Deck Coffee Table out of Treated Lumber – Replacing a Rotting Spool

Sep 20 2020
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A simple deck coffee table build! I had grown to totally despise the spool that was sitting in this corner. There are a lot of reasons why but the most practical reason is because it was literally rotting the deck out beneath it. I had plenty of lumber on hand from when I replaced the table top out here so I quickly grabbed what I needed to make a simple deck coffee table.

Out door bench plan built into a corner of a green treated deck, wood working, tips and tutorials, how to, diy, do it yourself, backyard, outdoor project

How to build a simple deck coffee table out of treated lumber, 2x4s and deck boards. Wood working project easy tutorial building it your self diy

How to build a simple deck coffee table out of treated lumber, 2x4s and deck boards. Wood working project easy tutorial building it your self diy

First I needed to decide how tall I wanted the new deck coffee table to be. I wanted it taller than the average coffee table and shorter than the average dining room table. I decided on 24 inches tall.

The width of four 8 foot deck boards cut in half was 22 inches.

I cut all of my lumber first using my DeWalt skill saw using our sun loungers as saw horses. All of the wood I used for this project was green treated pine. I used decking boards for the top of the table and 2x4s for the table base.

I cut four 2x4s at 22 inches and four 2x4s at 24 inches.

I laid two 22 inch 2x4s on the deck and covered them with my deck boards using 3 inch long outdoor screws. With my deck coffee table’s top complete I flipped it over and added each of the 24 inch 2x4s as legs.

From there it would have worked OK without more bracing but I knew those legs would warp and get wonky eventually. I grabbed my last two remaining boards (two 22 inch 2x4s) and laid them down on the inside of the legs. I secured them with more outdoor screws and that really helped beef up the whole table.

The last board I added I cut a touch long and tapped into place between the feet, adding even more stability to the whole piece. Notice that last additional board running from feet to feet I laid on its side so its not sitting directly on the deck.

How to build a simple deck coffee table out of treated lumber, 2x4s and deck boards. Wood working project easy tutorial building it your self diy

How to build a simple deck coffee table out of treated lumber, 2x4s and deck boards. Wood working project easy tutorial building it your self diy

How to build a simple deck coffee table out of treated lumber, 2x4s and deck boards. Wood working project easy tutorial building it your self diy

How to build a simple deck coffee table out of treated lumber, 2x4s and deck boards. Wood working project easy tutorial building it your self diy

How to build a simple deck coffee table out of treated lumber, 2x4s and deck boards. Wood working project easy tutorial building it your self diy

How to build a simple deck coffee table out of treated lumber, 2x4s and deck boards. Wood working project easy tutorial building it your self diy

How to build a simple deck coffee table out of treated lumber, 2x4s and deck boards. Wood working project easy tutorial building it your self diy

How to build a simple deck coffee table out of treated lumber, 2x4s and deck boards. Wood working project easy tutorial building it your self diy

How to build a simple deck coffee table out of treated lumber, 2x4s and deck boards. Wood working project easy tutorial building it your self diy

As far as builds go this is about as simple as it gets. I call it adult legos lol

I was a bit surprised that after I built it I kind of wished I had built it bigger. At first when I measured it all out I honestly felt like it was going to be too big. (Its four feet long and nearly two feet deep all together.)

As far as its height goes I’m happy I made it taller than the average coffee table.

I did that specifically so it can comfortably double as an eating surface if our larger table out here isn’t big enough to seat everyone.

Its still pretty comfortable to put your feet on.

I built the wrap around bench several years ago and am darned proud of it! Its comfortable and gave us a ton of extra seating! Every time we’ve had friends and family over there are always a couple of people that end up happily camped out here.

Our new deck coffee table is also the keeper of our bird bath/watering hole for all of the little critters that visit us.

Inside of the bird bath I placed several old glass insulators so everything from bumble bees to chipmunks can drink without falling in. To keep the water moving I purchased a little solar powered fountain from Amazon so mosquitoes can’t use it as a breeding pond.

I am SO happy to replace that dang spool – I think this turned out to be a total upgrade!

Unfortunately, even after A LOT of time scrubbing etc. the deck will be stained for awhile from that spool. Eventually though time, weather and sun shine will remove the stain.

How to build a simple deck coffee table out of treated lumber, 2x4s and deck boards. Wood working project easy tutorial building it your self diy

Comments

  1. September 20, 2020 at 9:28 am

    You might think the table is very simple, but I would be eternally proud of myself if I managed to build something like that! And I love your wrap around bench, it really makes the most of the space.

  2. Carol Eckelkamp
    September 20, 2020 at 9:46 am

    Are you planning to stain the deck?

    • September 21, 2020 at 9:03 am

      Hi Carol, actually I don’t plan on staining the deck. It just won’t lest with hoe rough and extreme our weather is this far north.

  3. Marybeth
    September 21, 2020 at 1:10 pm

    Another great project that looks so good on the deck!! You amaze me with your talent.

    • September 22, 2020 at 8:55 am

      Thank you so much Maybeth!

  4. MARGIE BRAMER
    September 22, 2020 at 8:45 am

    Your birdbath is really cute too. I like to add things to mine to make it accessible to all the critters!
    I bought the same fountain but didn’t have good luck with it. It stopped working.

    • September 22, 2020 at 8:56 am

      Thank you Margie! I’m sorry to hear your fountain stopped working. This one did that once but I discovered the pump had algae and gunk stuck on it. A quick cleaning out and my fountain started up again.

  5. Suzanne M MISENHIMER
    September 22, 2020 at 9:49 am

    Way to go Tarah!Looks great, sturdy too. I would try scrubbing with baking soda to remove that discoloration. Or you could sand it off. ๐Ÿ™‚

    • September 22, 2020 at 9:52 am

      Thanks Suzanne, I hadn’t considered trying baking soda!

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