Tools and Materials

Note

Items may be Special Order in some stores. Product costs, availability and item numbers may vary online or by market. Paint colors may vary slightly from those shown. Availability varies by market for lumber species and sizes.

Building the Table and Benches

DIY wood projects often require a large investment in tools and material but not this DIY farmhouse table. We built it with matching benches for $145 using materials straight from the lumber bins.

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Make a Table Base

DIY Tabletop and Finish

To start the finishing process, ease all of the hard edges of the top and table base with the 220-grit sandpaper for a smooth feel. Then wipe down the wood with a cleaning cloth.

Apply a wood conditioner to the slats. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to prevent the stain from turning blotchy in the soft wood. Apply an interior wood stain to the slats using a foam brush.

When the stain is dry, brush on three coats of a semi-gloss polyurethane to the table base and slats. Allow each coat to dry; lightly sand between coats with 320-grit sandpaper to remove rough spots.

Finish the Table

Place a couple of sanded 2-inch-by-4-inch scrap wood pieces on the floor and lay your slats on them with the best facedown. These pieces will protect the finished parts from being scratched by the floor. Align the ends of the slats and butt them against one another.

Center the table assembly on the slats and secure the table base to the slats with 2-inch pocket hole screws through the aprons and stretchers.

A man driving pocket-hole screws into the upside-down table base with a Kobalt cordless drill.

With the top secured, add felt pads to the bottom of each table leg.

Tip

Can't find untreated 4-inch-by-4-inch lumber in your area? Use 2-inch-by-4-inch boards instead. For each leg, cut two boards 31 inches long and laminate them together with wood glue and clamps. When the glue has cured, rip the 3-1/2-inch-wide laminated blank to 3 inches in width, taking 1/4 inch of the width off each edge. Trim the laminated blank to 28-1/2 inches long and you'll have a 3-inch square leg.

Start the Wood Bench

For the benches, use the same procedure to prep the materials as you did with the table: Cut the part 1 inch longer than called for, trim to width and then cut to the final length. Prepare the material and cut the legs (A) and the braces (B) to size as shown in the Cutting Diagram. Cut a 6-degree angle on the tops of the legs using a miter saw and referring to the Project Diagram.

Position two legs on your work bench with the bottoms flush. Cut a 1/4-inch-thick spacer to place between the legs. Center the brace on top of the legs with the bottoms flush, and use the angled cut at the top of the legs to mark the angle at the top of the brace.

Set the DIY Dining Table Seat

DIY Table Directions: No Table Saw Required

If you don’t have a table saw, you can still create the table and benches. With a few modifications to the plans and a lot more sanding, you’ll be ready to go.

The table legs and aprons will be 3-1/2-inches wide and simply cut to length from 2-by-4 and 4-by-4 boards. The top planks will be 9-1/4-inches wide and cut to length from standard-issue 2-by-10 boards and so on.

Note these minor changes in the plans:

Table
Add 2 inches to the length of the braces (D) and 1 inch to the length of the stretchers (E).

Bench
The braces (B) will be inset 2-3/4-inches instead of 2-7/8-inches.

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Tip

Let your lumber acclimate to your work space for one week prior to machining. The material will stabilize, and the boards will be less likely to twist when you cut the individual parts.

Ready for the next DIY wood project? Learn how to make this Easy-to-Build Wooden Desk.

See How Your Neighbor Did It

A D I Y outdoor farmhouse table with white chairs and a flower arrangement.

Brittany of Pennies Into Pearls took on this project and the results are impressive. She'll walk you through the process of How to Build a Farmhouse Table for Under $150.

How to Make a DIY Dining Table Set