DIY Brass Coffee Table

Psssst… this post *might* contain affiliate links: see my disclosure here.

Wanna know how to bring out the crazy in any DIY blogger? Schedule a photo shoot! Today I have a photographer coming to the house (stay tuned for details) which obviously meant I had to tackle 17 random projects that had never been a problem until now. Case in point… the coffee table in the living room. It’s sturdy and simple and I love it. But… if I’m being honest, it’s a little worse for wear. Nothing a hint of photo editing couldn’t take care of, but seeing something as an outsider will make a girl’s soul wiggy. I always figured I’d paint the table one day, but could never decide what color.

Make your own brass coffee table

This brass coffee table is SO easy to make! Transform any table to this chic brass beauty!

In the last few months, I’ve developed a love affair for contact paper. Yep…  the same stuff our moms wrapped the kitchen shelves with. I used it here to make a missing piece of our buffet look like marble. And here to give a $20 file cabinet a big time facelift.  Looking at this coffee table in the room, I realized that a brass topped table would actually be amazing and work well with the picture frames and other accessories. Pretty sure a brass table topper would be well out of my budget, but… know what kind of finish you can buy with contact paper? Aged brass for the win, folks.

Shop my favorites!

I made a video so you could see how quick and easy it was (step by step instructions follow if you prefer to read!)

https://youtu.be/mlhtF7Kj4hI

 

Step 1: Clean Your Coffee Table

Scrub the surface of your table with white vinegar.

Coffee Table before

 

Step 2: Scrape or sand the Surface

Contact paper tends to magnify any surface imperfections so scrape any bits of debris that may be stuck to the surface.

debris on table

 

Step 3: Measure and trim the Contact paper

Unroll your contact paper (do NOT remove the backing yet) and trim to size. My edges are going to be wrapped underneath the table, but use a ruler and exacto knife if any edges will be exposed.

lay out brass paper

 

Step 4: Remove backing and smooth

Remove a few inches of backing to start and make sure the contact paper is aligned with the edge of the table. Use a flat edge and press down the contact paper slowly smoothing out any wrinkles and air bubbles. Work from the middle and gently pull the bubbles out towards the edge of the contact paper to release the trapped air. NOTE: The brass metallic paper I used was slightly different to work with than other styles I’ve used… when scratched too hard, the brass surface could actually scrape off a bit.

detail of brass scratch

 

Step 5: Trim corners

For the corners, cut an inverse square to remove the excess contact paper and allow you to ‘wrap’ around each edge.

Cut out for corner

 

Materials List

(Affiliate links included for your convenience.)

 

brass contact paper on table

brass coffee table

Arthur with table

coffee table after

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18 Comments

  1. As someone who once hung a chandelier in her bathrobe half an hour before her housewarming party let me say that I feel your pain. It’s not crazy – it’s motivation! Love this project and your table looks great. The brass looks amazing next to your gorgeous green sofa.

  2. You just rocked my world with this DIY! Here I am still rocking my marble contact paper while there is brass-like contact paper floating around….I need some ASAP!

  3. That is AMAZING! Thanks to you I’ve now got Brass Contact Paper on it’s way! I don’t even know what I’ll use it for but it’s just too good not to own. Thanks!!

  4. How do the seams look? That is my only concern with tackling projects with contact paper. Love the look!!! Copper?!? <3 Oh My!

    1. Yes… They also have COPPER! Can you believe it! And the seam on this one is right down the middle… so if you didn’t notice then it’s pretty good. 🙂 Obviously you need to be careful but the alignment, but the metallic contact paper is super thin so it makes the seams easier to blend.