D.I.Y. wooden sofa arm table

Measure the width of the arm of your sofa so you can transfer that measurement to your timber. It needs to be snug, but not too tight, you don't want to damage your sofa. Next, measure the length, you can make it as long as you like.

To make sure your piece of timber is square, dock the end using a drop saw. Then, using a combination square and tape measure, measure and mark your timber. Cut the 3 pieces to length, ours were 350mm long. Don't forget to wear your safety gear when using the drop saw.

We want the table to have a lip at the top. So take the two side pieces, measure and mark a horizontal line 20mm down each side.

Apply a thin strip of glue along the long edge of the top piece and position it against a side piece. Clamp the side piece against your top piece of timber. Make sure it's parallel to the 20mm line. Using your combination square, pencil a small indicator line for nailing across the end of the side piece. Use a nail gun to fix the two pieces together using 3–4 nails. If the nail doesn't go all the way into the wood, use a hammer to tap it in.

Repeat the previous step to attach the second side. Wipe away any excess glue.

Fill in the nail gun holes with putty. Let it dry and then sand it with the orbital sander.

You can leave your sofa arm table natural but we spray painted ours, wiping off some of the paint so you can still see the texture of the wood. You can wipe away as much or as little as you like. Then let the paint dry.