A table a day...

It would seem that many of my projects involve 10% perspiration, 90% Pinspiration. These two little tables are no exception.

I was browsing my favorite image based bookmarking site when I came across this eye catching and simple solution to a DIY side table.

Originally put on Pinterest by Home Depot, this table was exactly the kind of quirky piece of furniture I was looking for to go between my chairs in what has recently been dubbed The Salon. (That is, the area that was the original dining room in the house, but is now just an awkward spot off of the kitchen.)

I checked out the DIY instructions for the table here, then looked online to see how much this baby would cost. Due to the fact that it was 30 ft of copper pipe, it would cost the same to buy something pre-made as it would to build it.

I showed Casey the pin and she came up with the simplest answer: PVC. Use PVC to make it, then just spray it copper for the look!

DUH! Of course!!!

PVC was a mere $2.21 per 10 ft vs $11 per 10 ft of copper pipe of the same width. I purchased 3 PVC pipes and brought them home.

I used some painters tape to tape all three together, making sure they are all lined up with each other. I then marked 12 in. and cut them with a jigsaw. I continued this until I had the 30 pcs it asked for.

There might be some rough edges on your pipes. These can be cleaned up with an X-acto knife.

I then brought all the pieces inside and began putting them together. I ended up using the image more then the instructions, but either way, it's not too difficult. I also used heavy gauge wire rather than twine, I felt that it would make the table more stable.

When it was completed, it looked pretty good. This is the hardest part of the project and it doesn't really take that long to do.

To make sure that it would at least be sort of level and wouldn't fall over as soon as it had a table top, I used an old shelf from my office and a lamp to see how sturdy it was. It was actually surprisingly solid, so I was able to move on with the finishing steps.

I knew that I wanted to paint my PVC, so I decided to prime over all of the areas that had red writing. To make it easier on myself, I hung the entire base from the garage ceiling and used my spray primer from there.

Notice outside: "Weather"

While it was drying, I was able to run to the Depot and grab a table top. They had them premade out of pine in the lumber area. The smaller size was about $5.88 while the larger size was $6.88. I had waiting until the base was made to get the right size, so I knew that the larger of the two options was right for me. Keep in mind, I also cut my struts to a foot in length instead of the ten inches that the instructions originally called for, so if you are making the other size, you might get away with the smaller table top.)

I stained it and sealed it using stain that I already had on hand.

I checked on my primed PVC and the red lettering was fighting my primer, but I figured it would probably be rough enough to take the copper paint. I ended up at Hobby Lobby because apparently copper paint isn't as common as silver or gold. My issue was that I wanted bright copper, not rusted, aged, or hammered copper.

I gave the entire base a good coat.

Once everything was dry, I attached the bottom to the top with copper brackets that I had purchased for my 3/4 in pipe. I only had to use three. I also used screws instead of the nails that came with the brackets.

When I was finished, I was pretty pleased. It looked a lot like the picture.

And the copper paint really helped pull it together, especially with the rug that I purchased to replace our old one.

The Salon was looking pretty good.

And today I decided to make a simple table top for an empty planter in the backyard. It's now a spiffy place to put a drink or popcorn while sitting next to the fire.

The cost was $0 because I just used a couple of pieces of scrap wood.

What do you think? Would you venture to try making either one of these? There are so many possibilities with the basic elements of them that no two tables need look alike!