David takes on a unique furniture project: a themed baseball card table. He uses simple supplies from the hardware store – you can do it too! Use printouts or real baseball cards.

Skills Required: Intermediate. I recommend having prior crafting experience before attempting. You’ll need to use tools to assemble wood pieces as well as use epoxy.

DIY baseball card table top

I have the burning desire to make my own table, which is why I was really like Man Podger David’s DIY end table project this week. I’m still amazed that you can go to the hardware store and buy the supplies to make furniture.

I know that’s probably funny to some of you who are into construction, but I’m so scared to do it myself. That’s where the Man Podgers come in!

If you are like me, David’s project is going to give you the confidence to build something yourself – this is a great “beginning builder” project. Keep going to learn directly from David how to build a table.

I used to get frustrated with those people who were always doing projects made with “this old piece of wallpaper/wood/fabric/etc” they had lying around.

That was never me; but now I have become one of those people. Some would call it a late developing “hoarding syndrome.” I prefer to think of it as being committed recycler.

Anyway, my buddy wanted some baseball themed tables for his man-cave and I thought this would be a fun, affordable project to do and share.

It’s made from bits I had sort of lurking in the corners of my garage (with the spiders – seriously, it’s like a science fiction movie in there) but I assure you can do it with some very affordable parts from any big box hardware store.

Build an End Table

Table leg, shelf brackets, picture frame, shoe molding, square piece of wood

You will need:

  • One table leg – mine was from the Habitat for Humanity ReSale Store (a great resource) but they come in all shapes and sizes at big box retailers
  • Four (4) 7-inch wooden shelf brackets
  • A picture frame – you could also use a wooden tray or anything else that appealed
  • Five feet of shoe molding
  • 1 piece of ¼ inch wood cut square and just a little smaller than your picture frame
  • 1 piece of ½ or ¾ inch wood cut square and 2-3 inches smaller than your picture frame
  • Glue (I used Gorilla Glue)
  • Brad Nails (optional)
  • 1 wood screw
  • Sand paper
  • Spray paint
  • Mod Podge Gloss (I know! Surprising!)

Tools:

  • Drill
  • Hand Saw or Miter Saw
  • Hammer
  • Foam Brush

First I cut the table leg to the height I needed (they will do this for you at the hardware store if you ask nicely. It probably helps if you are prettier than I am I cut mine at home. Alone. . . . moving on).

Then I sanded all the parts of my baseball card table smooth. Next, I cut the shoe molding into eight (8) seven-inch strips and took the flimsy back out of the picture frame.

Now I was ready to attach the shoe molding to the table leg.

Sliding the shelf brackets into the shoe molding to make table legs

I centered a shelf bracket on base of the table leg and drew a line on either side. Then I attached shoe molding on either side of the line creating a groove. I repeated that on all four sides.

I nailed mine in place after gluing. If you just wanted to glue them, simply wrap rubber bands around the top and bottom to hold them in place while they dry.

Next I just glued the shelf brackets into the slots I’d created and wiped away any glue that squeezed out and set the whole thing aside to dry.

After my baseball card table dried, I painted everything (leg, the edge and one side of both pieces of wood, and the frame). A quick coat of spray primer followed by the top coat made quick work of it, and then it was time to decoupage.

I placed the frame on the ¼ inch board and traced the inside edge so I’d know how much of the board to cover with my images You can use baseball cards, copies of baseball cards, or actual baseball cards themselves. I’ll leave that up to you.

Applying baseball cards to the wood tabletop with Mod Podge
Collage of baseball cards and images on a wood table top

Once the decoupage dried I attached my Mod Podged board to the picture frame with some glue and nails. My ¼ inch board had warped a little so I rested a heavy can on it to counter the warp.

Collage glued to the frame and weighed down with a paint can to dry

To find the exact center of my ½ inch board I drew lines from corner to corner. After that all I had to do was drill a pilot hole and attach my ½ board to the leg assembly. Make sure the wood screw is flat with the surface of the board, or just a little below it.

