By Katie Nolan | Published Jan 4, 2022 1:09 PM

Fitting your home with new furniture and decor can be a tedious endeavor. It seems like you either have to splurge for high-quality, designer craftsmanship or you sacrifice durability for affordability. But what if you don’t have to make that choice? While concrete might not be forefront of mind when thinking about building your own furniture, it’s actually an ideal material to work with. It’s easy to use, long lasting, and can withstand quite a lot. QUIKRETE makes it even easier thanks to their pre-blended, packaged concrete products. In fact, you can craft tables, lamps, and other decor pieces for your house using just one bag of QUIKRETE. Keep reading for inspiring ideas on how to make lasting furniture with QUIKRETE supplies.

Guests will be impressed to discover that this modern coffee table didn’t come from a sophisticated Scandinavian store, but rather that you made it! Even more impressive is that it only requires QUIKRETE Countertop Mix, melamine board, and fir balusters. The mold is made from the melamine, which you then fill with the QUIKRETE Countertop Mix. While the concrete cures, you can build the baluster base. After 48 hours, you can place the concrete slab onto the balusters. Check out this video for instructions from start to finish.

Photo: Quikrete via Morgan and Sean McBride

Terrazzo is a trendy material, but it doesn’t come cheap. Morgan and Sean McBride from Charleston Crafted learned how to replicate the look using QUIKRETE Countertop Mix with broken glass tiles and stones added to it. They also included a hint of teal dye to the mixture for added effect. The McBrides placed their “terrazzo” concrete slab on a wood base to create a side table. Check out their blog post for directions.

Photo: Quikrete via Yuni Min

Brighten your space in style with a chic lamp like this one. While a large tabletop lamp suited for a budget is hard to come by, this DIY version is easy to make and the supplies are affordable. Yuni from Love Your Abode used a plastic cylinder pantry container for the mold with a PVC pipe centered in the middle to create a hole for wiring. Gently add QUIKRETE Concrete Mix to the mold and let it cure for at least 48 hours before painting it and adding the lamp kit. The best part is that the base of the lamp is totally customizable. While Yuni chose to add a marbling effect accented with metallic paint, you can decorate it anyway that suits you. Check out Yuni’s instructions here.

Having enough surfaces and the space for them is a common conundrum. These concrete nesting tables are a sturdy, modern upgrade to flimsy folding trays. The sharp lines and seamless edges might give you the impression that they require technical expertise to build, but it’s actually so simple a novice can make them. The secret? LEGOs. Create the desired table mold out of LEGO base plates and bricks. Spoon in the QUIKRETE Countertop Mix and use a wooden dowel to push the concrete down into the mold. Once it has cured for 20 hours you may remove the bricks. Follow the instructions in this video to make your own nesting tables.

A high-top table is a versatile piece for the house. You can use it as a breakfast counter in the kitchen, a console table in the living room, or an at-home bar in the basement. While an industrial-style table like this one would cost you a pretty penny if you bought it from a store, it’s actually quite affordable to DIY. Build a mold for the tabletop using melamine and rebar, and fill it with QUIKRETE Countertop Mix. After allowing it to cure for 48 hours you can screw it into the base that’s constructed from plywood and iron pipe fittings, and then use QUIKRETE Acrylic Concrete Cure & Seal to protect the top. Watch this video for step-by-step instructions on how to assemble your own high-top bar table. Feel free to adjust the measurements, so it fits exactly how you want it in your home.

Quit tripping over your dog or cat’s water and food bowls. This concrete feeding station is rock solid and won’t tip over at the slightest knock. The basic mold is made out of melamine and white board with stainless steel dog bowls placed in the center. Pour QUIKRETE 5000 into the mold, being sure to push it down and into the corners, and add rubber furniture pads to prevent scratches on the floor. Wait 48 hours for it to cure before you remove the mold. Voilà—you have tip-proof feeding station! Watch this video for step-by-step instructions.

Photo: Quikrete via Leane Brenes

Stack your firewood in a sleek and organized manner with a storage tower like this one. All you need to do is build a simple square mold and insert long dowels into it. This DIYer used clear rods, though you could use any material you prefer, such as pipe fittings. Mix and pour QUIKRETE Concrete Mix into the mold and let it cure for 48 hours. After, you can screw in shelves if you wish or just stack the wood on top of each other.

Photo: Quikrete via Lindsay Zuelich

Show off your greenery in a shatter-proof vase. This mod receptacle is made from concrete and a plastic ornament, so even if it gets bumped it won’t break into a million pieces. Use melamine or scrap wood to build the mold and place the bauble inside with the head of it positioned at the top of the box. Mix a bag of QUIKRETE Fast-Setting Concrete and pour halfway up the sides of the mold. After it sets, which takes just 20 to 40 minutes, you can remove the mold and pop in a few flowers. Click here for photo instructions.

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