Old telephone tables are always popping up for sale online. They were a staple of many homes back when telephones still needed cords and we were limited to how far we could walk and talk. Now, these old pieces of furniture struggle to find places and uses in our homes so I thought I would get one and give it a completely new lease of life... as a LEGO table.

Here is a full step by step video of the process:

Supplies

Materials Used:

Old Telephone Table
Scrap Plywood
Wood Filler
Paint
Lego Plates
Super Glue
Wood Glue
Screws

Tools Used:

Step 1: Remove the Old Fabric

The first step in this project is to remove the old fabric, foam, and any other supports under the seat section.

I started with a screwdriver to lift away the edging tacks and then ripped away most of the fabric and foam. There was some fabric strapping that I cut through to remove and then the material on the underside could be ripped away too.

The fabric was held in place with staples so I used a screwdriver and pliers to remove all of the staples. Really don't want any left in case a kid catches themselves on one.

Step 2: Create a New Table Top

With all the fabric and staples removed it's time to create a new tabletop where the padded seat used to be. The height of this table will be ideal for kids to kneel down and play at.

To form the table I used a scrap piece of plywood I had lying around. You could use MDF or any other sheet material you have for this. I needed to cut out the corners to fit around the legs of the table but this was easily done with a hand saw.

I then dropped the plywood into place where the old seat used to be and secured it to the frame with screws.

At this point, I really wasn't liking the decorative moulding that was around the drawer part of the table so I removed it using a screwdriver and a hammer.

Step 3: Giant LEGO Brick

The drawer section was looking loads better now it was sleek and square but removing the moulding had revealed a rough particleboard edge. To fix this I used 2 part wood filler. I applied a smooth coat over the edges and went around the table and filled any voids I could see.

Once dry I sanded the filler smooth, this really doesn't take long at all but makes a big difference.

The drawer storage needed something. Something to make it stand out. So I decided to turn it into a giant LEGO block. To do this I needed to cut 6 circles. I opted to use MDF for this and I used a hole saw in my drill to cut out the circles. This is really quick and easy to do but it does leave a hole in the middle of the circles. I just filled the holes with wood filler though.

The MDF circles were glued in place with both wood glue and super glue. The superglue holds them in place instantly and the wood glue dries to give the full strength.

Step 4: Paint & Add LEGO Plates

Once the table had been sanded down to smooth out any rough areas and to key the surface it was ready for paint. I first gave it 2 coats of white acrylic primer. This will go a long way to cover the old brown colour and to even out the areas with wood filler.

For the top coats, I used spray paint. It's suitable for furniture and kids toys so it's ideal for this application. I gave it 2 coats and was really pleased with the finish. It's not an exact match to the classic LEGO red but it's close enough.

With the paint dry, I could add the LEGO plates. I did need to cut them to size though. Luckily they cut really easily with a sharp knife. Scoring where you want to cut and then bending the plates results in a nice clean cut. Like with the plywood earlier, I needed to cut the corners so they could fit around the legs to the table. I was really pleased with the fit.

I secured the plates to the plywood table with super glue but to make sure they would line up correctly I first secured them together with LEGO blocks over the joins. This way they won't move on me and I can be sure the blocks will click into place when the plates are glued down.

The last thing I did was glue a LEGO block onto the drawer to act as a handle. This drawer is accessible from both sides so I added a LEGO block handle to both sides too.

Step 5: DONE

Here is the finished piece. I think you'll agree it's quite the transformation from what it was like originally. This will definitely get more use now.

I hope this project has inspired you to either make a LEGO table for yourself or to just look at old furniture a little differently. There are always new ways to use old pieces. The fun is finding out what those new uses are.