DIY Slatted Coffee Table with Hairpin Legs

I’m still in the middle of making over our playroom and turning it into a “tween” hangout, so stay tuned for that full makeover soon! Today I’m showing you how to make a DIY slatted coffee table with hairpin legs, which is one of the projects I did for the room. This is an easy and inexpensive project and you could customize it with whatever stain or paint you choose.

Project Supply List:

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• 1×2 boards
• Wood Glue
• Silicone Glue Brush (optional)
• Brad Nailer
• 1 1/4” Brad Nails
• Sander
• Stain (I used Varathane in the color “Provincial”)
• Satin Wipe-on Poly
• Staining Pads
• Foam brush
• Hairpin Legs
• Rusty Metal Primer
• Gold Spray Paint
• Saw
• Measuring Tape
• Pencil
• Drill/Driver (I love this new compact set!)
• 1/2″ Screws

Step 1: Cut Your Wood

First, I cut my 1×2 boards into 10 pieces at 3 ft long each and 9 pieces at 16” long each. I used my miter saw for this but any saw will do. You could also change the width of this table and determine how many slats you want it to have, and modify the amount of boards you cut accordingly.

Step 2: Sand

After I cut my wood, I gave it a good sanding with my random orbit sander.

Step 3: Attach Your Boards

Next, I turned the boards on their side and marked the center point of each one. Then I lined up the center points and attached them, starting with a long board and then alternating between short and long, and I attached them using wood glue and my brad nailer with 1 1/4” brad nails. You could just glue and clamp them if you prefer but this just seemed quicker and easier.

Step 4: Sand Again

After all of my boards were glued and nailed together, I allowed the glue to cure overnight. Then I gave it another good sanding just to make sure all of the glue residue was removed and everything was smooth.

Step 5: Spray Paint Hairpin Legs

In the meantime, I cleaned my hairpin legs with acetone. These had previously been painted gold as they were left over from a project I never finished, and the paint had chipped and there was some sticky residue on them. So I cleaned them and then sprayed them with rusty metal primer. I allowed that to dry and then spray painted them with metallic gold spray paint. I also came back and flipped them later to spray paint the top of the base plate because these will be visible from the top of the table. These legs are a little longer than I want for this table so I am going to order short ones, but for now these will do the job. I’ll add a link to the ones that I used here and you can order custom colors and lengths.

Step 6: Stain and Seal

After the glue had cured, I stained my tabletop using Varathane stain in the color “Provincial.” I used a foam brush to get into the nooks and crannies, and then I went over everything with a staining pad just to absorb some of the stain and give it a uniform finish. I allowed the stain to dry and then applied a satin wipe-on poly using a staining pad.

Step 7: Attach Legs

After everything had dried, I attached the legs by pre-drilling pilot holes and using 1/2″ screws. I spaced them in 3 inches from the outer edge and lined them up with the second slat from each side. You can position them however you choose though.

That’s it!

Be sure to check out the YouTube video for this project here:

Thanks for visiting!

-Erin