How to make a DIY outdoor coffee table

This summer – well, for the whole last year really – I’ve searched for an outdoor coffee table to complement our seating on the patio. I wanted something big because our seating area is really big. But I couldn’t find just exactly what I was looking for. Everything was either too small for the space or not at all my style. So instead, Kevin and I decided to build a DIY outdoor coffee table.

Designing the DIY outdoor coffee table

When we decided to build a DIY outdoor coffee table I had two things I wanted for sure:

• It needed to be large. I think we covered that already, yes?
• It needed to be square or something close to square. I felt like a square table would work best in the space and allow for us to have plenty of room for guests to put their food, drinks or even just a good place to put their feet up.

We built the DIY coffee table out of simple 4x4s and 1x4s. I wanted nice, clean lines and didn’t want to get overly fussy with the space.

Tools and supplies for the DIY outdoor coffee table

• 6 – 4X4s cut to 18 inches tall. {HERE}
• 3 – 1x6s for support cut to 55 inches. {HERE}
• 11 – 1x6s for the tabletop cut to length. For us that was about 55 inches. {HERE}
• 3-inch deck screws {HERE}
• A pocket hole jig from drilling pocket holes {HERE}
• A Hart Hand Drill {HERE}
• Premium, Fast Dry. Varathane Wood Stain in Early American. {HERE} We use this color a lot of a variation of it. I just feel like it’s a good, traditional color that can be transitional. This color also worked really well with our outdoor seating sectional. I didn’t intend for the to match, or at least I didn’t start out with that idea. But you can see they are VERY close in color. This is the same color we used for our Outdoor Kitchen DIY.
• Varathane Sparuethane in a clear semi-gloss. {HERE} We went with semi-gloss because it’s all our store head in stock but if you plan ahead you can find a satin or flat.
• Rags for staining {HERE} I always prefer using rags.
• Small paint brushes for the cracks. {HERE}

Steps for making the DIY outdoor coffee table

1. To start, Kevin pre-drilled the holes for the screws in the legs using a jig and hand drill.
2. Next, Kevin laid out all the tabletop pieces on the floor of the garage.
3. Then he screwed in the support beams in about 5 inches in from the edge.
4. He then screwed the legs in on the outside of the support beams.
5. We added the middle supports as an afterthought but the table is so heavy that we truly felt like we needed them.
6. Once the table was put together, I used a rag and stained it. I prefer using a rag to stain verses a brush. However, I do use a small paint brush to get into the cracks when the rag doesn’t fit.
7. Finally, I added a thick coat of exterior polyurethane so it would hold up to the outdoor weather.

DIY coffee table styling

To style our DIY coffee table, I started with a pretty linen, square tablecloth is from William Sonoma and they don’t appear to have it anymore. I DID find it’s friend in Flax {HERE}, which is also a beautiful color. But they do have this beautiful one with a floral pattern {HERE} and this Italian linen one {HERE} – which is the same material and supplier as mine.

Additionally, I added a hand woven tray that I bought locally to hold a citronella candle, a basil plant and a few gourds from the garden. You can find a similar tray {HERE} if you like it. Between the basil plant and the gourds it’s truly a changing of the seasons table.

None of these items stay out on the DIY outdoor coffee table – although the basil and the gourds could – but I thought you would like to see it a little dressed up.

The patio set

A lot of people have asked me about the patio set. This was purchased, not made. I bought it just as the pandemic started and got a killer deal on it at that time. I’ll have a full review up soon, but if you’re interested in it, you can find it {HERE}. It’s a piece you can add onto and take away from. I added on additional chairs because our space is so large and it was on sale for about 70 percent off when people were panicking at the start of the shutdown. Currently, the patio set is on sale though so grab it while you can!

So, what do you think of the DIY coffee outdoor coffee table? I’d love to hear your thoughts below! If you like this one make sure to check out or cheap DIY outdoor kitchen {HERE}. Also, the Stone Fruit Sangria that I’m drinking in the below photos is {HERE}.

Thank you for visiting today, friends. I hope we see you again soon here at the farmhouse. You can find more DIY ideas {HERE}.