Concrete & Walnut Coffee Table

PROJECT #1911

Skill Level: Intermediate

Time: 2 Days

Cost: $200

I’ve always loved aircraft-inspired design. There’s just something about an everyday item inspired by a plane that evokes a sense of wanderlust in me, and I wanted to make a piece of furniture that had that aircraft feel. This concrete and walnut “wing” table is the result.

Before I go further, let me answer the questions on everyone’s mind: Why concrete? Isn’t this a woodworking magazine? If you’re a woodworker, you already possess many of the skills and tools needed to work with concrete. And, adding concrete to your design arsenal will open a world of new design possibilities.

For this design, concrete was the perfect choice. And it’s not just any concrete, it’s white glass-fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC). Standard concrete mixes from the big-box store must be cast 1½" to 2" thick, while a GFRC mix can be cast as thin as ¾". Glass fibers are embedded in the mix, and when cured, give it more strength than a typical aggregate-only concrete mix. GFRC allowed me to achieve the sleek, modern, aircraft-inspired aesthetic I was looking for by casting the angled waterfall tabletop as a single 1"-thick piece.

Building the Form

The first step in most “precast” concrete projects is building the form into which you’ll spray and/or pour the concrete. The form is essentially an upside-down, reverse image of the piece you’re making. Many materials can be used to make a concrete form. However, melamine is the most popular material, since concrete doesn’t stick