Remember our DIY dining table? I showed it to you in August of last year. I’ve realized that the instructions I gave could use some improvement…especially after I realized our table was sagging a bit on one side. The good news is that I fixed it with my AWESOME new drill, and you reap the benefits by getting an improved building plan.
DIY Rustic Dining Table
Materials:
2 – 2x10x12 boards (make sure these babies are STRAIGHT! no warping allowed)
2- 1x4x8 board
4 hairpin legs, standard height (28″)
1-5/8″ wood screws
circular saw (if you plan on doing your own cutting…but most hardware stores will do the cutting for you!)
drill
screwdriver
sander
sawhorse legs (or a long workbench if you have one!)
large clamps
medium and fine grit sandpaper
wood glue
wood filler
several old rags/t-shirts
prestain
stain and/or Danish oil
wood sealant (we used wax paste, but you can also use polyurethane)
Directions:
1. Cut the 2x10x12 boards exactly in half; this will give you four boards that are each 72″ (6 ft) long. Take some time laying the boards out to figure out which boards should go next to each other, and also decide which side of the board will face up for the top of the table. Some of the wood may have small stamp marks, but don’t worry too much about trying to hide these…those marks will come off with the great deal of sanding you’ll be doing later!
2. Flip all of the boards over LENGTHWISE to ensure that the boards will remain in the correct order. At this point, you will want to transfer the boards to the sawhorse foundation, or to a workbench if you have a large enough space. Run a strip of wood glue down each edge of the boards (where they will be touching in the finished project). Secure the boards together with clamps.
3. While the glue is drying, cut the 1x4x8 boards into 6 pieces, each 32″ long (you’ll only use 5 of the pieces). Apply wood glue to one side of each board, and position the boards across the existing boards: one at the center, one at each end, about 3″ from the edge of the table, and space the last two boards evenly between the end and middle boards. Predrill holes for the screws across the board, spacing the holes about 3-4″ apart. MAKE SURE TO PREDRILL THE HOLES! If you don’t, your wood may split later on, and all your work will be for naught! Secure these supports to the table top using 1-5/8″ wood screws.
4. Allow the wood glue to dry completely. After the glue has dried, flip the table top over. Using your fingers and some wood filler, fill the gaps between the boards (this process is pretty similar to caulking a tub). Don’t forget about the ends of the table, too! You should also fill in any splitting knots; they might look cool, but they can split further and ruin your handiwork.
5. After the wood filler is set and dry (which shouldn’t take too long), it’s time for the “fun” part…the sanding! This is honestly the part of the construction that takes the most time, and rightly so. You want the finished project to be smooth and splinter free! We did two rounds of sanding: one with medium grit sandpaper, and one with fine grit sand paper. We also used two different types of sanders. A belt sander is great for smoothing out the length of the boards, while an orbital sander works like a boss to finish off the edges. If you are looking for a more rustic finish, make sure to pay extra attention to the edges and corners of the table; really round those babies off to give the appearance of age.
6. When you’ve finished the exhausting amount of sanding required to get a nice, smooth surface, wipe off all that dust with some old rags.
7. Apply a coat of pre-stain using a clean rag. The pre-stain is optional, but it really helps with an even coat of stain and prevents blotches. Allow to set for about five minutes, and wipe off excess stain with another clean rag.
8. Now it’s time to add the finish of your choice! To get our desired color (a dark brown with gray undertones), we used two different types of finish. We did two coats of Minwax Wood Finish in “Classic Gray” followed by two coats of Watco Danish Oil in “Dark Walnut”. Make sure to follow the directions on the container and allow each coat to dry for the suggested amount of time before wiping off the excess and applying the next coat. We used rags to apply/wipe off both products; I think rags lend themselves to a better application and more coverage than a paintbrush.
Here is what the table looked like after both stains had been applied and allowed to set overnight:
9. After the stain has dried completely, flip the table top over and attach the legs. I ordered legs from hairpinlegs.com. They are 28″ standard height 3-rod hairpin legs in raw steel (they are listed in the “Sale Items” section for $20 a piece).
IMPORTANT: Raw steel will rust, even indoors! I had to learn this the hard way…I’m passing on my knowledge to you so the same does not occur. In order to prevent rusting, just cover your legs with a few coats of matte acrylic spray.
10. Finally, it’s time to add the protective topcoat. I really loathe “shiny” wood, so we opted for a wax finish. It will have to be reapplied every year, but it has a more natural finish and still protects the table from water stains. Make sure to follow that manufacturer’s instructions for whatever topcoat you choose, but with wax, you just rub on/off with cheesecloth and buff it out.
Voilà, you have your very own rustic dining table…and you made it all by yourself!
I was incredibly apprehensive about starting this project, mostly due to the fact that neither my husband or I had ever built anything! This project ended up being a lot easier than I thought, especially since Home Depot did all the cutting for us. If we can build it, you can, too! The best part: this table only cost us about $150 to build (including the cost of all materials).
If you do decide to build a table using our plans, please share them! I’d love to see how it turns out. 🙂
XO,
Gabriella
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