So my first ever DIY furniture project was a coffee table, and boy was it terrible. I kind of “winged it” and of course it didn’t turn out well. So bad in fact, that I refuse to post a picture of it. Nevertheless, it has sat in our formal living room, of all places, haunting me each and every day. The reason for this is that we wanted something awesome for that room and just never came across that special piece. That is until now. When we stumbled upon the amazing Parquet X-Brace coffee table from Restoration Hardware we knew it was the one. Although this was a little more challenging this is definitely one of my favorite DIY projects! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
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Tools Required
- Pocket Hole Jig
- Recommended: Kreg K5 or Kreg Foreman
- Drill
- Miter Saw
- Brad Nailer
- Tape Measure
- Pencil
- Safety Glasses
- Hearing Protection
Materials
- Qty 1 3/4″ Sheet Plywood
- Note: This can be any type of 3/4″ ply since it won’t be seen. I used some scrap I had.
- Qty 2 1 x 4 x 96″ (Pine; Common Boards)
- Qty 2 1 x 6 x 96″ (Pine; Common Boards)
- Note: If you’re a wasteful cutter get three of the 72″ long boards.
- Qty 3 2 x 4 x 96″ (Pine; Premium Studs)
- Qty 1 2 x 2 x 96″ (Pine; Select/Clear Grade)
- If you don’t have access to these get two 1×2’s and glue and nail together.
- Qty 7 1 x 2 x 96″ (Pine; Select/Clear Grade)
- Qty 2 1 x 2 x 72″ (Pine; Select/Clear Grade)
- 1-1/4″ Pocket Screws
- 2-1/2″ Pocket Screws
- 1-1/4″ Wood Screws
- 1-1/4″ 18 Gauge Brad Nails
Cut List
Dimensions
Parquet X-Brace Coffee Table Plans Printable PDF
Lay out the pattern first
Remove and apply wood glue. Notice I’ve drawn lines to define center.
Spread wood glue
Start to lay out pattern like this first
Pattern complete
Nail in place (because I’m impatient)
If you have overhang like this…
…trim or sand to fit.
Finishing
Jamie decided to get all artistic on this one. First she painted the base a nice, simple, flat creamy white color. Then for the top she started with Rust-Oleum’s Early American wood stain. Followed by a whitewash with a 50/50 watered down paint (same as base). Then she finished it off by highlighting the wood grain with the Kona wood stain. Finally, she added clear furniture wax to preserve the finish.
Painted base with a flat cream color.
First stained top with Early American
White washed with watered down white paint (50/50 mix).
Results
Then Jamie highlighted the woodgrain with Kona would stain.
Final results.
Questions? Comments?
As always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to comment below and especially don’t forget to post pictures of your finished products in the comments! ENJOY!
