DIY coffee table ideas: How to make your own coffee table for under $100 with DIYer Kristine Ham

Jan 20, 2024

By Rachael Gavin| 6 months ago

Kristine Ham's journey into DIY began with fixing a bunch of unforeseen problems with the old Queenslander property she'd just bought.

There was a budget for renovations, but it was quickly eaten away by replacing a rotten pool deck and air conditioners that didn't work.

So when it came to making her house a home in the style she liked, Ham decided to DIY the changes she wanted to make herself.

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With the help of her father, YouTube and a lot of practice, she's gone from DIYing out of necessity to making gorgeous décor and furniture.

She's made a bedside table out of Kmart's bamboo bread bins, transformed a boring shelving unit into a funky cabinet using venetian blinds and an entire mudroom

The mum of three has also made her own coffee table, which you can make too by following the steps in Ham's video tutorial created exclusively for 9Honey Living.

Watch the video above.

"I'll think 'I want to change the colour of this room' or 'I want a shelf over here' or wanted different pieces of furniture. Obviously because of the lack of budget I have bought second-hand and retro-fitted the furniture, or I've bought low-budget furniture that I've retro-fitted to create an aesthetic that I want," she told 9Honey Living.

In the process, Ham has developed quite a following on her Instagram page @extra.ordinary.home where she shares videos and images of her projects. But she doesn't just share the things that went well so that we can all learn together.

"I've made a lot of mistakes and I generally share them on my feed, the mistakes along with the successes. Particularly with joinery, joinery is an art in itself and I have made things that have broken or fallen apart."

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DIY is often something a lot of us want to try, not just to save money, but to make things specifically to our taste or to fit a particular space. But using tools, especially power tools, can put people off trying.

Ham is proof that you can go from a novice with tools to confident with a circular saw, just by having a go and practicing until you've got the skill down. Until then you can get by with hand tools, but the project will take longer and require more elbow grease.

"It started with a hand saw and then I got my very first circular saw and then I mastered that, which was terrifying but I was able to do that," she said.

"There are still a couple of tools that terrify me. I can't cope with an angle grinder, the sparks and the metal it freaks me out completely... hopefully one day though I'll get over that but for now, it's just a bit much.

"But it's watching, learning, reading, doing and making a lot of mistakes along the way."

DIY is certainly the best way to get the exact piece of furniture or décor you want at a price that suits your budget, as you can see from the coffee table Ham made in the video above.

The inspiration for the table came from images of furniture she'd seen that had a fluted look.

"I've seen similar pieces for thousands of dollars so to get this done for under $100, I'd say it's worth the effort," she said.

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And while it takes a little bit of time to make any DIY project, the coffee table is relatively easy to make yourself as you can see in the video above.

To put it together you'll need two round panels and some dowel pieces which you can find a hardware stores.

First, you'll need to measure and mark 8mm from the edge and then measure and mark 3cm from that point.

"Do this 12 times on each side of the timber. Stack the round panels [on top of each other] and secure with tape," Ham said.

Using a 6mm drill bit in your power drill, drill all the way through the top panel at each of the 12 spots you've marked, and halfway through the second panel.

Next, get some wood glue and dab your dowel pins into it before slotting it into the holes on both panels.

Then cut the dowels into 24 pieces that are 30cm long each.

Once you have your dowel pieces, drill a 6mm hole into each. Then add some wood glue and pop each dowel piece onto the smaller dowel pins on the bottom panel.

"Carefully place the top panel, ensuring you line up each dowel with the dowel pin. Once they're all lined up, hammer the top down," Ham explained.

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At this point your piece will look like a coffee table and you can seal it right then and there.

But Ham wanted a darker timber look "for a mid-century vibe" so she used Feast Watson tint in old Baltic to stain it and then sealed it with a timber wax.

And once the seal is dry you have your very own handmade coffee table for budget-friendly price.

Check back here soon for more of Ham's DIY projects.

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