• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Start Here
  • Shop Favorites
  • About
    • Welcome To My Repurposed Life Home of Repurposed Furniture
    • More About Gail
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Information
  • Gallery
    • Repurposed Furniture
  • Repurposed Items
    • Building Supplies
    • Miscellaneous Household Items
    • Picture Frame/Chalk Board
  • DIY
    • Home Reno
    • outdoor living
    • Painting
    • Shop Talk
    • Tips for Around the House
    • Build It
      • Furniture
      • Home Decor
      • Storage
    • Crafts
      • Dollar Store
      • Easy
      • Holidays Seasonal
  • Furniture
    • Chair
    • Desk
    • Dresser/Chest
    • Headboard | Bed Parts | Cribs
    • Kids Furniture
    • Table
    • Kids Furniture
My Repurposed Life® Rescue Re-imagine Repeat
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Start Here
  • Project Index
  • Furniture
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » pallet projects » Pallet Board Table - Sofa Table - Coffee Bar - Outdoor Serving Bar

    Pallet Board Table - Sofa Table - Coffee Bar - Outdoor Serving Bar

    Published by Gail | Published May 17, 2018 | Updated July 26, 2022
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Pin
    Share
    Tweet
    How to make a coffee bar pallet table. Tips for constructing a handy table/bar out of pallet wood. #MyRepurposedLife #repurposed #pallet #table #coffee #bar via @repurposedlife

    I am sharing a pallet board table. I actually made it to be used as a coffee station. It's my contribution for this month’s Power Tool Challenge Team project. The theme this month is Pallets. When I cleaned out the woodshed earlier this month I found some awesome pallet boards.

    See all of my Recommendations on Amazon

    scrap pallet boards I can’t remember where I got these boards. They aren’t from a pallet that I dismantled because all of the boards have been sawed. I dismantle pallets using a Duckbill Deck Wrecker not a saw. You can see how I take pallets apart and many more great pallet projects in my post Pallet Projects Plus Tips for Dismantling Pallets.

    lulu mae shopping at home depot

    I needed some lumber to make the base of my pallet board coffee bar. Lulu Mae has hurt her knee again, so I try not to leave her home alone. This is the first time she’s ever ridden on the lumber cart. She’s a trooper!

    Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, here’s what you’ll need to build your own pallet board table.

    Materials for Pallet Board Table

    Assorted pallet boards (I used small thin boards)

    Four 2x3’s

    Wood Screws 2.5 inches

    Gorilla Wood Glue

    Paint

    Glaze

    Chip Brush

    Tools Needed to Make Pallet Board Table

    Drill

    Drill Bits

    Nail Gun

    Brad nails

    Compound Miter Saw

    Table Saw

    Jigsaw

    Clamps

    Orbital sander

    materials for pallet table

    While shopping at Home Depot for 2x4’s I found the cutest boards—2x3’s. I felt like they would make my pallet board table not quite so chunky.

    Cut List for Pallet Table

    Cut list from left to right

    • Four legs 33”
    • Two long pieces for the skirt sides 38”
    • Too Short pieces for the skirt ends 18”
    • Two long pieces for bottom brace 35”

    Pallet Boards

    Your cut list may vary depending on the size of your table. My pallet boards were varying widths.

    design of pallet table coffee bar

    The size of my table was dependent on the size of a piece of glass I had for years. I was always looking for a table to fit the glass. I finally figured out that I needed to make a table to fit the glass. To design the table I laid out the glass and worked around it’s size.

    Build The Table Skirt

    build pallet board table base

    Build the table skirt—which is basically a box. I purposely chose to build this table without a Kreg Jig. Many times y’all ask “what if I don’t have the tools you have?”

    Pre-drill pilot holes

    pre drill pilot holes in 2x3

    Because the screws will be near the end of the board it’s best to pre-drill pilot holes to keep the boards from splitting.

    Add wood glue

    add wood glue

    Using wood glue will make this pallet table very strong.

    Clamp & secure table skirt with wood screws

    clamp table skirt secure with wood screws

    Make sure everything is square, clamp pieces and secure with wood screws. Repeat for all three remaining sides.

