A DIY DINING ROOM TABLE

November 8, 2018

Maybe the best part of building your own dining table is that you can make it exactly the perfect size for your room. We wanted something as big as possible so we could seat lots of people, but not too big that it obstructed flow. Not an inch could go to waste in either direction. We had a great experience back when we built an outdoor dining table for our screened porch and from that momentum we were ready to build the table for our dining room.

All the materials were about $250 including paint.

honeycomb rug | natural wood stools | shaker chairs | banquette diy | cordless roman shade

We love our outdoor table, but couldn’t make it again because for a built-in bench banquette you need a pedestal table. Four legs at the corners would obstruct being able to sit down at the bench. We aren’t expert carpenters by any means, so we modified the plans from ana white’s triple pedestal farmhouse table.

That original plan is very farmhouse-y, which is not our design in this home. So I did any tweaks I could to downplay that. We made our top one large, smooth piece instead of having planks (which Rachel likes better both stylistically and functionally, for wiping up.) We omitted the overhang from the center stretcher (that feels mission-style). Also we needed only two pedestals, not three for our table size.

Oone item that is a little farmhouse is no big deal when it will be in a room filled with lots of other stuff. The other biggest part is that we painted ours crisp white instead of wood stain which I think feels more polished and less rustic. We did three coats of high gloss behr ultra pure white with a brush and foam roller. (Same as what I did for when we built the banquette.)

Because the tabletop will be extremely high traffic and I want it to be very clean-able, we did three coats of latex polyurethane. Before starting, I tested a bit of the polyurethane on the bottom of the tabletop to make sure it wouldn’t turn yellow and it passed the test.

I lightly sanded the surfaces with 120 grit sand paper and cleaned off any dust with a damp cloth. Then we applied the poly using a paint pad, saturating the pad in a paint tray before wiping it on lightly in straight lines. It worked best to start inside the table surface and wipe toward the edge to avoid streaking. If any large quantities of bubbles formed, I would smooth them out with the edge of the paint pad lightly. Most bubbles would resolve themselves as the poly set, so it was fine if there were a few here and there after the application.

After the surfaces were covered, we waited about three hours to apply the next coat. (It was humid outside so dry time was a little longer than normal.) Before putting the next coat on we lightly sanded everything with 120 grit sandpaper again and cleaned the surfaces with a damp cloth. I opted for four coats, sanding between each and let it cure outside for two weeks to make it as strong as possible.

The price break down was about $45 for the tabletop wood, $175 for other lumber and screws, $25 for the poly, and $8 for poly-ing supplies.

There it is! 83 x 24 inches of family table!

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Comments

  • Karen

    Love the table! What did you use for that large, thick table top? Is that a door?

    • Rachel Schultz

      It’s just two pieces of 3/4″ plywood screwed together!

  • Phylicia

    Looks amazing! So sleek and modern…but not too trendy where it will be out of style in a year or two. It’s a beauty!

    • Rachel Schultz

      Thank you! David did an awesome job <3

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