DIY Home: Pipe Leg Coffee Table

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Getting crafty with Home Depot and a curb-side find!

Home Depot is one of those stores that I could spend days browsing. It personifies DIY. Often, if I want to work on a project but I am fresh-out of ideas, I take a stroll around the aisles and inspiration inevitably finds me! When I learned that Home Depot generously offered a Home Depot Gift Card to finance my next DIY home project story, I was thrilled, to say the least.

The idea for this pipe leg table hit me on a walk through my neighborhood. I stumbled upon a few wooden crate-like chests, which someone had put out on the curb. Later my husband informed me that they were used to carry explosives! (You never know what you will find when you go trash-picking in military housing areas.)

The crates had been re-purposed as raised garden bed containers. The bottoms were rotting out from continual exposure to water. The lids to the chests were detached. Immediately I knew that one would make the perfect coffee table; one that I had been envisioning lately.

Once the cobwebs were cleared away, I began sanding it with my favorite toy, the power sander. The wood-grain, along with the weathered appearance of the lid, really appealed to me. In order to see the wood-grain, I skipped primer and spray painted one faint coat of aqua blue.

Next up, were the legs. Pipes were my first choice for support. It’s fun to take supplies, especially from a hardware store, and give them a purpose other than their original intentions. Sleek, steel-gray, metal legs with silver-colored elbow pipes were the perfect design choice.

Initially, I did some research online to see what was available for this DIY home project. Then I realized that it was much more fun to go to the store, with measurements in hand, to see and feel the materials for myself.

The Home Depot Plumbing Department, especially the fittings or accessories, can be quite overwhelming to a non-plumber. Luckily, there were friendly, knowledgeable staff on hand to direct me and answer any questions. Here are the supplies used for this table:

Supplies (some shown below)
• Table top; found, but can be created
• Sandpaper
• Spray paint
• Tape measure
• Drill or screwdriver
• Four galvanized floor flanges with 3/4 inch center hole
• Sixteen #12 3/4 inch wood screws to fit floor flanges
• Four 90 degree galvanized elbow pipes 3/4 inch
• Four 3/4 x 18 inch steel pipes
• Two 3/4 x 10 inch steel pipes

floor flanges with 3/4 inch center hole

#12 3/4 inch wood screws to fit floor flanges

90 degree galvanized elbow pipes 3/4 inch

Four 3/4 x 18 inch steel pipes and Two 3/4 x 10 inch steel pipes

The process of assembling the pipes and elbow pipes was the first order of business.

Next the floor flanges were screwed into the underside of my coffee tabletop. Measure carefully, so each side matches up correctly.

Screw the pipes into the flange holes, and you are finished.

This is a relatively quick project to build and it makes a great conversation piece. Thanks a bunch Home Depot for your support!

we heartsters – What have you re-purposed lately?

All photos: Rachel for we heart this

Rachel is a stay-at-home Mom that never seems to be home. She’s a military wife, mother to The Danger Boys and a self-proclaimed craftaholic that enjoys photography, knitting, baking and all things handmade.

Disclosure: HOME DEPOT generously provided funding for the supplies for this project. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.