Our farmhouse inspired DIY dining table

Hey guys, thanks so much for coming along on the journey to a better functioning dining room. Today, if this is your first time here, let me start with hello and welcome!! I’m Alma and am currently on a quest to transform this 80’s built (89 to be exact) home that is a bit of a tight squeeze for our family of 5 into a better functioning space that we love being in and suits our family. As I type, I must admit I’m a bit delirious because it’s been a long and fun-filled day of celebrating our son’s 12th birthday. And the highlight of today for me was in this one simple line. When the birthday boy gave me a big hug and said “thanks for always making my birthday fun”, gosh, he knows how to melt a mama’s heart. And I must add that it was really a typical day (since he will be having a little sleepover with a few friends over the weekend), with just a stop to Barnes and Noble, one of his favorite fast food joints IN N OUT, and a super short school day. Simple with a big scoop of love always wins, right?! Well who wants to know about the dining table we (read: hubby) built.

Let me start by saying this table is not perfect. We didn’t look up any “how to’s” before even digging in, so there are things that in hindsight, after 2 weeks, I know we could have done differently to maybe get the best results. But hey, my mistakes can help aid you in not making the same. Should I change the title to “what not to do when building a table”? lol! Maybe, but that might scare y’all away! So I’ll stick with what I got. Ok, is deliriousness kicking in?? Maybe, but let’s keep it movin… CHOo ChoO.. YUP, delirious it is… You can view more before pictures and changes in the dining room here, here, and here.


So for starters, we kept the legs from our original dining table because I just couldn’t part wth them. And honestly the look isn’t that big of a difference because I really just love having a white table here. The only reason we built this table was to give a little more wiggle room to the small dining area so that we can all get around a little easier. The original table was about a foot wider and a 1/2 a foot shorter and the space needed a little more room so that’s just what we gave the space with the new build.

We made the top out of 3 pieces of 10″X8′ wood and cut them down to be 6′ long and placed each side by side, joined underneath by 3 wood boards and 2 metal pieces which we also stole from the original table meant to keep the table from separating or collapsing. Then made a frame underneath to hide all that with 3 pieces of 1″X4″X8′ wood cut to fit and we weren’t too precise on how much lip would hang past. I liked the look of it not being too big of a lip. It really reminded me of old farmhouse tables I’ve seen.

Then came something we didn’t quite think through. So we decided to fill the gaps between each wood on top with wood filler. I think it actually was a good idea with all the crumbs on a daily basis my kids provide (hubby included(;), except for the fact that it was applied very sparingly so it didn’t last very long. 2 weeks in, there are some cracks in the fill but nothing refilling can’t fix, and this time generously i would think. As long as it’s still evident that there are 3 wood slats, I’m happy. So if you plan on filling, be generous! And excuse the dirty floors, puppy and kids at play.. Yikes Real life does happen here folks!

Then I went on to sand everything down, wiped down and removed all the dust and gave it 3 coats of chalk paint. I used Classic Home Cottage Decor Chalk Paint, 16 oz in the color, Sheepskin. Then topped it all with Americana Decor 8 oz. Clear Creme Wax. We’ll see how that holds up. We did polyurethane on our previous table after painting it, and that held up pretty well but I just wanted to give this a try. So far so good. Everything wipes off pretty easily.

So what else would I have done differently..? Well, we are no pros but we’re also not that great at researching “how to’s” before giving things a first try on our own apparently. Some projects haven’t turned out so well but so far this table is not too shabby. But I think for bigger projects, it’s best to do your research first! Not sure why we do this to ourselves, but I know it’s just a fun challenge to try to be creative and give things a try “our way” first. That or we’re just kinda stubborn people like that.. Did I just admit the truth? Yeah maybe a little.. Well Are you like me or are you the type to research everything first? I really am curious to know if I’m just the only crazy one out there? I imagine most people are researchers and I’m just from a bad batch. Whatever the case, at the very least this tells me if we can build a decent table, everyone else’s attempt will be amazing!!


Notice the difference in the width of the table from the before picture below? It might seem slight but it really helps the space feel a little more comfortable when getting around for sure. Of course my ideal situation would be to have a bigger dining space but aint nobody got time for that! Unless we do have time.. Hun, you there reading this?? No, you say? Ok, wishful thinking.. Gosh I keep trying to search for the embarrassed face emojis but don’t have that feature on my laptop.. Haha.. But seriously, I am so thankful for this space that’s been a place of many meals, some tears here and there and deep conversation, lots of fun, lots of not so fun school work, lots of laughter and even lots more love! Where ever you and your family choose to dine in your home, whether big or small, may it be a place that encourages serving one another, sharing and listening, loving one another, bearing each others burdens, learning how to pray for each other, just growing in love for each other as we do these things. It really is amazing what gathering together for a meal does for our family. Life is busy, but I just wanna encourage you to take time to eat together with your loved ones. There are many conversations I’ve had with my kids and learned about them and might not have, if it weren’t for these times. And trust me, I am the first to rush to eat so I can get back to the things to do for the day so I am speaking to my own heart also! If you already value these times with your family, that’s awesome, keep at it!

Well I do hope you enjoyed this post! Please let me know if you have any other tips or what you have found helpful when building furniture. I am thankful to have my hubby who is willing to go on this journey with me. And even when he’s busy at work and can’t physically help, that he would even trust me to do the crazy projects on my own is already in itself awesome. He didn’t use to be this way but over time he’s gotten more comfortable with the idea and seems to trust me a little more ;O. And hey, he even joins me on the adventures now! Woo hoo! So glad to have him and you on this journey! Thanks for stopping by and hope to chat soon!