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How to make a designer-style project table or craft table for less than $150
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A project table comprised of two bookshelving units from
Target and a sheet of melamine from a home center store,
trimmed with edging and topped with a piece of plexiglass.
If you are a sewing enthusiast, crafter or scrapbooker, you need a space to spread out your projects without having to move them from the dinner table every time you eat. What you need is a project table and there’s a way to make one, just like the high-end designer styles, for less than $150.
It is comprised of two counter-height, nine-cubby bookcases that are straddled by a tabletop. Now, Pottery Barn offers the beautiful Bedford project table in the same style It is gorgeous and on sale. Originally priced at $1,157.00, it is currently marked at $949 plus tax and shipping.
AVthing in its place.com offers a similar project table at $499.95, including shipping, that can be mixed and matched with drawers to suit your needs. Sam’s Club also offers its version and it comes with a chair. Stacks and Stacks has one for $549 including shipping, as well.
If these have you drooling but are too rich for your blood, consider making your own.
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All the bookcases from all the vendors need to be
assembled, so by going cheap you aren't adding any
extra work; the premium priced units still require asembly.
Start by purchasing two nine-shelf bookcases from Target. They usually run $49.99, but are on sale this week for $39.99. You can purchase it at the store or online. It is called the Closetmaid 9 Cube Organizer and it comes in white, espresso, alder or painted colors. This measures 36 x 36-inches, which is comparable to the pricier models.
Next, visit your local home center store, Home Depot or Lowes and purchase a 4x8-foot sheet of white melamine and have it cut to size. It will cost you about $35. A good size, comparable with the pricier project tables is 55-inches wide x 41-inches long.
Next, pick up some trim if you want to cover the raw edge of the melamine. This is the only thing you’ll have to prime and paint. Or, you can cover the edge with an oak finish self-adhesive tape, also available at your home center store, or ribbon if you’d like to coordinate the table edging to your room’s décor. Price for the trim will vary depending upon what you choose.
That’s it. Now, you have a large, 15 square foot working area, plus storage, too.
If you want to show off your artwork or collectibles, spend
the extra to have a sheet of plexiglass cut to size and place
it on top, over the items you want to showcase.
Bonus Tip #1: If you’d like to turn the table into a collector’s table to show off your works of art or collectibles, adhere the trim on the tabletop slightly higher than you normally would if you wanted it flush with the table top. Then, put photos, postcards, artwork or other items on the tabletop and cover it with a sheet of plexiglass, cut to size. A good place to find the plexiglass is at your local Ace Hardware store. Having the plexiglass cut for you at this size will add about $90 to your project total.
The table is perfect for gift wrapping, so why not add a
dowel below the tabletop to store your ribbons?
Bonus Tip #2: If you want to use the table for gift wrapping, drill two holes on the underside of the table and screw in cup hooks. Pick-up a long wooden dowel from your hardware store Line up your spools along the dowel and place the dowel into the cup hooks. The ribbon holder will add about $6 to your project cost.
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