A piece of furniture such as a DIY Farmhouse Dining Table is the main centerpiece of the kitchen/diner interior. Its shape and size should correspond to the size of the room so that all family members can freely accommodate behind it. It is also important that the table does not interfere with free passage (if your dining room is not particularly roomy), especially if you plan to use a sitting bench with it as well.
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Currently, the stores offer a wide selection of dining room furniture of various shapes and sizes, made from a variety of materials. Anything from local-made woodworking hand-made’s, and all the way to vintage ones from overseas.
Choosing a table for a small dining room, you have to make a choice – whether you like it when there is a lot of free space, or is it important for you that the furniture is comfortable and spacious. If you can’t find a farmhouse table that’s just perfect for your room — try making it yourself!
If you don’t feel that comfortable with your woodworking tools just yet — consider our previous article on making a Simple Round Wood Table (an example is in the photo below). You can always sell it on a yard sale later on if you’d want to switch it up for a full-fledged big-boy farmhouse table!
The advantages of creating a table with your own hands
Many men who like to craft with their own hands can significantly save the family budget (because finished products are not cheap). Accordingly, you independently select the material for making a high-quality dining table and the necessary fasteners. By showing your design skills, you will assemble an original piece of furniture that perfectly matches the farmhouse-style interior.
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Do not feel that this is a difficult task. The assembly of the dining table does not take so much time – just a few days. A bit more difficult part is making a countertop. It is better to first consult with your woodworker friends involved in such matters, or read-on our awesome article.
Building a dining table with your own hands, you will create a unique thing, bring to life an original idea. Maybe, with your light hand, you could eventually organize the production of kitchen tables, and it will grow into a profitable business.
It might also be a nice idea to put a rustic DIY Picture Frame, as it could also be classified as a Farmhouse-style.
Deciding on the design and configuration of our DIY Farmhouse Table
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The design and shape of the rustic farmhouse dining table can be very diverse. Designers, using imagination, bring to life the most unusual ideas.
Let’s have a quick go-through of our options
| Shape | Pros & Cons |
|---|---|
| Round table | It has smooth lines as if uniting those sitting at such a table. Has several legs or one large one. It is comfortable to sit behind, you will not have any flash-backs related to the place of work or study. There is but one drawback – it cannot be placed tightly against the wall. |
| Oval | An excellent option for owners of a large dining room, which is divided into a cooking and dining area. Ideal for a big family |
| Square | The embodiment of rigor, but at the same time, it is simple and multifunctional. Suitable for small spaces, space-saving is a mast for smaller rooms |
| Rectangular | The most widespread option. It can accommodate many people. It could be placed wherever you’d like – in the center, against the wall, by the window, or on the patio |
| Triangular | Such a table is quite rare in the kitchen. It is used as an unusual decoration element, for example, as a coffee table. Check out a nice example of that in our last week’s issue’s DIY Coffee Table! |
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Owners of a small dining room prefer to use a foldable-table or a sliding table. Since they can be collapsed, they significantly save space. Other forms of tables are few and far between. If you prefer products of a particularly bizarre shape, it might better to order them from a professional woodworker.
The dining table, like any other furniture, is selected for a specific style of interior. For example, a regular wooden table would work for a classic farmhouse-style. High-tech is characterized by right angles and lines, so tables made of plastic, metal, glass are chosen, with an emphasis on white and gray shades. For the Art-Nouveau style, unusual furniture with ornate lines is used. Eco-style means products made from natural materials.
High-tech Table 
Art-Nouveau style table
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Necessary materials
DIY Farmhouse Dining Table materials vary. Here are the most used ones:
- Chipboard
- Planks
- Timber/wood
You can combine them if desired. You will also need corners, hinges (for folding models), rollers, corner fasteners, eccentric bolts, pads, tape for edge decoration, a plastic profile for the tabletop, plugs.
Required tools
A standard set of tools should be plenty enough:
- Jigsaw
- Electric drill
- Hacksaw
- Screwdriver
- Parker-screws
- Electric planer
- Grinding machine (or Sander)
- Ruler, pencil
When making more complicated models/shapes, you would obviously additional tools (the sky is the limit).
And while you’re at it, why not craft a quick DIY Key Holder and hang it on a nearby wall!
Table manufacturing process: step by step instructions
How to make a DIY farmhouse table with your own hands? Let’s take a look at a typical dining table. First of all, prepare the tools and materials that will be needed for work. Than draw-up the table plans (aka blueprints if you’re fancy).
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Make a plan of furniture elements. Start with the tabletop, as this is the largest part of the table. It can be rectangular, round, square or oval in shape. If you are planning to make a table of an unusual shape, mark up according to sketches.
Connect the boards with glue and dowels, remove excess glue on the surface, and grind/sand it
Then, put a drawing of the side racks on the material – these will be the legs of the future table. Most often they imitate a chess piece (shape-wise, if you turn them upside-down). If you want, you can make another shape at your discretion. The main thing to remember is that the structure must be stable.
Next, mark the upper and lower crossbars (aprons), which will connect the racks and thereby ensure the stability of the frame.
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Usually, the legs are located from the edge of the table surface at a distance of 5-8 inches (15-20 cm).
At the next step, cut out the elements. Place the material on the table. Cut out the countertop using a jigsaw.
To avoid the chips, put plywood (or just an old newspaper) underneath. Cut out the remaining parts in the same way.
Do not allow material to sag. This may cause the tool to break or break off the cutout element. At the end of cutting the edges of the parts, grind and sand them with a special machine or go over them with sandpaper.
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It remains only to process the finished table with varnish or stain or paint, having previously primed.
Assemble the table as follows:
- Connect the legs with the aprons
- Lay the tabletop on the finished base, fix it on the corners
- Decorate Parker-screws with caps.
- Well, that’s pretty much it. Your DIY farmhouse dining table is ready!
Here’s what we made during this step-by-step tutorial. As basic as it gets, but relatively simple and fast-to-make.
The chairs are also hand-made — but unfortunately, the how-to for those will come some other time.
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Now, let’s have a quick recap. Just to be sure that everything is in order.
DIY Farmhouse Dining Table – Step-by-Step Guide
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Build the tabletop; varnish and let it dry
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Assemble the legs and aprons
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Create a frame with side-aprons
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Stabilize it with inner support planks
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Varnish legs and aprons and paint the whole thing
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Nail down the tabletop (you can also use Parker-screws)
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Done!
Congrats! Your dining table is now all rustic and ready!
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P.S. Bonus Ideas for building DIY Farmhouse Dining Tables and using them in the interior of the house and outdoors:
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