Introduction: Upcycled Coffee Table With Display and Longboard Storage

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In this Instructable I will be explaining the steps I took to make an upcycled coffee table with Display and longboard Storage. All of the wood was leftover/used from construction sites that a friend saved for me and all of the paints, stains, and wood putty where leftover from my own projects. If these materials weren't saved for me or by me they would have been thrown away. The abundance of and potential waste of the material is what inspired me to make this upcycled coffee table with display and longboard storage.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

Materials:



• 4:2 in. x 4 in. x 72 in.
• 4:2 in. x 4 in. x 24 in.
• 8:2 in. x 4 in. x 20 in.
• 1:7/16 in. x 27 in. x 69 in. Oriented Strand Board.
• 3:5/8 in. x 5-1/2 in. x 72 in. Dog-Ear fence picket.
• 2: 19 in. x 29 in. x 3/32 in. clear glass. (Cut at Low's from 24 in. x 36 in. x 3/32 in. Clear Glass.) www.lowes.com/pd/Gardner-Glass-Products-3-32-in-x-...
• Wood stain and Wood putty: Minwax Red Chestnut 232
• Paint: Candy Apple, Deep Sapphire Blue, and Wheat Stalk.( Mixed at Walmart)
• Primer: KILZ ORIGINAL 1-gal. White Oil-Based Interior Primer, Sealer and Stain-Blocker
• Screws: 2 in.Wood Screws.
• Led rope lights: https://www.amazon.com/Super-Bright-Heavy-Duty-Lights/dp/B00NKGSVNE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483313562&sr=8-2&keywords=outside+red+led
• hinges: 2-1/2 in. x 2-1/2 in. Stainless Steel. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-2-1-2-in-x-2-...

Tools: jig saw, table saw, hack saw, drill, clamps, paint brushes, Sanding paper/sander, wood-burning tool, and wood glue or an epoxy.

Step 2: The Beginning of the Display Area

The whole table started with this basic rectangular box, that was originally a manual pad for skateboarding. All of the wood that originally made up the manual pad came from the same source of recovered wood, as the rest of the table. The frame is made up of two 2 in. x 4 in. x 72 in with two 2 in. x 4 in. x 24 in. screwed together between the 72 in sections.

I didn't want the oriented standard board (OSB) to be visible, so I began by marking around the inside of the 2 x 4 frame. After removing all of the screws and nails that held the manual pad together, I used a Jig saw to cut along the marked area. By placing the OSB inside the 2 x 4 frame on a level surface, allowed me to pre-drill and place screws through the frame into the OSB.

Step 3: Adding the Legs and Supports

By taking the 2 in. x 4 in. x 20 in pieces and placing one alone the side and one on top of the display area, you can easily pre-drill and drill screws through the top board and into the one along the side of the frame. This creates an "L" shape and will serve as the legs. With the open side of the display area facing the ground, I aligned the legs, with the large side of the legs along the 72 in board, in order to pre-drill and place the screws to hold them together.

By adding the last two 2 in. x 4 in. x 72 in. between the legs along the length of the table, helps strengthen the over all integrity. Placing the last two 2 in. x 4 in. x 24 in. boards as cross sections also adds structure to the table. I added these cross sections 21 in from the sides with a 27 in gap in between. I chose this location for the cross sections because I found that 27 in would be long enough to hold most long-board decks. By storing long-boards in this location; it keeps the boards out of the way, which protects the boards and adds safety by eliminating the possibly of slipping on them.

Step 4: Painting and Wood-burning

I wanted this table to be something more then just a coffee table. As a solution to this problem I themed the table towards Colorado( My home state). I painted the Colorado flag in the display, because I've painted it before and it fit the theme I was looking for.

The Colorado flag has even proportions, that makes it fairly easy to paint. After the proportions have been mapped out, it's as simple as filling in each section with its corresponding color.

Specifications: The width of the flag is 2/3 the length. 1/5 of the flag from the pole begins the red "C". The diameter of the "C" is 2/3 the width of the flag. The inner line of the opening of the letter C shall be three-fourths of the width of its body or bar. The outer line of the opening shall be double the length of the inner line.

Wood-burning: I choose the number 970 because it was the area code I grew up in and it fit the previous theme. I traced out the numbers in the middle of the legs facing the front and just below the bottom of the display. Using a wood-burning tool and a shading tip I followed the number outline, to darken or burn the wood.

Step 5: Making the Display Lid

To begin making the display lid, I started by taking two of the 5/8 in. x 5-1/2 in. x 72 in. dog-ear fence picket and using a table saw to trim 1/2 in. off the length. Also using the table saw I cut out a 5/8 in. x 4 in. x 18 1/2 in. section and 2-5/8 in. x 5 1/2 in. x 18 1/2 in. Then using the table saw I cut a 1/4 in. groove into each section and cut the 1/2 strips into 3- 5/8 in. x 1/2 in. x 24 in sections.

Using wood glue, I began placing each section into place( see pictures for placement) around the two glass sheets. The 3- 5/8 in. x 1/2 in. x 24 in sections served as braces along the outsides and center of the lid. These braces where attached using the screws that came with the hinges.

Step 6: Glass Painting and Staining

Glass painting: I wanted to add to the theme, and I did this by painting mountains on the inside of each glass sheet. I chose to apply the paint on the inside of the glass, in-order to protect it from cups or anything else that might be placed on top of the table. I created a stencil of my image and centered it on the glass and taping it down. I used the white prime from earlier and blotted the paint onto the stencil. after removing the stencil, a razor was used to clean up the paint lines. Repeat this process on both sheets of glass.

Staining: Throughout the build I stained the wood, but I would recommend staining at this point. Taping around the glass and taking you're time around the wood-burned numbers should be taken into consideration. Also I used wood putty to cover the screw holes before staining.

Step 7: Final Steps

Hinges: I used the screws that came with the hinges to assemble the display lid. Using 2 in. screws I attached the hinges on each end of back of the lid and one on each side of the middle section of the lid.

Led rope lights: By drilling a hole just bigger then the rope circumference, I was able to simply tape the lights along the inside of the display. Even though L.E.D. lights don't get very hot, I chose the outdoor lights as an added safety feature and to also protect the lights from spills.

All in all, I had a great time both creating the table and writing the Instructable. If you've made it this far I'd like to thank you for taking the time to view this Instructable. If you have any critiques, good or bad, please post them down in the comments to let me know.