This DIY Crate Coffee Table is a quick and easy way to upcycle a wooden chicken crate. It makes a great statement piece in any room and requires just a few supplies.

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Easy DIY Crate Coffee Table from a Vintage Chicken Coop.

Today I am sharing a recent vintage find that I DIY’d into a functional piece of furniture with a little elbow grease and some wheels!

Becuase hiting up the vintage markets in my area during the summer is my love language and I’ve scored some great finds over the years.

It’s the perfect weekend hobby for me, as repurposing items makes my heart happy.

I am still over the moon about how this Vintage crate turned out.

One of my all-time favorite finds? An antique chicken crate.

It was a bit rough and even, dare I say, smelly??

I couldn’t grab it fast enough!

I love pieces that feel both unique and old!

With just a few hours and a good bit of scrubbing, I was able to turn it into an upcycle coffee table that now lives on our covered porch. 

I adore the vintage vibe this DIY crate coffee table has and I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for another antique chicken crate because I think an upcycle coffee table like this would look fantastic in one of our rental properties too!

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Supplies I Used

Once I had the chicken crate, I didn’t need much to create this DIY coffee table. Here’s what I used:

• Antique chicken coop
• Water & bleach
• Hand sander
• Spray Polyurethane
• Casters (you may choose to use something else as your wheels)

How to Make An Upcycle Coffee Table from A Chicken Crate

I loved this DIY coffee table project because it was so quick and easy. There were just a few steps involved.

• Clean it up. First things first…I had to clean up the antique chicken crate! A few of the nails were loose, and a strip of metal needed to be removed along with repairing a board or two. Plus, it was a bit dirty in general. I used a solution of bleach and water to wash it thoroughly, then left it out in the sun to dry. 
• Sand it. Once clean, I gave it a good sanding, removing years of dirt and grime. And wiped it clean with a soft cloth to remove all the dust (there was a lot). Yay, this is the one I use for the ease of a hand sander.

Next Steps:

• Seal it. Keeping in mind that this DIY vintage wooden chicken crate will be a piece of furniture, the next step was to seal the crate well, so I used my favorite brand of spray polyurethane to protect it. It took four coats of poly to coat the crate well. Using spray poly was much easier than trying to brush all those pegs.
• Add legs. Choosing the legs and determining the height was the next step. (See below for my tips on choosing the height of your coffee table!) I decided to use casters for the legs and bought 6 vintage casters because I liked the vintage feel they add. Since the crate was a bit short, about an inch in height, we used the boards that happened to be inside the crate when I purchased it to add some height. We attached the casters to the boards and the crate. I attached the wheels to what is actually the “top” of the crate because I want to have a flat surface for the coffee table. It was the perfect solution since the boards felt distressed enough not to feel new, and the inch was just what we needed. The casters were quick and easy to install, and I adore how they look! They added the perfect vintage vibe. 

Choosing The Size Of Your Crate Coffee Table DIY

Trying to figure out exactly what size you need your upcycle coffee table to be? In some homes, this same vintage chicken coop may be too big or too small, though it fit perfectly in our space.

There are no hard and fast rules regarding the size of a coffee table but here are a few things to keep in mind as you think about this DIY project!

• Coffee tables are typically 14-20 inches high.
• A good rule of thumb is for the coffee table to be 2 inches lower than a sofa
• A coffee table should be around 2/3 of the length of your sofa
• Leave 12-18 inches of room between your sofa and table
• I love to break these rules! 

Where Can I Find A Vintage Chicken Crate?

I found my chicken crate at one of the local vintage markets. You can also sometimes find them on Facebook marketplace. I would recommend keeping your eyes peeled there as well as at any flea markets and vintage or antique shops in the area. You could even post on FB looking – chances are someone may just have one laying around in their barn that they just haven’t gotten around to selling!

How Much Did This Crate Coffee Table DIY Project Cost?

Honestly, the casters were the main cost, so I think I have all in $120.00 in the table. The price of your upcycle coffee table will obviously depend on how much you pay for your antique chicken coop and what you choose to use for the legs. But all in all, I found this to be a cheap and easy weekend DIY project!

You can shop my patio here:

More Upcycle Projects:

DIY Plant Wall

DIY Framed Art

Using Vintage suitcases in Decor

Vintage find to drink table

Pin for Later!!

Until Next time,

-Libbie