I fell in love with the Restoration Hardware Balustrade Salvaged Wood coffee table but with the Canadian Dollar being so low it would cost me approx $2,700 CAD to get it to my door. Yikes! But look how gorgeous it is!!!!

So I did some research and found something similar at Wayfair – The Canon Coffee Table by Kingston Home and it would cost me $1,300 CAD which is better but still over my budget.

So I decided to see if I could have something similar made (I thought of a DIY since there are a few “how to’s” on Pinterest) but I am not handy with tools and my hubby is just way too busy). The hard part was finding the spindles which I could not source out locally so had to order from Osborne Wood Products in the US. They were a decent price but the shipping and duty was expensive. 4 of these cost me $150 CAD. I know, crazy right! But I was determined to get my coffee table.

I commissioned a fellow I know to build me a table! I was so excited and a bit nervous but this is what he made! 🙂

The spindles were pine as well as the rest of the table except the blocks under the spindles, which were fir. Total cost for materials was $130 (plus the $150 for the spindles). I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to stain it. I had some sample pieces so tried various stains. (always test stains on a sample piece as you can’t go back once you start)

I used a combination of Minwax Dark Walnut and Classic Gray and Helmsman Spar Urethane Clear Satin top coat. (I wanted a really good durable finish) I purchased them all at Home Depot.

I started with a Minwax pre-stained wood conditioner which makes the stain go on nice and even. (I did start to bang it up a bit with a metal chain but didn’t want it too rustic so I stopped). I then did a coat of the Dark Walnut and let it sit overnight. I won’t lie it was dark and I was a little worried but I pulled out my palm sander and did a good sand over the entire piece. Next I did a coat of the Classic Gray and let that dry overnight and finished it off with the clear coat. (looks super shiny but it was still wet)

Once the clear coat was dry I went over it with a 220 grit sponge sander which made it really nice and smooth. Here is the finished result.

I absolutely love my new coffee table. Overall the final cost with labour and materials was $600! 🙂