Hello my friends! Today I want to introduce you to my DIY Floating Side Table!

My son was away for two years serving a full-time mission for our church in the beautiful state of Missouri, and before his return I wanted to do something fun for his bedroom, without changing it too much. I knew he needed some storage for his books and other belongings, so I used some scraps I had in my garage and went to work. You won’t believe how easy these are to make!

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MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Wood (I used leftover 3/4″ plywood from my trunk project)
• 2 wicker baskets (choose short and wide baskets, preferably with a lining)  
• Kreg Jig and 1-1/4-Inch pocket screws (I used 16 pocket screws for both tables)
• Wood Glue 
• Wood Stain, Early American or whatever you like!
• Old rag
• Sandable and stainable Wood Filler
• Sander or Sand paper or block
• (4) L Brackets with screws to attach the tables to the wall
• Drill
• Level
• Stud Finder

How to Build a Floating Side Table

1. Cut the wood pieces to make each table. 

Measure your basket and leave enough room around it for the basket to slide in and out comfortably. My baskets were about 17 inches wide, 11 inches deep, and 6 inches tall. So, I added an inch to those measurements for the top and bottom pieces of my table, coming up with 18 inches X 12 inches. I wanted the side pieces to fit in between the top and bottom pieces, and since the basket was 6 inches tall, I added two inches to that measurement, cutting them at 8 inches X 12 inches. I added two inches instead of just one inch to leave more room at the top to be able to grab the basket at the top to slide it out. It also allows for something taller than 6 inches to fit in the drawer if needed.

Cut list for mine: 

• (2) 18″ x 12″ pieces for the top and bottom
• (2) 8″x 12″ pieces for the sides

2. Drill pocket holes with your Kreg Jig on the side pieces

Drill 4 pocket holes on each side piece—two on the bottom edge facing in, and two on the top edge facing out. The ones on the top were a bit more inside, and the ones on the bottom were a bit closer to the vertical edge—just make sure you spread out the pocket holes along both edges so they are not aligned.

3. Attach side pieces to bottom piece with wood glue and 1-1/4-Inch pocket screws.

Add wood glue and attach the side pieces to the bottom piece first, drilling screws into the pocket holes that are facing in. Make sure you do it this way, as you will not have room with your drill to get into the narrow space of your table if you do it last. Now your table-in-progress is almost done!

4. Attach L Brackets to the inside of your top piece.

Take your top piece and lay it down with the inside facing out. Attach L brackets as close to the back edge as possible. One side of the L bracket will be attached to the top piece using 5/8″ wood screws and the other part will be screwed to the wall later with 3″ wood screws into the studs, when the table is finished. Remember that these brackets have to be at least half the length of your top piece. Mine were about 6 inches long on each end, which was perfect. I actually didn’t put the brackets in first and it was a pain to put them in after the boxes were built. So, do as I say, not as I do 🙂

5. Attach table-in-progress to the top piece.

Screw your table-in-progress into the top piece using outside pocket holes.  Remember to always add glue before joining wood pieces with screws. Also, don’t forget to use wood filler to hide the screws, especially those on the outside of the box. Let the wood filler dry (follow tube instructions) before going to the next step.

Almost done!

6. Sand everything really well.

Use a sanding block or sander. You could also sand each individual piece before attaching them and then do a quick sanding at the end.

7. Stain and sand edges if desired.

Use an old rag to apply stain and remove the excess. Apply several layers if you want the color to be more intense. Then you can  sand the edges to give it a worn out look. You’re also welcome to apply a coat of polyurethane for durability, although I didn’t do that for this project.

8. Attach your floating side tables to the wall.

Using a stud finder find studs on the wall or use wall anchors if there are no studs where you want to install them. Have someone help you by holding the table while you use your drill to attach them into the wall with 3″ wood screws.. Make sure you use a level to attach them nice and straight.

9. Insert basket into each opening and you’re DONE!

Wasn’t that so easy?  Make  yourself a floating side table! You could always add some legs instead of attaching them to the wall.It is a simple project with tons of possibilities.Or you could paint them a bright, cheery color if stain is not your thing. If you try this, let me know how it goes!

If you like the hanging lamps see the tutorial here!

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