Live Edge Archives - Everyday Edits

Do you want in on a little secret about how to make a live edge coffee table? It was so easy to make it almost feels like I cheated. Seriously, this finished live edge coffee table rivals many high-end furniture stores’ live edge tables. And the only power tool needed to make a live edge coffee table was a drill to attach the metal legs.

How to Make a Live Edge Coffee Table

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

How to Make a Live Edge Coffee Table

The first step is to do 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. In the warehouse, each slab included details on the type of tree and where the tree originated. The Russian Olive slab we chose was salvaged from a Denver park.
Once we choose our Russian Olive wood slab we provided 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.

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

The table looked beautiful when we picked it up. Be prepared these slabs are very heavy. The hardest part of this project was transferring the slab from the back of our car to the saw stands in our garage.

The second hardest part was not making a mistake with the stain. #wink

How to Stain the Live Edge Coffee Table

This was the hardest step for me because I tend to rush through the staining step to get to the final project. Do we really need five coats of stain?

Apparently, we do need five coats of stain.

Do not rush through this process.

I used my go-to stain for this table. Jacobean is my favorite because it brings out the grain and adds a rich finish to my wood projects. 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.

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.