    Attach Table Legs

    pre-drill holes for table legs use wood glue

    Pre-drill holes to attach table legs. Add wood glue and secure with more 2.5” wood screws.

    Attach bottom braces

    attach bottom brace

    Attach bottom braces. I measured up 3.5” from the bottom of each leg. Again, drilling pilot holes will make sure boards don’t split.

    Competed Table Base

    completed table base made with 2x3's

    This was the end of day number one. The table base was completed. Notice that two screws were added from the outside in for each leg. In addition one more screw was used to secure the table leg from the inside out.

    Cut pallet boards on miter saw

    trim pallet boards on miter saw

    Trim pallet boards on miter saw. Use extreme caution if nails are still present. Always wear safety equipment when using power tools.

    Arrange pallet boards onto table top

    arrange pallet boards onto table top

    Because the board on each end of the pallet table will have a great deal of overhang, I used Gorilla Wood Glue to give a lasting hold. I used the Kreg Multi-Mark tool to insure all the boards were even. All boards were secured with my Airstrike Nail Gun. In order to make the pallet boards fit under the glass perfectly I had to rip some of them on the table saw.

    Attach pallet boards to lower shelf

    multi mark tool

    The multi-mark took is really handy to make sure all the boards are even front to back. All boards were secured with the nail gun.

    Mark and cut angle for glass table top

    mark and cut angle on table top

    This job of cutting the angle was quick and easy with my cordless jigsaw.

    Time to paint

    aqua paint for pallet table

    I used a pretty aqua paint for this table, watering it down a little to make it apply quick and easy. I used a favorite chip brush to apply the paint.

    Paint underneath table

    paint underneath side of table

    It takes a LOT more time, but I generally try to paint the underside of all of my projects. When someone picks up a piece (like this table) to put it in their vehicle I want it to have a finished look. At this point I had already painted the table top, then flipped it upside down.

    Sand/Distress paint

    sand distress paint

    Using an orbital sander with 60 grit sandpaper, I gave the entire table some distressing. I used a scrap piece of wood to test coverage and realized that I liked the “less” paint look. I chose to not sand the pallet boards prior to painting because I wanted the paint to “settle” in the voids.

    Project ideas and a video of "how to glaze painted furniture and more"

    See Glazed Project Ideas & How to Glaze Painted Furniture

    Glaze table to tone down bright paint

    smoked glaze topcoat

    I took this in progress shot to show you how much the Smoked Glaze tones down the color of the pallet table.

    smoked glaze before after

    I put the Smoked Glaze on with a heavy hand on the table top and really loved the look. After finishing the table, I did a second coat on all of the other parts again.

    Watch my video of How To Glaze Painted Furniture

    pallet top table coffee bar station

    As I was taking pictures (before painting) I noticed the vertical planter in the background—I think that’s why I grabbled this paint. This picture is a good shot of how different the paint is with and without the glaze.

    How to easily clean glass

    how to easily clean glass

    The glass had been stored in the garage for years. It was quite dirty. Here’s my secret in the shop and for cleaning glass. Because I don’t have water readily available I use diluted dish soap for washing up my hands and soaking paint brushes. My favorite way to clean glass indoors is with a drop of dish soap in a small bucket. In order to clean this very dirty glass I grabbed that bottle of diluted dish soap and a rag.

    shiny glass with dish soap

    It worked really well to clean it, however it was a little too heavy on the soap. After cleaning the glass I got a wet and dry paper towel from the house to “shine” up the glass. I am in love with how this table/coffee bar has come together. The color is much prettier than it appears in pictures.

    Glass Top Pallet Table Coffee Bar

    glass top pallet table coffee bar MyRepurposedLife.com

    Do you love it as much as I do?

    coffee bar pallet table #pallet #table #coffee #bar MyRepurposedLife.com

    If you love it too, won’t you pin it before you hop over to check out Wendi's awesome coastal Whale Coat Rack. She has some really great tips for making cut out artwork.

