Coffee Table Makeover

This weekend the Mr. and I took a departure from painting interior doors and trim (see post below). I get a little extremely antsy to do other DIY projects, even though I know the crisp white trim would definitely be worth it. My attention span is a little... meh. And while I'm painting baseboard after baseboard and door after door, I tend to think of a gazillion (that's a number, right?) other DIY projects that I want to do. Since I already had all the tools/materials needed, this weekend I focused on this beauty:

Yup... that's my coffee table. The whole time Daniel and I lived in the apartment, we didn't have a coffee table. So, when a client offered to sell me this unfinished pine coffee table shortly after we moved into our home, I jumped on it. Even though it wasn't my "style," it was the cheapest, descent coffee looking table I had found since moving. Besides that, our furniture is... eclectic... to say the least (or hand-me-downs, if you will).

Over time, its chunky legs and country flower detailing wore on me, and I found myself asking the Mr. if we really needed it. We never used it for anything but setting magazines/the computer/books on anyway, and we have 2 end tables that serve the same purpose. I'm one of those people who, if I find myself not using a particular thing, want to get rid of it immediately by selling it or taking it to someplace/somebody who could use it more. Plus, I figured an ottoman would be better because it can act as a coffee table and extra seating. That's when I remembered seeing some blogs about turning old coffee tables into ottomans or benches. After talking it over with the Mr., we decided to go the bench route.

First, we primed and painted the legs and visible sides of the coffee table white (Valspar).

Next, we used some 2" foam that we bought half off from JoAnne's fabric. Avoid paying full price for foam if you can -- it can be pricey. I believe stores like this will cut the foam to the specifications that you need, but we didn't have that done. Instead, we bought 2 yards (for the price of one) and knew that it would be more than long enough. Luckily, the width of the foam was perfect for our table, but it wouldn't be hard to cut it down if you had to. At home, we cut the length to match the top of the coffee table with a serrated knife. Electric knives are definitely better for this, but a serrated one will work just fine. You can attach the foam to the coffee table top using a spray glue adhesive, but we didn't do this step -- I don't know why. If you decide not to do it, you can pull the fabric tight enough so that the foam doesn't move around.

Then, we cut the fabric to size, put it over the foam, and stapled it to the underside of the coffee table. Be sure to fold the edges of the fabric under when stapling to make a hem of sorts; it will prevent fraying edges. The corners were the hardest part to make look nice IMO -- but admittedly, the Mr. was way better at this part than me.... kind of weird, but I'll take it!

Lastly, staying true to my love of distressed furniture, we sanded down the edges of the coffee table.... er... bench. And this is how she turned out...

I'm in love with it, and it still provides the extra seating we need... since a loveseat and a chair don't always cut it. Ignore those frumpy pillows -- I'm planning on, eventually, one day, making some new pillows (four or so maybe?) to replace those.

Oh, and the pups are already loving it too...

Hope you guys have a great week!

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