Building an Entry Table

In our front foyer, there is a space between the bathroom door and the stairs, perfect for a little entry table. After searching around, I decided that I wanted to build something to perfectly fit the space and match the closet hardware as well as the dog stairs. So, in keeping with the industrial theme, I opted to use black industrial pipe and wood.

I measured the space, sketched it out, and made sure I understood what dimensions I wanted, including the height since it was going to be right next to the stair railing. That way, it was really easy for me to show Matt what I had in mind. My main goal was to have a place to put a lamp, any additional storage space was a bonus.

While Matt was out of town one weekend, I went on an extra special dog walk to The Home Depot that is just over a mile away. Once there, my plan was to put the dogs in the cart. Minion didn’t mind very much at all, but Zenko was not loving it and jumped out almost immediately. Twice. Luckily, I planned ahead for such an occasion and brought a carabiner to hook them in—I just didn’t really think it was going to be as necessary as it ended up being.

Once again, the wonderful people of Home Depot cut the pieces of wood to the size that I needed, and off I went! I used the same stain that is on the dog stairs, Golden Oak by Minwax, but once they were the color I wanted, I finished them up with Varathane Water Based Polyurethane to seal it because I knew these shelves would have baskets or bins sliding on them all the time.

Once the wood was all ready to go, I laid everything out and got to work. I used a Kreg Jig (my new favorite tool) to attach the wood pieces side to side and before I knew it, I had shelves instead of just boards! I screwed in the appropriate pipe pieces, starting from the bottom and working up, until I had a finished entryway table! It sounds simple, because it is. Honestly, the hardest part was staining and adding the polyurethane.

It fit perfectly! I’m so pleased with this final product. Next up, finding a crate or bin that will look good on those shelves. Oh, and about that sketch and price prediction up there, this project would have been more affordable had I used less floor flange pieces. Instead, I should have drilled holes through the wood and used coupling pieces to hold each shelf up. That would have saved this project about $55. Oops. Next time!

Love, Shauna