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Industrial DIY Coffee Table from a Yard Sale Cart

Remember how I confessed that my latest chair makeover was a roadside find that sat untouched in my basement for nearly a year?

Yea, ummm, the same is true of this cart turned industrial DIY coffee table. I picked it up at a yard sale well over a year ago now. From the time I bought it, I had planned on turning it into a coffee table, but one thing led to another and it just now got completed.

Just like the chair though, I think this one was worth the wait.

Industrial DIY Coffee Table via RainonaTinRoof.com #diycoffeetable #diy #industrial

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Elmer’s ProBond Advanced. All opinions are 100% mine. This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Industrial DIY Coffee Table

We started with this:

Industrial DIY Coffee Table via RainonaTinRoof.com #diycoffeetable #diy #industrial

I had used it  to do painting on, so there were lots of different colors on it. After taking off the old wood top, I had this:

Industrial DIY Coffee Table via RainonaTinRoof.com #diycoffeetable #diy #industrial

I painted the metal frame with copper spray paint to keep that metal look, but add a bit of color. After that, we started the process of cutting wood for the top and bottom.

Industrial DIY Coffee Table via RainonaTinRoof.com #diycoffeetable #diy #industrial

We started with 1x6s for the top. We made them overhang slightly on each side, so they were each about 29 inches long. On the bottom, we used 1x4s. The cart was divided into three sections on the bottom by the bars, so each bottom side was 23 7×8 inches long and the middle was slightly smaller at 23 3/4 inches. As we cut the wood, we placed it on the cart to make sure it would fit. After it was all on the cart, we began the process of gluing down the wood.

Industrial DIY Coffee Table via RainonaTinRoof.com #diycoffeetable #diy #industrial

We used Elmer’s ProBond Advanced glue to adhere the wood to the metal. This glue is known for bonding Mixed Materials like wood to metal. The great thing about it is there is no foam residue left after it dries. We glued down the wood on the bottom first. All I did was simply run a bead of glue right along the metal rails and then placed the wood on top of the glue. I did the exact same thing on the top of the cart. To really push the wood down onto the glue, we raided our nearby retaining wall for a few concrete blocks to weigh down the wood. I let the table sit like this overnight. The next morning, I removed all the blocks and started staining and painting it.

Industrial DIY Coffee Table via RainonaTinRoof.com #diycoffeetable #diy #industrial

First, I sanded it to smooth rough edges and round the corners a bit. Next, I stained all the wood and let it dry overnight. I liked just the wood stain, but ya’ll know me, I wanted it to stand out a bit more, so I added some decorative “arrows” with white paint and FrogTape. I used a piece of tape to space between two pieces of tape, cause I’m lazy (or smart ) like that. Then, as shown in #3, you want to remove the tape where those two x’s are so that you have clean lines on your point. I did this by taking another piece of wood, lining it up on the tape, and running my X-Acto knife over it.  After cleaning up my lines, I painted between the tape, let it dry and finished the whole thing off with a coat of polycrylic.

Industrial DIY Coffee Table via RainonaTinRoof.com #diycoffeetable #diy #industrial

The ProBond Advanced glue worked perfectly – not one of the wood pieces will budge at all.

Industrial DIY Coffee Table via RainonaTinRoof.com #diycoffeetable #diy #industrial

What do you think? Was it worth the wait?

Industrial DIY Coffee Table via RainonaTinRoof.com #diycoffeetable #diy #industrial

Do you have any carts that could become a DIY coffee table?

If you liked this furniture flip, you should see these too…

How to Turn a Side Table into a Chic Bench – this can double as a coffee table, bench, end table and ottoman!

Bookcase turned Kid’s Dress Up Closet – grab an old bookcase and turn it into a magical destination for your kiddos!

How to Build a Desk Using an Old Kitchen Table – this desk might be slim, but it has loads of storage!

And you can always see all my furniture makeovers here.

You know you don’t wanna miss any of this crazy.

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Comments

  8. Sarah says

    Oh. My. Goodness. This is AMAZING! Definitely worth the wait. And man, did you have some vision from the original piece or what?! I would have no idea it could turn into something so beautiful. Perfection!

    Reply

  10. Amy says

    That is one awesome one-of-a-kind table!! Great job and I love the way you repurposed an old cart! I wish I could find something that cool at yard sale. Love the arrows too…nice touch! You have a knack for adding cool details like that.

    Reply

  12. Jamie says

    Wow, that’s incredible! I want one!! I was wondering how you were going to attach the wood to the metal. So cool, girl. Gotta get some.
    Hugs,
    Jamie

    Reply

  15. Joanne says

    Can’t wait to see this in your room. It’s huge! It took vision to see beyond the old piece and create a coffee table worthy of your home.

    Reply

  18. chris aka monkey says

    as usual my dear an outstanding job….. i am in the process of replacing a warped table top from an old farm table..gonna try that magic glue on the table as well as an old rusty cabinet i am putting the old top on to use as a work table wish i had your good help xx
    by good help i mean the young man in the photos xx

    Reply

  19. Ann C says

    My first instinct was to wonder why you didn’t paint the arrows in the copper like the V on the ends. Maybe they wouldn’t have shown up with the darker stain. I’m just annual about things matching. Love the rest of it.

    Reply

  22. Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says

    I love that you had the vision it took for this transformation, Jenna! The rustic industrial look is “so hot right now” (yes, I’m watching Zoolander as I type this)…and thanks for the tutorial and tip on the glue!

    Reply

  25. Sandi P says

    Gorgeous! Love everything about it, and definitely will give that glue a go. I’ve used salvaged tables like that in my hubby’s shop, but none of them looked like that! Maybe I can sneak in there and grab a couple of them back (shhhh, don’t tell him).

    Reply

  28. Julie Spear says

    WOW, Jenna, this is an amazing project – I love how it turned out! the white arrows give it just enough of a pop that it really stnads out and loks amazing! great job! I am so envious of your thrifted cart! what an awesome find, that make the perfect coffee table. I really love your decorating style.

    Reply

  30. sasha says

    I have a stained piece that i want to stencil but it is bleeding through. would you seal it before you stencil it or how would one do this

    Reply

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