DIY end table, unfinished wood

Attaching the leg to the picture frame was easy. I just flipped everything upside down and glued the top of the ½ board to the bottom of the picture frame. Your DIY end table is nearly complete!

Base of the table glue to the table top and weighed down with a paint can as it's drying

I brought back my handy paint can to hold it in place and seal the deal.

After that dried I flipped it back over and applied a sealer coat of Mod Podge over the collage surface.

DIY baseball card table top

OK – the final step of my baseball card table and True Confession Time:

I wanted to use Hard Coat Mod Podge for this step, but neither of my local craft stores had it. From all reports it would work beautifully at this stage.

For this table I used a product called Envirotex Lite. It is an epoxy resin (they use it on bar tops) that you need to carefully mix, pour, and let dry for several days. The resin can be messy, but it produces a solid glass-like surface.

I hope you like my Mod Podge table! I think it would make a great Father’s Day gift, don’t you? Very unique.

If I left any steps out please be sure to post your question in the comments link. I will monitor and happily respond.

For more decoupage furniture projects and home decor, I’d love for you to check out the following posts:

David is a lifetime maker with over 10 years of experience selling on Etsy.

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94 Comments

  1. Love the man podge idea and this specifically is absolutely great! I don’t know if I am ready for the table making venture yet but love the idea with the baseball theme podge.

    Moriyah
    shalom@eretzyah.com

    Reply

  4. WOW! My husband would love a table like this covered with pictures of motorcycles! I’d love to win some Mod Podge and make him one!
    mc_collector(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply

  10. Hey its amazing..you are awesome Amy..No Doubt..this is a Creative style 🙂
    Keep Rocking!!!
    Love ~

    Reply

  11. Oh, Amy this is fabulous. Your tutorial was great. I am so excited about this project. I love making gifts for Christmas and this is on the top of my list. My new son in law will love one of these tables. Thanks for sharing.
    joanvanc@gmail.com

    Reply

  12. Fun idea!
    I think I could actually do this myself 😉

    And somehow, I’d never heard of Hard Coat Mod Podge, but you can bet I’ll be on the lookout for it!

    Reply

  17. My husband would love a table like that…maybe I will have to use some of the free time I have coming up (kids going to grandparents for a few days) to make him one! 🙂

    Thanks for the chance to win!

    Reply

  18. That is fantastic! My dad uses the epoxy type, and having watched him a few times, it does seem like a big pain! You should order some hard coat podge online for your next projects.

    Ashley M. Jordan
    jordan.ashleym@gmail.com

    Reply

  19. I love this project! It would be perfect for my husband’s office!! Great idea – it’s not very often I have a crafty gift idea for my husband…

    Reply

  31. I really want the starter pack to try the different kinds of Mod Podge. Just did my first MP project a month or so ago.

    Reply

  37. Really great project–love the tray style and the color and decoupage design work perfectly together. You made it easy to create a very detailed piece of furniture. Thanks!
    shar226@gmail.com

    Reply

  44. Wow, I love how easy it looks to create it.

    Yay for a grand job.

    Now to eyeball the items in the garage..:D

    Reply

  51. Love it! My man is working on his man cave, so I may surprise him with something similar. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  52. I have a whole box of spindles I had no idea what to do with…now you’ve given me some great ideas 🙂

    Reply

  57. Love this little project, esp how you can use just one table leg and balance it with the extra pieces added at the bottom. I will be looking for pics to Mod Podge & trying out making a table soon….THANKS for the inspiration!!

