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Coffee Table Slabs

Live Edge Walnut Coffee table

Mahogany Coffee Table with Waterfall Leg

Elm River Table

Selecting wood/slabs for a Coffee Table is one of the most exciting steps when having a coffee table custom built or building the coffee table yourself.

Building a coffee table can be a very rewarding project for almost anyone. It's a great starter project for someone who is looking to get in to woodworking or for someone who wants to do a little DIY project.


We keep hundreds of coffee table size slabs in stock at our Mississauga Location so clients and DIYer's can pick the perfect material for their coffee table. We also have some coffee table slabs available in our online store. You can browse some of our online wood options HERE.



Learn More about Coffee Table Slabs

Tips When Buying Wood:

Has the wood been dried properly?
Wood can be kiln dried or air dried and both methods are totally acceptable when done correctly. The importance of properly dried wood is to insure that the wood doesn't warp and twist on you from seasonal temperature and humidity changes.

Has your wood been flattened?
Flattened wood allows for a smooth even slab, this makes the wood easier to sand and finish for someone who doesn't have the machinery to flatten wood.

How is the price of the wood determined?
When purchasing lumber or slabs, the price is based on the cost per board foot associated with that species and grade of the wood. Certain species are more expensive than others, and thicker boards typically cost more per board foot.

How to calculate board feet?
Calculating the total number of board feet uses this calculation:
Width (in inches) x Length (in inches) x Thickness (in inches) divided by 144 = total number of board feet.

Note: all our live edge slabs have been kiln dried and flattened.


Standard Coffee Table Dimensions:

Coffee Table Length: 36" - 48"

Coffee Table Width: 18" - 24" 

Plan for at least 16” of walking space around sides of coffee table.


Things To Consider Before Building A Coffee Table: 

Do you want your coffee table to have epoxy?
Epoxy can be a nice way of making your piece more practical. Epoxy can also give you some more options in terms of creativity. Learn more and purchase epoxy HERE.

What style of legs do you want for your table?
Metal/steel legs are a common choice for coffee tables. Hair pin legs and "U" shape legs are the most common.

Wooden legs also work great on coffee tables but tend to be a little more expensive than steel legs.

Waterfall Legs look great and are very aesthetically pleasing and work really well on coffee tables.

Are you incorporating inlays such as bowties?
Bowties are included to stabilize a split or a crack in the slab from splitting further. They can also be added solely for decorative purposes.

Live edge vs square edge? 
Square Edge will typically give you a more modern/clean look where live edge will appear more rustic.

What species of wood are you using?
The species of wood is often determined by the customer and whether or not they want a light or dark table.
Lighter species of wood include: Oak, Ash, Maple and Elm.
Darker Species include: Walnut, Mahogany and Wenge.

How do you plan on finishing your table?
We recommend using Rubio Monocoat Pure 2C Oil.
You can learn more and purchase Rubio Monocoat HERE.

Coffee Table Ideas:
 

Mid Century Modern Mappa Burl with Walnut Legs

Round White Oak Coffee Table with Wooden Legs

Square Edge Walnut with Black Steel Legs

Mappa Burl River Table

Double Waterfall Walnut River Table

Live Edge Hickory Coffee Table with Live Edge Legs

Project:
Round Walnut Coffee table

Material: Walnut
Size: 36" diameter
Finish: Rubio Monocoat Castle Brown 2C Oil

What we Used

We custom built this walnut coffee table for a client in Burlington. Our client wanted an all wood round coffee table. They came with a rough idea of the design and then we worked with them to fine tune a table that would work perfectly for the space. We used Rubio Monocoat Castle brown 2C Oil to finish this table. The Walnut legs are joined using finger joints for the four uprights and a lap joint in the center.

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