Industrial Crate Coffee Table Instructions

So, I've wanted a coffee table for a long while now, but I wanted something that made a statement, that said something about us.  Of course, we could only find something like that at World Market or Pier 1 Imports.  But I don't have a budget that fits those stores.  Therefore, I turned to pinterest, and found this blog, diy-vintage-chic.blogspot.com, where she used wine crates to make a coffee table.  Bingo!

For this fantastic piece of art you'll be creating, you'll need:

4 wine crates

4 round ball feet (whatever size, depending on how high you want it)

1 quart stain

2-3 foam brushes

Drop cloth

Sand paper

Short screws

Drill

So, I have been collecting Michael's 40% off coupons, and then my sweet mother-in-law came to town, and bought me my crates.

Originally they were $12.99, but with the coupons, they were $8 each.

Then, I needed to find a stain that I liked.  I don't really like red-based browns, like cherry, and some shades of mahogany, so I wanted to make sure I had a nice, dark brown.  You won't believe it, but this was the hardest part of the process!  The stain I liked was a new color they'd just added, so they didn't have a sample, and I'm a little indecisive, so it took a little longer than needed.

But finally, I settled on 1 quart of Honey, from Minway Polyshades (polyurethane and stain in one), and I love it!

The worst part of the process was the sanding.  The inside of the crates were still rough (one of them wasn't, and if I were doing this again, I would try to make sure they all were clean and sanded down, would've made it easier).  I've never worked with wood before, so I finally learned what "not going against the grain" means.  In this case, it was going side-to-side, rather than up and down.

Next came the staining.  I put down half the drop cloth (all my little patio needed), and started staining the inside first.  

The stain I got was really runny, and a crate being the shape and size it is (slats), it was very difficult to paint it, without dripping.  So, I simply started with the inside, going out, and then set it down on the edges (upside down).

I let them dry, and then stained them again.

I had bought some wood ball feet at Michael's for $1.34 each, and stained those too.

We bought some screws, Dan borrowed the screw driver from church (birthday present idea right there!), and he screwed it all together.  The crates weren't perfect, naturally, so he screwed them together in such away that the top was straight.  So,  the bottom wasn't as straight, which was fine, because on a carpeted floor, it shouldn't matter too much.

He put at least 5 screws on each connecting side.  One more if he felt it needed it.

Finally, he screwed on the feet, and was done.  We kept the middle free, and put a vase in it, for branches, or something like that in the future.
That night, we went to Michael's again, and found a couple things I couldn't live without, and lucky me, they were 50% off!

We liked that it was still "beachy", but with a modern twist.
Also, figured Bella wouldn't be as tempted to chew on it.

Love the color, it's bamboo, it was on sale...
what more do you need?

So, are you ready to see it?

Bella really likes it too!  Just have to learn to jump around it!

I just love how it turned out!

So!  There is my biggest project yet!  I love, love, love it, and it makes me happy every time I walk through the door!

Please leave your comments, and let me know if you have any thoughts, ideas or improvements.  If you're unable to comment, and have any ideas on how to fix THAT (which is a huge pain in my butt) please email me at abigailgracza@gmail.com.

Have a crafty day!