How to Make a DIY Hallway Console Table [A Full Step-by-Step Tutorial]

A hallway console table is a great beginner DIY. With only a few basic tools and inexpensive wood, you'll have your own hallway console table in only a few hours!

We built our first ever piece of furniture - a DIY hallway console table - and it was so easy!

Our entryway needed something against the bare wall. But no matter where I looked, I couldn't find a piece of furniture shallow enough or the right width.

Instead I drew a picture, Brian figured out all the math, and we built our very own console table! Three cheers for our first DIY Table! I was inspired by this tutorial from Jenna Sue Design Co. - she gave a simple tutorial that was easy to follow and adapt to our needs.

The best part? We only spent $30 on wood!

This is definitely a beginner project and took a total of 3 hours from start to finish - staining included! I was so eager to get this DIY table set up and styled. It's the perfect size for our entryway and I'm so happy that my beautiful mirror from Nicole Miller Home is now surrounded by an equally beautiful display.

The dimensions for this piece will be different depending on what you need for you own space. My table is only a foot deep but you may want something deeper so you will have to modify accordingly. The process the build it will be the same, just the measurements will be different.

What You'll Need To Build Your Hallway Console Table:

Measuring Tape
Level
Wood Nails (2 ½ or 3 inches long)
Drill/Electric Screwdriver
Wood Glue
Sandpaper or Electric Sander
Stainable Wood Putty
Stain
Polyurethane (optional)
Plus wood in the sizes of your choice (see below)

Directions:

We precut our wood based on the dimensions we had figured out. The legs are 1 x 12's and the top is also 12 inches wide. We also cut down our 1 x 4's to build the frame for the tabletop. You will have to adjust based on what size you want. Just make sure that your "box" is centered on the tabletop and allows for a bit of overhang.

The first thing you will want to do is build the box for the top of the console table. We used 1 x 4's to build a simple frame. We glued the joints then countersunk the screws. It's important to countersink so that you can later fill with putty and cover the holes.

NOTE: We knew we would have to also screw the legs into these corners, so we were careful to screw on the top and bottom edges of the boards so that we would have space in the middle to screw through the legs.

We then attached the table top (which in this case is actually a stair tread - it had the perfect dimensions!). We just attached it with glue and let it dry with weights on top of it. It's very sturdy:

I decided to add a little cut to the bottoms of the table legs to give it a little farmhouse flair. I then sanded the edges to smooth them out:

To atttach the legs, we first predrilled holes in the frame. Then I applied glue to each leg and braced them tightly against the side of the frame while Brian screwed the screws through the frame and into the legs, again making sure to countersink.

When we turned it over, I placed a bunch of heavy books on top to make sure that it would support weight. It also helped to aid the glue drying on the top. I left it sit like that in my kitchen for 48 hours!

Once the glue was completely dry, there was a little wobble between the legs so we decided to attached a 2 x 2 brace. It added extra support but also really finished the look of the table!

I filled all the screw holes with putty and sanded any rough edges. Then stained everything with two coats of Minwax Dark Walnut.