Metal Table Legs

Lay the legs on the underside of your top first and position them. Hairpins sit about 50mm in from the edge. Box section legs can go anywhere from the very end to around 30cm inset, depending on whether you want end seating. Mark the holes in pencil, drill 3mm to 4mm pilot holes, which is optional in soft wood, then screw the legs down. Screws and a build guide come with every set, and we can send a paper fitting template on request. The Premium Drilling Kit pairs an automatic punch with a 3.5mm countersink-and-depth-stop bit if you want the holes clean and consistent.

Hairpin, single pin and box hairpin legs come as a set of four, one per corner. Box section legs and the wireframe come as a pair for the two ends. A bolt-together frame is two legs plus two crossbars that bolt into one free-standing frame.

Positioning follows the seating. On box section legs, allow somewhere between 30cm and 40cm of overhang at each end if you want to seat someone there; sit them near the ends if you are seating along the sides or using a bench. On a round table, match the leg count to the seat count when the legs sit near the edge, so each chair falls between two legs. On larger round tables you can inset the legs and the spacing matters much less. If you are tucking a bench, a 120cm bench goes under a 150cm table and a 150cm under a 180cm, and it tucks fully when the legs sit right at the ends.

The most common cause we see on DIY builds is the top flexing rather than the legs moving. If your top is thin or not structural, an L-Channel Stiffening Bar runs underneath and takes the flex out of it. Beyond that, check every screw is tight, and choose 3 rod hairpins over 2 rod for anything you eat or work at.

Leg position has little to do with it. What matters is the span of the top and whether the legs suit the weight. Self-supporting frames are the stiffest option because the metal crossbars carry the structure themselves, so they do not depend on the top being rigid the way most legs do.

Most of our legs are mild steel, which is strong, takes a finish well and is what most table legs are made from. The chrome, zinc, brass, copper and gold options are electroplated over that same mild steel. A few options come in stainless steel, and we can make any leg in stainless on request. Stainless is the right choice for commercial-grade outdoor or coastal settings, though it costs considerably more and is more than most projects need.

Indoors, any powder coat will keep the legs looking new for years. Outdoors, black powder coat is the most suitable finish, and it is worth keeping it free of scratches, since bare steel will rust wherever the coating is broken. Clear coat is not suitable for outdoor use. Raw steel is available on selected options for anyone who wants to finish it themselves, and it will rust if left uncoated. For commercial outdoor or coastal settings, stainless steel is the durable answer.

A damp cloth and a dry off is enough for powder coated and clear coated legs, and abrasive pads or solvent cleaners will dull those finishes. Raw steel is different: a green scotch pad with WD40 as the cleaner lifts rust and leaves a protective film behind. Wipe it off with a dry cloth afterwards.

Yes. Raw steel is available on selected options and takes primer and paint readily. If you want a particular colour without painting, hairpin legs come in fifteen finishes, and the box section styles come in black, white, clear coat and raw steel.

25cm to 35cm gives a low coffee table, or works with a thicker top. 40cm gives a bench seat or a practical coffee table, the sort you might eat off. 71cm is desk and dining height, and adding a 20mm to 50mm top lands you at a finished surface of 73cm to 76cm. 86cm suits a counter or breakfast bar, and 102cm a bar table.

For tables, the figures we quote describe how solid a build feels rather than a breaking point. As a rough steer, around 60kg for a classic hairpin set, around 120kg for the heavy duty version and around 150kg for a box section pair. Coffee tables carry considerably more because the legs are shorter, so we do not quote a figure there; you would be hard pushed to exceed it with any coffee table build, solid concrete included. In practice the top you choose and how evenly the load sits matter as much as the leg.

Tops can be bought separately, and we also sell kits containing everything you need. Most builds work with a top from 20mm, which gives the screws enough to bite into. Choose a top from our table tops, pick a kit, or bring your own.

Yes, with the right approach. Glass tops work best on a self-supporting frame, which carries the top without needing screws driven into it. For opaque glass or stone, a sound method is to fix the top to a piece of wood first and screw the legs into that.