fbpx

Blog

DIY MARBLE TOP COFFEE TABLE

February 29, 2020

This post is from our Stagg Design project archives and originally posted in May 2014. We hope it gives you inspiration and some tips for tackling that next project! xx- Team Stagg

It’s a new week, a new month, and today I’m sharing a new project– my DIY Marble Top Coffee Table.

Something about the living room said marble coffee table to me.  Like “hey!  It’s me– living room!  I need some marble, mmmkay?”  It’s like I couldn’t see anything else in there.  I love a good white marble.  The gray tones and the patterns say class.  You know what else they say?  Expensive.  Like super duper expensive.  And I just couldn’t bring myself to fork out over $1,000 for a marble coffee table.  So, I decided to make one.

I originally had planned to go to a countertop remnant store.  Coffee tables aren’t really very big, and countertop contractors typically have small pieces of slab they are willing to sell as remnants on the cheap.  Then one night I was browsing online classifieds and I came across this:

IMG_2660 IMG_2663 IMG_2664  IMG_2666

It belonged to the sweetest elderly woman who was relocating to a retirement home and was selling her furniture.  Her kids sold it to me for $40.  Such a steal.  I loved the shape and that marbling is so pretty.  The pillar wood base, however, was not so pretty.

To my delight, the marble wasn’t actually attached to the base.  It was just sitting on top and just lifted right off.

For the legs, I wanted something mid-century, and went back and forth between wood and steel, but in the end, I knew I really wanted to dress it up with gold legs.  Enter Hairpins.

Not the kind of hairpin you wear in your hair, but hairpin furniture legs.  Hairpins were uber popular in the 60’s and 70’s, and they are remarkably sturdy.  You can attach them to all kinds of things– chests, stools kitchen tables, and coffee tables, of course.  The possibilities are endless.  I did a google search and found several manufacturers online and the best price I found was with a company called Hairpin Legs For Less.  How’s that for marketing?

I ordered four of the standard hairpin legs in raw steel, 1/2 inch rod, 16 inch size.  They were $16/each.

IMG_6287 IMG_6288

Once they arrived, I had to figure out how to attach them to the marble.  I couldn’t drill right into the marble, so I decided to repurpose the existing base.  I took it apart using a crowbar and drill.  I found it was essentially three pieces that were all glued together and held with a few screws:  a flat piece that was cut to match up with the marble top perfectly (it was just under the same size), another round wood piece which attached the top wood piece to the pillar base, and the base.

IMG_2668 IMG_2669 IMG_2670 IMG_2671 IMG_2672 IMG_2673

First, we cut the smaller wood piece into four pieces.  After laying out where I wanted the legs to go, we glued the four smaller pieces on the flat wood piece.  We then drilled the legs into the smaller pieces, and right into the flat wood piece.  Together it all made a new base with cool legs.

IMG_6293 IMG_6292

IMG_6285

Next, I spray painted the entire new base and new legs gold with Design Master Gold Medal, two coats.  I also painted a few frames at the same time.

IMG_6304

The next day when it was good and dry, I brought it into the living room.  It was already looking so so good.

IMG_2758 IMG_2759

I put down a layer of LocTite, a general use adhesive that works for most surfaces.  You apply it just as you would caulking, and it comes in the same type tube.  Jon helped me carefully place the marble top on the new base and the weight of the marble (it’s heavvvvvy) was enough to hold it into place while it dried.  I just made sure Ruby didn’t bump it for a full day.

IMG_2761

IMG_2760

IMG_2768

IMG_2771

IMG_2769

I couldn’t love the way it looks in the room more.  Old marble coffee tables are often for sale online in classifieds.  Rather than buy new, why not repurpose and up-cycle them?  The total cost was under $115, including all supplies, spray paint, and adhesive.  You would easily pay $600-$2,000 for this piece.

IMG_2827 IMG_2847

IMG_2872

Now I’m all brainstormy about what else I can attach hairpin legs too…..

(See the rest of the living room here)

Jen Signature photo JenSignature_zpse63747c4.jpg

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Maggie says:

    Beautiful!

  2. elisa says:

    My oh my! Isn’t she a beaute! I love your vision of hairpin legs and then you went and sprayed them gold. I’m drooling. It looks great in your space!

  3. Wow, what a transformation! I wasn’t surprised when you said that it belong to an elderly woman as marble typically makes me think elderly. And, I am almost 100% that is because my grandmother has a marble coffee table! But, you made this a totally modern look and I love it!

  4. Looks amazing in your space! I can’t believe you found that for only $40! I’m doing our first house makeover and looking for marble pieces for my living room as well 🙂

    hammerandheels.blogspot.com

  5. This is flippin’ amazing! And your living room is gorg.

  6. […] remember the living room coffee table?  I loved it so much, but there was something that was bothering me– the polished marble […]

  7. Sarah says:

    I just got a rectangular slab of marble and am trying to figure out how to convert it into a coffee table…this is good inspiration. Do you know of any examples of someone turning a stand along slab into a coffee table?

    Thanks!

    Sarah

  8. Nicole says:

    I love this, it turned out beautiful. Don’t you just love when a DIY comes together smoothly? This is fabulous. I recently did something similar with marble and a wire basket.

    Thanks for sharing

  9. OMG I just saw this in a magazine this week! Great upcycle and transformation. Love it.

  10. Brianne says:

    Just found this post via Pinterest and I am so glad!! I have been wanting a $600 marble coffee table from West Elm, but that’s so much money! Now I am seriously going to consider a DIY project. Thanks!

    Xo, Brianne
    http://www.scrubsandsparkles.com

  11. Justina says:

    Incredible! I found a great marble coffee table ($30!) with a horrific base on CL and wasn’t sure how to attach hairpin legs that I had spray painted gold(!) for a previous project that I didn’t finish. So glad I found this tutorial! Great minds… 😉

  12. […] DIY gifts are great, and we especially love gifts for the home. And DIY gifts can go as far as stone remnant refurbished furniture gifts like this project. […]

  13. Anna says:

    I am totally digging this! Do you mind if I include it in a round up I’m putting together? If I could use one of your photos (not cropping or editing of course) that would be great too <3

    Let me know!

    • Jen says:

      Hi there, sure, as long as you link back and credit, and also don’t give the whole DIY away that’s great! Thank you!

  14. […] about the most, and if you’ve been following for awhile, you’ll remember it’s a DIY marble coffee table from our last home (yes, you can make one too!!)  It has held up beautifully and a magic eraser […]

  15. […] Jen Signature Photo JenSignature zpse C Jpg – stagg-design.com […]

back to top

@jenniferstagg

shop

We're a full-service design firm and home furnishings shop built around the philosophy that a well-designed home should be beautiful, personal, cohesive, and complete. We think home is the most important place on the planet and when you live in a home that is perfectly you, it changes your life. Don't believe us? Stick around. We're confident we'll change your mind.

hello there!

Follow Along

@jenniferstagg

Hey, let's be friends

Exclusive projects, discounts, and extra goodies all in your inbox. And don’t worry- your email is for our eyes only.

Let Us Show You Around

home

about

blog

contact

shop

Services

portfolio

careers

tutorials

guides

youtube

podcast

our home

PRESS

| privacy policy

| terms and conditions

copyright © 2023 stagg design | All rights reserved