DIY Fluted Coffee Table

I have so many fun builds with my dad, but I think this one takes the cake. Building furniture with my dad is just so fun! The best part was trying to explain to him why I think I could make a coffee table out of a wire spool. The vision was in my head but there were a lot of confused looks to anyone I tried to explain this to. But my dad being my dad was always willing to go with it even if he doesn’t see what I see.

At my parent’s house is this huge old slab of marble just laying out in his backyard. I thought it was such a waste to let such a beautiful piece get weathered outside. I just knew it had to be my coffee table.

The marble top was used as a plant stand

For the base, I drew up a few designs some thoughts were angled 2x4s or a wooden box, but ultimately decided to go with a fluted drum. I like that this marble piece has a rounded oblong shape, so I thought a rounded bottom would be a nice balance. My dad works as a machinist and they get weekly shipments of big wires, so he brought home a wire spool that they were just going to trash. But ya know, what they saw as trash was just what I needed for this! It had 2 round plywood pieces, saving me time from cutting plywood or buying wood! It measured out as 30 inches around which is the perfect circumference to be able to hold and balance the marble.

This DIY coffee table is so easy to build! It just took a little time restoring the marble, but if you already have that ready to go, then the next part is a breeze.

Because the marble was outside for so many years, it lost its shine and had some deep stains. I bought a marble restoration kit to polish the stone, which uses diamond sanding pads that you stick on an adapter for your drill. The kit comes with said adapter and 9 different pads with varying grits. You go from the smallest to the highest grit to grind down the surface then polish it back. I finished it up by using 511 sealer to seal the surface to prevent against additional stains or water damage. You can see my process on this on my Instagram under the Coffee Table highlight! I couldn’t get out all of the stains but that’s okay with me!

Let’s get into how I made it!

How to build a fluted coffee table

You’ll need:

Wire Spool (or 2 round cuts of .5inch plywood)
Half round moulding (I ordered 25 pieces)
2×4, 5 14″ pieces
Nail gun
Marble top (you can find this for cheap at countertop shops! Ask for their remnants!)
Level
Miter saw
Drill
Wood screws
Optional metal dowels

What to do – Build the base:

Cut the 2×4 into 5 14 inch pieces using a miter saw (or any saw). Coffee table heights are typically between 16-18 inches from the floor, so this accounts for the height of the plywood and marble top.
Drill the 4 2x4s into the first round plywood then drill the 2nd plywood piece on top to create a frame. Use the level to ensure the rounded plywood matches up. We used the metal dowels to help keep it stable.
Measure the height of this frame for the next step.
Cut the half round moulding into 15 inch pieces (or whatever the height is from step 3)
Line up the round moulding and use your nail gun to attach it to the side plywood. Use your level to straighten the moulding before nailing the other side of the plywood.
Stain the drum if you’d like and add your marble on top!