A step-by-step tutorial on how to create a DIY tree stump table, a budget-friendly end table!
When was the last time you went on a hike through the woods?
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As you follow the trail up the mountains, you feel energized, free and truly connected to your magnificent natural surroundings.
Without realizing it, you stepped away from your worries, daily stresses and doubts.
I love adding that quiet, peaceful vibe to our home with natural design elements. That’s why I adore old homes with unique wood details – they bring in the organic beauty of the outdoors.
Lately, I have been seeing homes with tree stump coffee tables and my husband and I could not stop thinking about them – we had to make one!
Or how about three?
We could not choose – they were all unique pieces with gorgeous wood patterns.
If you are wondering how to make a coffee table from a tree stump, this is our tutorial to DIY a tree stump table for any room in your home.
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This is one of those projects that takes a while to finish, almost 4 months. The project involved lots of waiting/sanding/finishing and if you know me, you know I don’t like to wait.
But it was worth every minute… just look at our masterpieces, amazing!
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STEP 1: FIND THE PERFECT TREE STUMP
This adventure sent us in search of a sawmill and, lucky for us, there was one near my parents’ house.
And we found this lovely pile of wood stumps…
And after about an hour of careful selection, we came home with these three beauties – that’s right, we were going to attempt three separate projects!
STEP 2: LET IT SIT FOR A WHILE LONGER
Next, we let them dry out for over a month in our garage to let any moisture evaporate.
STEP 3: CARVE TO YOUR HEART’S CONTENT
After that long wait, we started to remove the bark and shape the stump to our liking.
This particular stump is so big that we had to use our longboard to move it.
STEP 4: SAND AWAY ROUGH EDGES
After chiseling away unwanted features, we sanded and sanded and sanded some more. We first used a 60 grit sandpaper, then 120, and finished it off with 220. And we went through a lot of sandpaper.
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TIP: A belt sander would be beneficial when sanding the top and bottom of the stump because it will remove more wood quicker to give you a flat smooth surface.
But those stumps were baby smooth. Just look at the difference from the top photo to the photo below. Can you believe it’s the same stump?
STEP 5: REMOVE ANY REMAINING DEBRIS
After sanding the stumps, we then took an air compressor, with an air blowing attachment, and cleaned the stump by blowing air to remove the dirt.
But just to make sure we removed all the dirt we wiped the stumped down with a damp cloth.
STEP 5: ADD A PROTECTIVE FINISH
Now we were ready for the final touch, the finish. After a lot of research, we decided to use 100% Tung Oil. I plan on writing a post about the difference between poly and tung oil. The biggest difference is that tung oil penetrates into the wood making the grain color deeper. Here is a tutorial on how to apply tung oil to the wood.
After applying the tung oil, we again let the stump sit for about 3 weeks to make sure the oil penetrated into the wood.
And here are two of our stumps, all finished – the last one is downstairs. See how the Tung Oil brings the color out in the wood and gives it a natural finish.
And here is our living room currently.
Try it for yourself – go and find your own tree stump and create a work of art that brings the outdoors to you.
UPDATE: We decided to add industrial style feet to our stump tables, check how to do that here.
Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Outdoor
