Need a Tree Stump End Table: No Problem!

I think this DIY project falls under the category of “I’d do anything for the sake of the blog.” One afternoon, I was looking for ideas for a new occasional table or end table for next to the couch – something small and contemporary in style. When I saw this trendy tree stump table from West Elm ($199), well, it was all over.

“I can make that,” I announced. And so it began:

1. First, I find this rather humorous how-to and I decide it will work, apart from adding the legs. I’d rather have the plain stump. I measure the arm of my couch to get the correct height for the stump.
2. Next, I make a request on Freecycle: WANTED: tree stump, 20” tall.
3. Freecycle, as always, comes through. I tell my husband about our fabulous new end table. He replies drily, “Um, can we talk about this.” One other problem — the stump is 150 lbs. How am I going to get it home? Katie, of course. She’ll understand.
4. When the Freecycle donor takes Katie and me around the back of her house to see the 150 lb. stump, I’m crestfallen. It’s much too wide.  It’s at least 3 feet in diameter. And there’s no way in hell we can haul it to the car.
5. On the way home, we see an entire red cedar tree chopped up on the side of the road. The choices are endless. I want them all. Katie reels me in. We pick a modest tree stump, one we can feasibly put in the back of her car. One that weighs considerably less than 150 lbs. — more like 100 lbs.

6. My husband hems and haws and then agrees to help carry the stump into our living room. (Sap, by the way, is nearly impossible to wash off.) And now, I wait weeks for the stump to dry out.

In about a month, I’ll blog about the next steps: the bark removal, sanding, staining (optional) and multiple coats of polyurethane finish. After that, I will either keep the tree stump table, or sell it to one of you lucky readers. Of course, by then, I’ll have moved on to the next great DIY challenge.

Posted by Leslie