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HOW TO MAKE A LIVE EDGE COFFEE TABLE

When I saw the price of a live edge coffee table in a high-end furniture store I knew I would have to win the lottery. And then I realized I won the lottery years ago when my husband showed me his DIY skills. It is the foundation of our shared passion for saving money and taking our builder-grade brownstone in the suburbs home into something on the Upper West side (of our neighborhood).

HOW TO MAKE A LIVE EDGE COFFEE TABLE

For a few hundred dollars (yes hundred-not thousands).

Do you want in on a little secret about how to make a live edge coffee table? It looks incredibly fancy and expensive, but it was so easy to make it almost feels like I cheated.

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Seriously, this finished live edge coffee table rivals many high-end furniture stores’ live or raw edge side and coffee tables. And the best part? The only power-tool needed to make this live edge coffee table was a drill to attach the metal legs. Seriously! 

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My inspiration for this live edge coffee table came from the Arhaus catalog. I shared how I use catalogs for inspiration here.

LIVE EDGE TABLE DETAILS

  • Start with a Google search for “live edge slabs” in your area. We found our Russian Olive “species” at a Denver store appropriately named Denver’s Wood Slabs.
  • We visited the wood slab warehouse to find a slab that worked best for the dimensions we wanted for our coffee table.
  • Tip: Before purchasing make sure to map out the dimensions in the room. We went a little too big with our slab.        how to make a live edge coffee table for a few hundred dollars
  • In the warehouse, each slab included details on species and where the tree was located. Most of the Denver slabs are from parks and city streets. The Russian Olive slab we chose was salvaged from a Denver park.
  • The Russian Olive wood slab was salvaged from a Denver park. We provided the staff with the approximate dimensions for the coffee table. We arranged to pick up the wood slab after it was cut, planed, and sanded on both sides.

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    And, that is the best part. For the cost of the slab, the company did all of the work on the front end for us. And, we did not pay the price of a semester’s meal plan to pay for this live edge table.

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The table looked beautiful when we picked it up.

Tip: These finished slabs are very heavy. Plan accordingly for transport.

The hardest part of this project was transferring the slab from the back of our car to the table saw stands in our garage.

The second hardest part was we only had one shot at getting the stain right! #wink

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STAIN DETAILS 

This was the hardest step for me because I tend to rush through the staining step to get to the finished project.

Do we really need five coats of stain?

Apparently, we do need five coats of stain.

Tip: Do not rush through this process. 

I used my go-to stain for this coffee table. Jacobean is my favorite because it brings out the grain and adds a rich finish to the barn doors and mantel in our basement. I even used this stain on my tiniest stain project.

Together, over the course of several nights, we applied five coats of stain. In between each layer of stain, we completed a light sanding and patiently waited 24 hours to apply the next coat of stain.

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FINAL STEPS

Finally, I finished the coffee table with two coats of a water-based clear coat. Between application and dry time, it took almost a full week to stain and seal the table.

I ordered the table’s legs from an Etsy shop based in Utah.

As promised, the only power tool needed for this coffee table was a power drill to attach the legs! I do recommend pre-drilling the holes.

Line up the table’s legs based on the dimensions of the table.

We love the finished look of our live edge coffee table! Now, I think I need an end table to match!

 

Our Russian Olive, live edge coffee table is a little piece of Colorado history in our living room, family room and basement. We love it so much it is in a rotation throughout the house. 

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Thank you for stopping by today! Please check out a few recent projects here at Everyday Edits. If interested, please sign up for my once a week (only once a week) newsletter!

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15 Comments

  1. That coffee table is absolutely gorgeous. I will be featuring this at my Fall into Fall party that opens at 8pm EST tonight. Please stop by and pick up an I’ve Been Featured button. Thanks. http://diybydesign.blogspot.com

  2. My husband cuts and cuts his own slabs of live wood. Beautiful to work with and see finish products. Found you on Simple Homestead Blog Hop.

  3. Thank you Laura for sharing your gorgeous live edge coffee table with us at the Talk Of The Town Party! I would love a table like this in our living room. Pinned 🙂

    1. Hi marie,

      Thank you for taking a minute to stop by! It means so much! It’s easier than you think because the live edge “store” does all the heavy work! Happy July! laura

  4. What a great coffee table for your Colorado home! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!

  5. Kathleen Gordon says:

    Absolutely beautiful!
    So unique.

    1. Hi Kathleen! Thank you for your sweet comment. We love this table!

  6. Your linked pix aren’t showing up!

    1. They look good on my end. Thank you for letting me know!

  7. THE PICTURES DO NOT REVEAL THE COFFEE TABLE, ONLY CORNERS, SMALL PORTIONS. WHAT DOES IT REALLY LOOK LIKE?
    MEPS

    1. Hi Marge,

      Oh my gosh I did not include a full shot. I uploaded one, but will upload more later. Thank you for the set of eyes on this very popular project! laura

  8. Kathleen O'Hagan says:

    There was no picture showing the finished top of the table. I would like to see what the finished piece looked like!

    1. Hi Kathleen, additional photos this weekend. I did add one after Marge left a message!
      Thank you!

  9. Ginger Aldrich ASID says:

    Hi
    You did a great job and it absolutely looks like it came from a high end store !
    And I’m a pro designer so I’m picky.
    Thanks for sharing

    1. Thank you Ginger! I need to add additional photos. We love it. We just finished a live edge mantel for our main floor living room makeover. Yes we saw an live (raw) edge table at Aarhus and we were like let’s find a way.

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