - The stain may turn out different on different types of wood. We also used this as our stir stick!
9. Lay boards down one more time on your table. The stain may have brought out features in the wood and you might want them to lay different than you originally thought.
10. Start laying your first line of glue onto your table. Leave at least 1/2 inch between all edges and where your glue sits. If you don't, it could press out when your place your boards and it will be hard to get off.
11. Lay an entire line of glue that is the width and length of your board. *Note* Don't use Gorilla Glue. Although great for most projects it doesn't adhere as well to lacquer glazed wood. It could cause you problems further down the road.
12. Carefully place your first board on top of the glue making sure all the edges line up.
13. Run a line of glue along the unfinished inside side of your first board. This will help secure all your boards together for a long lasting effect.
14. Continue this process across the table laying each board snug against the last. Remember to run that line of glue on the unfinished inside of each board.
15. Place heavy boards on top of your glued boards. We used composite board we had in the garage. You could also stack heavy books making sure the weight is distributed evenly.
Let sit over night
*Trumpets sound* You're done!
Stay Crafty!
Rina
