Chris Jones
Spice up the style factor in your living room by building your own tiled coffee table. It’s not all that complicated either. The only power tool you’ll need is a cordless drill. Customise the table by choosing tiles to fit your colour scheme or use the tiles as an excuse to go for a whole new look!
Gather your supplies
• 40 x 40mm x 3m galvanised steel angle (1)
• 40 x 40mm x 1m galvanised steel angle (1)
• 25 x 25mm x 1m galvanised square steel section (2)
• 25 x 25mm x 3m galvanised steel angle (1)
• 25 x 25mm x 1m galvanised steel angle (1)
• 1220 x 610 x 12mm marine ply (1)
• 596 x 596 x 10mm decorative tiles (2)
Components
Item / Size / Material / Qty
• Frame sides / 40 x 40 x 1100mm / Steel angle / (2)
• Frame ends / 40 x 40 x 510mm / Steel angle / (2)
• Legs / 25 x 25 x 350mm / Steel / square section / (4)
• Side edging / 25 x 25 x 1205mm / Steel angle / (2)
• End edging / 25 x 25 x 605mm / Steel angle / (2)
• Table base / 1200 x 600 x 12mm / Marine ply / (1)
• Tiles / 596 x 596 x 10mm / Decorative tiles / (2)
You’ll also need
Mitre box; clamps; hacksaw; file; fine permanent marker; drill; 3/16 inch drill bit; multi-purpose adhesive; quick square; 6.4mm steel blind rivets; rivet gun; sandpaper; wax-and-grease remover; masking tape; metal primer spray paint; flat black metal spray paint; 25mm plastic end caps (4); grout; grout float; fine sponge; cloth
For you to note
• Adjust dimensions of tabletop and edging to suit your selected tiles.
• Check components against actual unit as you are building before cutting to size.
Here’s how
STEP 1 To cut frame sides and frame ends, clamp inside mitre box. Using a hacksaw, cut both ends of each piece at a 45° angle so they form a mitred corner when joined. Also cut legs in mitre box. At 1 end of each leg, use file to slightly cut back corners on 2 adjacent faces to allow leg to fit in rounded corner on inside of frame sides and ends.
TIP Mark steel with a permanent marker instead of a pencil.
STEP 2 At 1 end of frame side, drill 3/16” holes for rivets in part of frame that will sit against side of leg. Stagger holes on an angle across frame side. Repeat to drill holes in other end of frame side, and in both ends of second frame side.
STEP 3 Place a dab of adhesive on 1 face of leg, near corner filed off in Step 1. Sit frame side hard against end of leg with drilled holes over this face. Make sure second filed corner on leg is facing towards angled cut on end of frame side. Clamp frame side.
STEP 4 Use quick square to make sure leg is perpendicular to frame side then clamp to hold. Drill through 1 hole in frame side through leg. Insert blind rivet into rivet gun, push into hole, then tighten. Repeat to install second rivet through frame side into leg.
STEP 5 Repeat Steps 3 and 4 to attach leg to other end of frame side.
STEP 6 Repeat Steps 3–5 to create second frame side and legs assembly.
STEP 7 Sit 1 frame side and legs assembly on bench with legs upright. Place a dab of adhesive on face of leg with filed corner and press frame end against it. Make mitred join in corner tight and clamp both pieces of frame to hold. Use square to ensure leg is perpendicular to frame end. Drill 1 hole through frame end and leg, insert rivet and tighten with gun. Drill another hole and insert second rivet through frame end into leg. Repeat to attach second frame end to other end of this leg assembly, then to join second leg assembly to frame ends to complete frame.
STEP 8 To cut side edging and end edging to length, place inside a mitre box and clamp. Cut both ends of each piece at a 45° angle using a hacksaw, so they will form a mitred corner when joined.
STEP 9 Apply adhesive to inside face of side edging that will sit on underside of table base. Press against edge of table base. Repeat to fix all edging pieces to table base, making mitred joins neat in corners. Leave to dry.
STEP 10 Sand legs, frame and outside faces of edging. Clean and remove dust with wax-and-grease remover. Apply masking tape over top edge of frame that will sit on table. Spray all parts with metal primer. Leave to dry. Follow with 2 coats of flat black spray paint, allowing to dry after each coat. Remove tape from top of frame.
STEP 11 On underside of table base, mark where frame will sit. Make frame sit centrally on base. Spread adhesive inside marked lines and sit frame on top. Leave to set.
STEP 12 Tap a plastic end cap into the bottom of each leg.
STEP 13 Run beads of adhesive on back of tile. Keep it about 30mm from edges. Press onto table base so gap to edging is equal all round. Repeat to glue second tile to table base and wriggle to make gap between them even. Leave to dry.
STEP 14 Mix grout to a creamy consistency. Use grout float to spread grout into gaps around and between the tiles. Wipe off excess with a damp, fine sponge, rinsing it frequently. Leave to set then polish off grout haze with a dry cloth.
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