DIY Picnic Table to Coffee Table Transformation

Settle in kids for a little DIY story time. This tale has it all: love, villains, triumph, and transformation. And contrived drama. Much contrived drama.

DIY Picnic Table to Coffee Table Transformation -- A tale of reusing, recycling, and rebirth with a touch of design. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Once upon a time, there was a family who needed a table and chairs for their deck that would not crash through their sliding glass doors when the occasional hurricane would blow through. This family knew they were abysmal at battening down the hatches, but that’s okay because there is beauty in self-realization. They searched high and they searched low, and when they found this solid beauty, it was love at first sight.

DIY Picnic Table to Coffee Table Transformation -- A tale of reusing, recycling, and rebirth with a touch of design. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

The family and the table got along famously. For the table’s part, it stayed firmly rooted in its spot, and for the lackadaisical family’s part, they managed to powerwash and stain it every now and again. For over a decade the table saw sunshine and it saw rain. It was there for birthday parties, cookouts, and even wintertime fun.

DIY Picnic Table to Coffee Table Transformation -- A tale of reusing, recycling, and rebirth with a touch of design. Sisterhood of the Sensible MomsBut alas, even solid picnic tables can fall in with some questionable characters. Villains come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes they even buzz.

DIY Picnic Table to Coffee Table Transformation -- A tale of reusing, recycling, and rebirth with a touch of design. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

I guess the question really begs, is the table to blame for letting it happen or did I turn a blind eye to the warning signs and let the table be victimized? Either way, carpenter bees swarmed into our life and pegged the underbelly of our table as prime burrowing grounds.

But as with all good tales and truly, in life itself, our villains were not all evil. True, carpenter bees tunnel and weaken unfinished wood, but they are also helluva good pollinators. They earned my clemency, but as you will see, it was not without a price.

I put the pesticides away and opted to plug up the holes during the cold months, just like the internet told me to. However, like Lindsay Lohan with traffic court, the bees would not, could not, stay away. I knew it was time to say good-bye to my old friend when a section of benches basically just crumbled.

Our tale was about to take a dark turn because it was with a heavy heart and many tools that I . . . went to town dismantling the table. Evidently, my sentimentality runs shallow when faced with the prospect of demolishing with abandon. With only a whack of a rubber mallet, several more of the benches and supports crumbled. But then I noticed something; the table top itself was solid and untouched.

I could not sentence a perfectly good tabletop to scrap. I was going to create the patio coffee table of my dreams with the added glory of repurposing, recycling, and reusing! Cue the swelling heroic soundtrack and the spectacular shazam glow around my person! Du-du-duh!

In just a few minutes I removed the screws attaching the top to the base, lifted it off, and proceeded to saw off part of the supports to use for coffee table legs. This project was only going to cost me a can of stain! Score!

DIY Picnic Table to Coffee Table Transformation -- A tale of reusing, recycling, and rebirth with a touch of design. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

See how I just used the crossbeam support as a cutting guide? It was pretty easy to just saw it off with the handsaw. HOWEVER, in my enthusiasm, I didn’t really test the wood that well for integrity, and while the first piece I cut was solid, one of the other potential legs was not. Wah, wah.

But I only had to buy one board costing seven bucks, and with the one leg I cut off as a guide, I was able to whip out four new table legs with my chop saw in under five minutes. I just went ahead and cut four new legs because I was afraid the new wood would take stain differently than the old wood.

DIY Picnic Table to Coffee Table Transformation -- A tale of reusing, recycling, and rebirth with a touch of design. Sisterhood of the Sensible MomsI attached the legs through the original screw holes. Since I had some on hand, I used new deck screws. If you do opt for new fasteners, make sure they are rated for outside use so they can survive the elements. And speaking of the elements, make sure to use an outdoor stain like this Olympic Maximum that I had custom tinted to Cinder. It had great coverage, even with a foam brush.

DIY Picnic Table to Coffee Table Transformation -- A tale of reusing, recycling, and rebirth with a touch of design. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

While indoor stains have a seductive rainbow of colors, they won’t last outdoors. I was satisfied with this gray because I just wanted some contrast and pop against the tan and red of my rug.

DIY Picnic Table to Coffee Table Transformation -- A tale of reusing, recycling, and rebirth with a touch of design. Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

I also made sure to stain the underside since the internet told me carpenter bees like unfinished wood. I can just here them buzzing, “Curses! Foiled again!”

DIY Picnic Table to Coffee Table Transformation -- A tale of reusing, recycling, and rebirth with a touch of design. Sisterhood of the Sensible MomsI finished up the look with some pillows I got from Lowe’s to tie the gray, red, and green together. It’s just so pretty and comfy out on my deck now. Don’t you just love a happy ending?

THE END

Afterword:

The hero admits her foible. I wish I had shopped around more for pillows–in particular these. I was hot to get this project done, and apparently two-day Prime shipping was just too long to wait. I am completely regretting my impulsive impatience. But you can get them on Amazon through this affiliate link here. They are SO CUTE!

-Ellen

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