Read the sequence from the top before cutting, painting, or moving pieces.
Geometric shapes have been having a trending moment for a while now, and I really hope they don’t go anywhere because I just love the option of these graphic shapes on walls, pillows, blankets, and even furniture! Today I want to share with you how I used inexpensive thrift store tables and plywood to make some clearly cute hexagon stools (which I used as planter stands slash side tables).
How to Make a Hexagon Stool or Side Table
open this to Get a Free Printable Version of this Building Plan
Ok, so what will you actually need to make these yourself?
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Supplies (to make 3 stools like this)
- 9 table legs and sets of hardware (meaning you’ll need 3 old tables)
- 3 12×12″ pieces of plywood (I cut mine from a piece like this)
- a miter saw*
- an impact driver and drill
- a pencil and a protractor
- a ruler
- paint
- paintbrushes
- clear stain
- 1oo grit sandpaper or an orbital sander
- gold paint pen (optional)
*If you don’t have a miter saw to make the cuts, you can use a circular saw and create a “fence” to help you cut a nice straight line, like shown here.
Step 1: Draw and cut the hexagons
Start by measuring your hexagon shape onto the plywood. I’d say the best way to do it is the shown on this walkthrough. I used the protractor method, myself and this is kind of what you end up with:
From here, I set the angles I needed on the miter saw and got to cutting, which meant all I needed to do was rotate the plywood and cut all the way around, and voila! well fitted hexagon! Though, if I’m being honest, this did happen…
Thank goodness I had 4 squares from my plywood piece! Measure twice, cut once, right?
Step 2: Add the legs
Once everything was cut, I sanded it lightly (just to smooth our the edges) and got to work on putting the hardware on. If you buy really old tables, like I did, you’ll have some rusty pieces, but that’s totally ok. They still work just fine!
Screw the legs back on and you have yourself 3 stools!
Step 3: Add the finishing touches
At this point, if you have legs that are in good shape, you’re finished! I didn’t, and I wanted these to be a little bit different, so I kept going and used some leftover chalk paint I had from past projects.
Having the legs on makes painting them SO much easier, and also makes staining the top of the table a breeze! I used two light coats of a clear stain because I really like the look of raw plywood, and the wood grain is actually kind of pretty on its own!
Let everything dry, and voila! (Note: for the blue stool, I used a gold paint pen on the brass feet to bring out more of the gold.)
These turned out to be pretty sturdy, though I’m not sure I’d trust them as stools to sit on. A footstool would be doable, though! I ended up using them as plant stands and a little side table trio.
Did you spot the last Bekob project up there? Yep – that’s the clearly straightforward calligraphy artwork up above the sofa. I also experimented with these just by our sliding doors because it’s a great spot for plants and indirect sunlight.
I love that they’re so straightforward to move around! I love that the pink brings in a pop of colour! I love that because of the hexagon they sort of ‘fit’ together!
I completed this project on a Saturday morning while my husband played with the twins, so it’s totally doable and not difficult at all if you’re comfortable with a saw! So, would you try it?
More straightforward geometric Handmade projects:
Moroccan style hexagon side table
modular triangle concrete wall planters
building plan: geometric display shelves
