How to Build a Coffee Table With a Shutter Top

Remove any splinters and badly flaking paint from the shutter using a wire brush. Then vacuum the dust. If the shutter is especially dirty, wipe it down carefully with a damp cloth or wash it in the yard. Don't remove all the character. Just get it cleaned up and snag-free. Old paint may have lead in it and you don't want lead dust in the living room. If you suspect the shutter may have been painted with lead paint, clear coat it with a non-VOC lacquer to seal it.

Choose legs for the coffee table. The standard height for a coffee table is 16 to 18 inches. If it will be used for a lot of buffets, the table can be as high as 21 inches. Hunt for some vintage turned wood legs in second-hand stores. Check flea markets for a table that can't be salvaged with legs of the right height and toss the top but keep the legs. Buy a set of legs from an online woodworker or a lumberyard. Try mismatched legs to add to the shabby charm of the shutter. Remember, when figuring height, the thickness of the shutter should be subtracted from your preferred height to arrive at the ideal height for the legs.

Distress and paint the legs before you attach them to the table. Unless you are obliterating the entire piece under a coat of paint, experiment with legs of different colors or stains. Pick up a color from the shutter if it has a pattern or shows layers of old paint. Whatever you choose to do with the legs, be sure to take a hammer and chains and other objects to them to age them so they blend in with the tabletop. Paint the legs one color, then paint over that a different color and, last, sand a bit of the topcoat off the edges where used table legs might have seen some wear.

Screw metal brackets to the underside of the shutter at the four corners where the legs will go. Measure carefully to space them evenly. Screw the legs onto the metal brackets and set the table right-side-up. Check to see that it doesn't wobble. Set a carpenter's level on the top to make sure the table is perfectly level.

Lay a custom cut slab of glass on the shutter for a smooth, wipe-down surface. Take precise measurements and order the glass from a local glazier. It's a good idea to have the edges rounded. You can put tiny dots of felt in each of the four corners of the shutter before setting the glass on top of it. The felt creates a layer so the glass won't rest right on the shutter.