DIY Concrete Side Tables

DIY Concrete Side Table: this sleek, modern concrete side table is an easy DIY project. Store bought legs and a poured concrete top create a custom look.

It’s Week Five of the One Room Challenge, and next week is the big final reveal of the room.  Today I’m sharing my favourite project of the challenge. The DIY Concrete Side Table turned out so great.

Miss any updates of our progress?  You can check out all the One Room Challenge weekly updates here:

The Before and The Plan / Gentle Purging and Decluttering Clothes /  Modern Boho Master Bedroom Reval

I was inspired by simple, modern, clean lined concrete tables.  I wanted to add some more modern elements to the room to juxtapose the traditional four poster bed.  When I couldn’t find the tables of my dreams I decided to make some.  I worked with Home Depot to create the concrete side tables of my dreams!

This DIY project turned out so well, I’m really in love with the new DIY concrete table.

Materials:

• Steel Furniture Legs
• Matte Black Spray Paint
• Concrete Mix
• Melomine Board
• #6 Wood Screws
• Saw
• Silicone Caulking
• Diamond Sanding Pad
• Lead Anchors
• Drill
• 1″ Pan Head Wood Screws
• PL Premium Construction Adhesive
• Concrete Sealer

How To Make A Concrete Side Table:

My amazing brother-in-law Shaun of Benjamin Wood Works is so good at any tile, wood, or concrete project.  He’s helped me make so many DIY ideas come to life.  I really can’t thank him enough for helping me bring my vision to life on these tables.  I usually come up with a concept and challenge him with how we can make it -and by we I mean I usually end up taking pictures while he does all the real work.  He’s done some concrete work for me in the past -he created my amazing basement fireplace surround, and even made these little concrete houses for me in the past.  He did a great job on these tables, and with these step by step instructions of what he did, I think any DIYer could make them.

First you need to create your forms.  We made our side table tops 24″ by 17″.  The length was based on the size of the legs.  We wanted the legs to be flush with the concrete top.  The forms were made from melamine.  It’s nice and smooth and creates a really nice smooth finish on the table top.  We made our tops 1 1/2″ thick, the same thickness as the table legs for a cohesive look.

Begin by cutting the edges for the form.  We made two tables at once, so we cut three 17″ long strips, that were 1 1/2″ thick.  We made our two forms together so the long edge pieces were just over 60″ to accommodate two 24″ sections, plus the thickness of the form edge.

Next lay out the first long side of the mould and drill guide holes through the form edge and right through the bottom so that you can screw it together from the back side with  #6 wood screws.

Use a square clamped into place to make sure your corners are perfectly square for your mould.  Pre-drill and screw into place the rest of the form edges.

Now to finish the moulds, caulk the inside seams with the silicone caulking, and smooth out the edges. Since whatever you leave on the inside of the concrete form will transfer into the finished concrete top impression, take some care to make sure it’s as smooth as possible on the seams.  The silicone caulking will need at least three hours to set.

Now you can mix your concrete.  Follow the manufacturers directions. Mix well.

Fill your moulds with the wet concrete mixture.  Use a rubber mallet to gently tap the sides to help get rid of air bubbles in the concrete mixture.

Another trick (Shaun knows all the tricks) is to use a palm sander along the edges just for the vibrations to also help get rid of the air bubbles.  Be sure to smooth the top and get it as level as possible.

Let the concrete set for 3 – 5 days.

Remove the form edges by removing the screws and gently prying it off the melamine.  Take care not to force it, since it could crack or break still at this point.  Use a wet diamond sanding pad along the edge to smooth it.

For the legs, wipe them down with varsol to remove any grease.  Spray paint them with several coats in matte black.

To apply them to the table, first mark out the screw holes on the bottom of the concrete table top.  We only used the holes furthest from the edge to lessen the chance of cracking the concrete.

Drill holes for the lead anchors into the concrete, taking care since it’s still fragile at this point.  We were a little worried as we drilled the holes into the concrete. Ours wasn’t quite set enough, probably because of colder night temperatures when we made it.  If you let is set the whole 3-5 days though it should be fine.  Of course do this part carefully though, you don’t want all your hard work to be wasted by cracking anything here.

Then cut the tops off the lead anchors to make them shorter, and use the PL Premium Construction Adhesive to glue them into place in the drilled holes.

Next, add some PL Premium Construction Adhesive to the top edge of the table leg, and then glue and screw the leg into place.  Again, take care since this is another time when you could crack the concrete.  Then add the second set of legs and set up your table.  It’s very heavy.

Allow the concrete to cure for a full 28 days and then apply the sealer to the top.  (I haven’t sealed it yet, but I will once the cure time is up.)

Aren’t these side tables amazing looking?  I really love how they turned out and what they add to the room.  We have a really large bed so I used the regular table height 28″ legs, but the legs do come shorter if you need something to be in scale with a regular lower bed.  The smaller ones would work great for living room side tables too.  You could also leave the legs as un-painted steel and just seal them for a more industrial look instead of painting them black.

One Room Challenge Update:

Next week is the big reveal and the room is almost finished.  I still need to pick up a few more accessories, add in some amazing faux plants, and add in a little more art.  I have some bedding, but need to decide on a few more pieces for it as well.

The room is already feeling so great.  It’s so much more light and bright, and I’m so glad we did it. I can’t wait to finish it up and share it with you.

I’m joining over 200 other guests bloggers for the One Room Challenge, so be sure to check out their progress this week too.

This post is sponsored by Home Depot Canada.  As always all opinions are my own.  

I really could not have brought this room together without some amazing sponsors. A special thanks to

Home Depot, Wayfair, HomeSense, Afloral, Amara, Para, Minted, Bobbie Made, Benjamin Wood Works, and Auto Artwork Shop.  All opinions are my own, as always.  Thanks for supporting the brands that make Life is a Party possible.