    Watch my video of How To Glaze Painted Furniture

    What have you made out of pallets or pallet wood?

    gail

    Related Content: 60 Best Home Coffee Bars

    Pin
    Share
    Tweet

    Related Content:

    • Portable Folding DIY Pallet Bar - great for weddings, tailgating and more!
      Portable Folding DIY Pallet Bar - great for weddings,…
    • Pallet Projects plus Tips for Dismantling Pallets
      Pallet Projects plus Tips for Dismantling Pallets
    • Small Sofa Side Table | Custom Build
      Small Sofa Side Table | Custom Build
    • Gas Meter Cover | Outdoor Eyesore
      Gas Meter Cover | Outdoor Eyesore
    • Pallet Love seat Bench
      Pallet Love seat Bench
    • repurposed pallet coffee cup rack
      repurposed pallet coffee cup rack

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      See comments Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Lisa

      May 24, 2018 at 11:47 am

      Gail, this is just lovely! You did a great job on the coffee table and I am so going to make one myself! Thanks so much for sharing your tutorial.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        May 25, 2018 at 8:34 am

        Awesome Lisa! I love to inspire you to make new projects. 🙂 it's why I do what I do!

        be sure to share it when it's done.
        gail

    2. Wendi@H2OBungalow

      May 18, 2018 at 6:49 am

      Love your new table Gail! Especially since you made it in one of my favorite shades of blue. Using a glass top is perfect for a level and easy to clean surface for your coffee. I'd love to have one like that in my house. Pinning!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        May 21, 2018 at 11:53 pm

        Thank you so much Wendi for your sweet comment. I'm so happy with how the pallet table turned out. I love this monthly challenge. It makes me get out of my comfort zone and THINK!

        gail

    3. girlfromwva

      May 17, 2018 at 2:08 pm

      looks really pretty!

      Reply
    4. Carol S

      May 17, 2018 at 8:18 am

      We have a ready supply of pallet wood available so we are a bit addicted to it here. Have done an accent wall in the living room and matching treatment under the kitchen bar. Laundry room next up for one wall of pallet wood. Also, made a cute wine rack. Love your table! The glaze really made it happen. Great job!

      Reply
      • Jennie

        May 17, 2018 at 9:12 am

        Does the pallet wood on the wall get dusty or dirty? If so how do you clean it. I think that look is great, a friend is considering it, but was concerned about how you'd dust a clean it.

      • Gail Wilson

        May 17, 2018 at 1:33 pm

        for my pallet wood projects, if they get dusty or dirty, I would just hose them off and let them dry outdoors. 🙂 That's the way I roll Jennie!

        oops, now I see it's a wall. That's a very good question Jennie!

        gail

      • Carol S

        May 18, 2018 at 8:30 am

        I've had mine up for three years and don't "notice" any dust issues. We used a grinder on most of the pieces before installing to remove some of the pallet wood "fuzz" and even give some boards some extra character.

      • Gail Wilson

        May 17, 2018 at 1:35 pm

        Thank you Carol.... I am addicted to that glaze. I'm almost out of it, so it's time to stock up! Jennie has a question about dusting the pallet wall. Can you hop over to reply to her when you get a chance?

        thanks!
        gail

    5. Diane

      May 17, 2018 at 3:57 am

      Love the projects you come up with! What types of chalk paint have you used and what is your opinion? Just now getting into using chalk paint and not sure which one produces best results. Thank you for any help you can provide.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        May 21, 2018 at 11:56 pm

        Diane,

        I've used just about every kind of paint you could think of. I prefer making my own version of chalk paint. I make it out of the same color of paint I'll be using for the project, so it works great as a primer. If I'm painting something red, using the diy chalky paint primer makes the topcoat take so much better. It's usually a semi-gloss so there's no need for sealing or waxing. It cuts the time in half for me. You can see my recipe and more details here: https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/diy-chalky-paint-recipe-makes-a-great-primer/

        As far as brands go, I'm most loyal to Heirloom Traditions, founded right here in Louisville KY.

        gail

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

    More about me →

    Join Our Mailing List

    ​

      Click the topics you're interested in below:

      Subscribing above means you agree to our Privacy Policy​

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      SEEN ON

      Might I Suggest

      • Start Here
      • Furniture Makeovers

      Newsletter

      • Sign Up! for emails and updates

      About

      • Gail's Favorites on Amazon
      • About

      As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

      Copyright © 2023 My Repurposed Life · Privacy Policy · Disclosure