How to Make a Sofa Table Look Like a Chest

Working Drawers

• 1

  Measure the space underneath the sofa table. Include the width of the table between the legs and the height from the floor up to just below the bottom of the table. Sofa tables with clean, straight lines and a rather plain design will be easier to work with.

• 2

  Fit a plain chest or shelf under the table if you want working, usable drawers. Purchase, build or find a piece that fits under the sofa table without leaving too much open space. Add baskets, bins or drawer units to an open shelf to create a chest look and feel.

• 3

  Paint or stain the shelf or chest unit to match the sofa table.

• 4

  Glue decorative molding or trim around the edges of the sofa table to cover up and hide any gaps between the sofa table and chest or shelf underneath. The molding or trim can be stained or painted the same color as the other pieces.

Faux Finish

• 5

  Cut a piece of plywood to fit under the table top and between the legs on the front and both sides of the table. For example, a sofa table that is 36 inches tall, 12 inches deep and 48 inches wide would have one piece of plywood that is 36 by 48 inches and two pieces that measure 36 by 12 inches. You don't need a back piece if the table will rest against a wall. If you do need a back piece, it will be the same size as the front piece. Most home improvement stores will cut the plywood to your measurements, if you don't have the tools or woodworking skills to do so yourself.

• 6

  Stain or paint the plywood to match the table. Use a small brush and a yardstick to paint thin black lines that mimic the outline of drawers on the front piece of plywood.

• 7

  Lay the sofa table on a flat, clean surface upside down. Apply wood glue to the top and sides of the plywood and press it in place against the inside of the sofa table. Glue all three pieces of plywood in place.

• 8

  Drive short nails into the plywood at an angle that go into the top and legs of the sofa table to help hold the plywood in place. Use a hammer or nail gun.

• 9

  Attach decorative trim or molding around the front edges of the plywood and table to look like a chest. Add hardware, such as drawer pulls, that complement the style and look of the rest of your furniture.