Sharing all the details of how we created a gorgeous long industrial looking barn beam sofa table diy project for behind our couch with step by step instructions & pictures.
We made a beautiful reclaimed wood barn beam sofa table diy furniture project.
Things have been pretty crazy here now that school has started but one thing Jason & I have talked about making is a sofa table diy project for our family room.
Although we have had a table or chest behind our couch we wanted something that was taller & could run the long length of the sofa…because nothing but dust & lost toys hung back there anyway!
Table of Contents
Long Barn Beam Sofa Table DIY
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Soon after we moved in our house a friend told us about some barn beams at his work that they wanted to get rid of & asked if we would want them.
ABSOLUTELY!
Jason almost never says no to free wood he can make furniture with so they have been sitting in our garage until recently.
A few months ago we decided to make some long barn beam benches with a few of the beams for our fire pit area.
We loved the look of our new beam benches that we decided to make a beam sofa table diy project with some more of the leftover beams.
This sofa table diy was super easy to make with the exception of the weight of the beams.
I have no idea what these beams were originally used for but we are pretty certain the some are made of oak because we can barely lift them!
Supplies Needed to Make a Beam Sofa Table DIY
Our Beam Sofa Table DIY is 8 1/2 feet Long by 30″ Tall by 11.5″ Wide
- Barn Beam (1 beam long enough to scale your sofa or couch… ours is 8.5 feet) plus 2 more beams measuring 18″each)
- Chain Saw
- Orbital Sander
- L-Shaped Brackets (2)
Step BY Step Instructions for How to Make a Barn Beam Sofa Table DIY
Our sofa is roughly 9 feet long so we chose to make our barn beam sofa table diy 8 1/2 feet long.
Step ONE – Cutting the Barn Beam to Size
Jason measured out how high the table needed to be & chain sawed a smaller beam into 2 18″ sections.
These cuts were pretty hard to make because of the size of the beams & how hard the wood is.
His chainsaw blade got heated up pretty quick so he had to take quite a few breaks in between cutting the beams.
This is the chainsaw we have,
Poulan Pro PP5020AV 20-Inch 50cc 2 Stroke Gas Powered Chain Saw With Carrying Case
Step TWO – Sanding Down the Wood
I then sanded the legs and the top with our orbital sander.
This is the orbital sander we use,
(DEWALT D26451K Corded 3 Amp 5-Inch Random Orbit Sander with Cloth Dust Bag
We decided to keep the sanding a bit rough to go with the industrial look of our coffee table in the family room.
Isn’t that a beautiful piece of wood?
Step THREE – Adding Polyurethane
Next I added polyurethane to the top.
We then carried it in…I am not sure how I was able to pick up the top but by some miracle we did it!
Step FOUR – Putting the Barn Beam Sofa Table DIY Together
Next we put it together in our family room.
Jason added some L brackets to the top & legs to help keep it together.
I will definitely plan on spray painting them black if we ever decide to move the beam sofa table more into view in our family room.
It’s a shame the table is mostly hidden by the couch but I love how perfectly it fits in the room.
I love the look of the couch with the plants behind it.
The size & placement of the sofa table is perfect for my plants & seasonal home decor that we can now keep off the coffee table where Moose (our labradoodle) would easily knock them over.
I hope this inspires you to create a sofa table diy at your home!
by Tara Lehman
Don’t forget to save & pin our Beam Sofa Table DIY!
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WOW! Gorgeous! Smart move to not pass up those free beams! I am on the lookout for one to use as my mantel, but then, like you said, the weight is definitely a factor. I look the rustic look it creates behind the couch. Nice work!
Thanks so much Jenny! If we lived closer I might have an extra beam for ya:). If it were milled longways it would make a great mantel! Take care, Tara
No words to express how impressed I am!
First it is a beautiful big piece of wood!
Second that you guys cut it so well and made that awesome table! You will surely treasure it and the memories for many years to come!
Nancy
wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com
Wow Nancy, that is incredibly sweet:). It was no small feat to cut that beam so thank you very much!!! Have a wonderful week and take care, Tara
This is gorgeous! I love the idea. Thanks for linking up to the Pretty Preppy Party this month!
Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for stopping by to see my beam sofa table and thank you for hosting the Pretty Preppy Party! Have a wonderful rest of your week and take care, Tara
I LOVE IT!!!
Thank you Martina!
The great thing about using a beam is you don’t have to worry about an object being too heavy. Solid construction. Looks fabulous, too!
Thank you so much Audra! Yes, the beam sofa table is definitely solid:). Have a great weekend, take care, Tara