I was looking for something a little bigger and lot more rustic. I also wanted something with a shelf underneath to hold baskets and help control toys/clutter. Oh, and cheap, of course! While searching Kijiji I wasn't finding anything that fit that criteria. But I did find these cheap glass tables that could work with a little tweaking.
(these are not my actual tables. I forgot to take a before picture with the glass and I found these online)
Before buying them I made sure that the glass could easily be removed for what I had planned. It was only held on by suction cups (that are removable) so I was good to go. I hit up Lowes for some 1x6's, wood stain and some extra sandpaper because I was going to need it.
I measured out the lengths and widths that I would need for the boards to be exactly lined up with the edge of the frame. After cutting everything (using the table saw) I distressed the wood a bit by bashing it with a hammer, poking nails in it, and smashing screws in it. Then I started sanding. And sanding, And sanding. It took a while to sand all 13 boards smooth. After all that sanding I was I attached the boards together using a strip of 1x2 underneath. I cut the 1x2 to fit exactly into the frame so the top doesn't slide around. If not being attached to the frame starts to be a problem then Mr. 50 is going to weld on some little brackets for me.
I love the size and storage they provide. A big improvement over my tiny, french provincial tables that just didn't suit my family room.
After a little time passed, I added some black upholstery tacks (found at Lowes) to ends of the coffee table. I like added detail.
So now I don't have a coffee table problem anymore but I might have an ikea overload problem. Between the rug, the picture frames and now the tables it's starting to look like an ikea catalog in here :/
My favorite Party Rocker:
