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Repurpose An Old Dining Table Leaf For These Handy DIYs
By RACHEL CANTOR
Shelf
You can refinish a spare table leaf as a wall shelf. Use an electric knife to remove extra hardware and an electric sander to smooth down the old surface.
You can also use pliers to remove old bolts and dowels, and sand manually by using a hand sander. Table leaves are heavy, so use brackets appropriately rated for the weight.
Table Riser
Turn an old table leaf into a table riser for food displays and buffet setups for large meals. Remove old bolts, and then refinish the leaf by sanding and painting.
Use any color of spray paint, house paint, or chalk paint, followed by accent paint with a pearlescent finish. Go for the color that fits with your party decor or theme.
Plant Hanger
Mount a slatted table leaf on an outdoor wall, then grab some potted plants, cradle them with macrame pot hangers, and hang them from the leaf's top with a long S-hook.
When mounting, use hardware that will hold the weight of the leaf and the plants. You can also use this hack indoors or make it low-maintenance by placing faux plants in the pots.
Coffee Table
To turn spare table leaves into a coffee table for your space, start by refinishing the leaves, then glue them together at the edges using an industrial strength glue.
Clamp the leaves together while they dry, and then reinforce their connection with mending plates and screws. Add any style of table legs according to your preference.
Console Table
The narrow profile of a table leaf can make for a great console table. First, sand the leaf to remove the old finish, then repair holes or blemishes with wood filler.
Sand the table down again, clean it with mineral spirits, and refinish by buffing Danish Oil into the surface. Finally, add table legs in your desired style.