    Reply

  62. This was a great tutorial with all the step by steps. Great job. I too have made a table using envirotech and can’t wait to experiment with HardCoat Mod Podge. Keeping my fingers crossed
    Burffrau @ aol dot com

    Reply

  63. I want to win! I’m doing a whole craft room makeover right now, and I’m learning to create Art Journals, or Art Collages, so I could probably use everyone of these 🙂

    Reply

  64. Great project. Never would have thought to make furniture from bits and pieces from the hardware store. I was at a ReStore recently looking at all the stuff sitting on the shelves, and the furniture, and thinking they should get the Man Podgers in here to spruce some of this stuff up. Bet they could sell it all if you did your magic on it. It would be nice to have Man Podger workshops at ReStores to inspire people to upcycle the great stuff that gets donated (and support a good charity in the process).
    The Envirotex seems like a good choice for a table that looks like it will be a resting place for sweaty glasses. How well would MP hard coat hold up to moisture in this situation? I realize this is the MP Rocks blog, but it’s good to know the limits of the different formulae.

    Reply

  65. Love the table and want to make one, too!!! Love the Mod Podge but never used the Hard Coat stuff, will that be good for water/drinks spills? Don’t think I can get Envirotex here in the UK but if anyone can point me in the right direction for that I’d love to know!
    Thanks for the giveaway, too!
    Alex

    Reply

  67. You know, I JUST got a Lowes gift card so this might make a great project to try. I really need a little side table to go on my end of the couch so I may need to try something like this. I’d never thought much about trying to make my own furniture but since most places will cut things down to size for you if you ask (and I HOPE I’m pretty enough 😉 ) then I might be able to run with this. I really love the idea of the recessed area for the collage! I’d never thought of that but that would keep things from rolling off it. I also like that I can customize the crap outta this bad boy. Thank you for the walk through and the inspiration!

    Reply

  68. “Man Podged table” giggle giggle. I can’t believe how it came together from those pieces. WOW!

    Reply

  69. Hi Eisbarin and Catnip.
    You could use either Mod Podge Hardcoat or their Outdoor formula and either should hold up well to moisture from sweating glasses and such. Curing time is the big key – give it a lot of time to cure – esp if you live in a humid environment.
    And I did some checking and there are a couple of resources for Envirotex in the UK – just check the Envirotex website.
    Hope that helps.
    Best, David (the manpodger)

    Reply

  70. Not only do I love the idea of turning odd bits and pieces into something so useful (and beautiful), but I’d even copy the style of the old baseball cards! Thanks for sharing such great ideas and letting us play along.

    Reply

  72. I love Mod Podge! I just did not realize there were different types to use!!! LOL I want to make a mosaic looking ne and the table shown would be perfect for me to try my idea on. Thanks for sharing!!!!

    Reply

  78. I’m so fond & nostalgic over Mod Podge (I remember first using it, I believe, back in the mid-70’s!). I’d love to win the multi-pack SO much. My crafting for gifts & pleasure brings just feeds the creativity hunger in my soul. 😉

    Thanks in advance & blessings,
    Julie H.

    Reply

  84. This is really cool! I am brand spanking new @ mod podging… and my first project was a table top as well. It didn’t turn out the way I hoped 🙁
    If anyone can give me advice ie: tools needed, best mod podge to use with material, thin paper(newspaper)etc…please help a new-b! Email me @ eacobb78@yahoo.com.
    Thanks,
    Erin

    Reply

  88. hello dear man-podger
    When i linked over from “skip to my lou” I did not realize “Geez, he mad that table also”. I am thinking about mod-podging ornaments with my friends art prints shrunk down to ornament size. I think I will try to find the hard coat MP like you talked about! Thanks I love your table BTW! very cool
    KAT griffin

    Reply

  89. Such a cool project and the ideas of what you could modge podge onto the top are endless!!! Thanks for sharing all the steps!

    Reply

  90. So perfect for my hubby’s man-cave! Only I’ll make it “Chicago Bears” stuff instead. Thanks for sharing this on Tater Tots and Jello!

    Reply

  91. This is ACTUALLY really good! I like the idea! come link it to my woot woot wednesday linky party!

    Reply

  93. i’m really liking this project. i’ve been looking for a little side table for a while but they are usually very expensive and of poor quality. the directions are easy to follow and make the project seem doable rather than overwhelming. good job.
    (dead_vs_moldy@yahoo.com)

    Reply

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