DIY Farmhouse Table for Under $100

This post, was originally on my old blog, and since it was such a popular one, I figured it would be good to share here as well.

This table has been through it y'all. It moved from our WA house to storage, from storage onto a truck, then onto another truck, and then finally where it is now. I love this table so much and it has held up so well considering all that it has been through. So if your looking around to try to make your own Farmhouse Table, look no further! While this process took a lot of time, it was pretty easy and beyond worth it! 

I think one of the biggest trends in home decor right now is the farmhouse style dining table. They are gorgeous, inexpensive to make, and go with just about any decor. About a year ago when we bought our old kitchen table I contemplated making our own but decided it would be too much work and bought one from the store that I though resembled what I was looking for. I finally decided it wasn't what I wanted and convinced C to help me make our own farmhouse table. 













I want to apologize before I go any further, because I didn't take any pictures during the process, nor did I didn't write down exactly what we used and did, so I am going to give you all a rough tutorial but I will also provide a VERY similar tutorial that explains everything in detail if you would rather go that route. 





If your looking for a very descriptive tutorial for a table that is very similar, I highly recommend using Ana White's plan for a Farmhouse Table. This was actually the plan we started using but had to change some things because we didn't have all of the tools we needed to make that exact table.



Dimensions:











For the top, we used (4) 2x6 boards that were 48" long each. On the end of the top of the table are (2) 2x6 board that were 33.25" each. (Sidenote: the end pieces were actually longer than we needed so we used a handsaw after the table was put together to cut off what extra we didn't need.)




For the skirt (the white pieces that are under the top of the table) we used (2) 2x4 pieces that were 50" long, and (2) 2x4 pieces that were 26" long.




For the legs we used (4) 4x4 pieces that were cut into 27" sections.




Underneath the table top are (4) 2x4 pieces that are approximately 30" long that we used to secure the boards on the top together.




Assembly:


So this is the part that is going to extremely tricky to explain, because we did not follow the plan (listed above) since we did not have all the tools we needed to do so. Therefore, we improvised. For the (4) 2x6's that made the table top we laid those out and positioned them the way we wanted them to look. Then we took the (4) 2x4 pieces that were 30" long and laid them across the boards, evenly spaced. (So if our 2x6 boards are running E to W, we positioned the 2x4 boards to run N to S. We then used 3" nails and nailed the 2x4 boards into the 2x6 boards to secure the table top. For the two side pieces to attach to the rest of the table top we used metal connector brackets which we found at Walmart. They look like this:











We used 4 brackets on each side, so a total of 8. I believe these were around $2 a package. 




Next to secure the legs since we weren't doing the cut-out holes that the plan was describing we used metal corner braces that we found at Walmart to secure the legs to the table top. They looked like this: 











We used 2 brackets on each leg, so 8 in total. These came in packages of 4 for around $2. We also used 4" nails from the top down into the legs to help secure them better. 




To get the skirt to form around the table C simply used 4" nails, and nailed the 2x4's at an angle into the legs and then secured them with smaller sized brackets. 




The directions I am giving you are very much improvised, and if you build your table this way please expect some trial and error and changes to come up. I can't tell you how many techniques we tried in order to assemble the table before we finally figured out the best way that worked for us. I just want you all to know that it is totally possible to make a farmhouse table, without having to have all of the fancy tools. The only tools we had were a hand saw, screw driver, hammer, and an electric sander. 




Now that the table is built it's time to sand, stain, and paint it. I sanded all of the wood pieces down as as I could stand. On the table top I used 4 coats of Rustoleum Dark Walnut stain. We also bought the clear coat to go on top of it but I ended up liking the rustic look without the clear coat so we didn't end up using it. For the table legs and skirt I had a quart of "Antique White" made at Walmart. It turned out to be a very pretty white and looked so great with the dark walnut! 

















As far as the chairs go, the 2 white ones were old chairs that I had from an old dining set and I painted them using the Rustoleum American Accents "Heirloom White".  The 2 wicker chairs I bought at TJ Max on clearance and I love how they look with this table! 






So there you have it. My extremely rough version of how to build a Farmhouse table. We spent less than $100 on the supplies needed for this table. The only reason we went over the $100 is because we had to buy an electric sander, which most people already have. They are around $20 at Walmart. If you don't have one and don't want to invest in one, you can always use disposable sandpaper sheets and blocks although it would probably take you quite a while to finish! 












Is our table perfect? Definitely not! But we love it and think all the imperfections just make it that much more special! 




UPDATE:




This is our table today, in our new home. It's been well loved for sure, and I'm not convinced that I will ever get rid of this table.