How To Make Your Own Pallet Coffee Table

Are you on the lookout for a coffee table that is cheap, attractive and useful, but also has a modern design? In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to make your own pallet coffee table in no time!

Pallet furniture is not only looks great, but is also a cheap and easy way to change the look of your house with new furniture! It also features a storage space for you to keep all your magazines, remote controls, tablets etc. You can thank us later 😉

Tools and materials

As well as pallets (which you can pick up for free here) , to make your pallet coffee table you will also need:

• Circular saw
• Reciprocating saw
• Hammer
• Drill/ Screwdriver
• Sander
• Adjustable clamps
• MDF panel measuring 64 x 64 x 1cm
• Tiles measuring 32 × 32cm
• Furniture legs
• Screws
• Mounting glue
• Joint filler
• Furniture Paint

Cost, time and difficulty

Although this is not a complicated project, it does need a certain level of practice in the use of cutting tools, such as the circular saw or reciprocating saw. That’s why we’ve rated this project as medium difficulty.

The price of materials for this project depends mostly on what tools you already have! Have a look at our sample shopping basket to get you started.

It will also take around 2 days to make a pallet table like the one in this tutorial. Keep in mind that you should wait 12 hours after applying the mounting glue for the tiles to adhere properly. 

Pallet Coffee Table Step by Step Tutorial

Step 1: Cut the pallet to the size of the tiles

As a side note, we’ve chosen to consider the following things:

• A coffee table should be easy to move about, to bring it closer to the sofa for example.
• The pallets, as well as the tiles and legs, can make the table weigh a lot

For this reason, and to make it lighter, it was decided not to use more than 4 tiles, and to cut the pallet down to size. To achieve this we did the following:

1. Trace a line following the size of the 4 tiles and cut the pallet with a mini circular saw.
2. Use the circular saw to cut the crossbeam at the centre of the pallet.
3. Move this crossbeam to the new edge of the pallet. To do so, we used a hammer to remove the planks that were on top.
4. Use coach screws to attach the crossbeam.

Step 2: Sand the pallet

Once the pallet has been cut to size, sand the surface to smooth it and remove any rough parts or splinters.

Step 3: Cut the base for the tiles

A surface made up of the pallet boards is not generally even. For this reason, the tiles will be attached to the MDF panel. Otherwise they wouldn’t be level and would form little ridges millimetres apart which would be very annoying!

To cut the panel, clamp it to a work bench and use the mini circular saw.

Step 4: Paint

Before attaching the MDF panel to the top of the pallet, both parts should be painted white. This will make the work easier, as otherwise, the interior of the pallet will be too difficult to reach later on!

On another note, to save paint it’s a good idea to paint only the interior face of the MDF panel, as the other side will be covered in tiles.

Step 5: Assemble the base for the tiles

The next step is to attach the MDF panel to the pallet. To do this, just screw it to the bottom of the pallet.

Step 6: Attach the legs

After screwing the base on, attach the legs by turning the pallet over (to attach them to the side with pallet boards).

We’ve chosen to use copper coloured legs to compliment the white table!

Step 7: Stick on the tiles

Lastly, stick the tiles to the MDF panel. 

1. Apply mounting glue to the panel. Another option is to use adhesive cement but for a table, this is not necessary (as it won’t be stepped on, there is little chance of the tiles coming loose).
2. Position the tiles on the panel and stick them on, using clamps. Leave for 12 hours to allow the glue to set.
3. Grout the tiles, sticking masking tape on the edges. This means you avoid having to wait for the grout to dry before removing the excess.
4. Remove the masking tape and leave to dry.

Make sure to make the most use of your storage space under your new pallet coffee table!

This article was written by: Bricoydeco and translated. Mari Luz authors the blog ‘Bricoydeco’, she is a DIY fanatic, lover of recycling and customising furniture. Her passion is giving a second chance to turn once forgotten things into unique pieces!

Got some pallets left over? Go wild with these projects:

How to Make a Pallet Planter

How to Make a DIY Pallet Trolley