How to Make a Kitchen Table

Making a kitchen table is a simple building project that only requires minimal building skills and a few hours once you have assembled your materials. Determine the size of your kitchen table by measuring the length and width of your available space and then allow 2 feet around the perimeter for seating. To make a 3-by-5 foot table that will comfortably seat six, follow these step-by-step instructions.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 3-by-5 foot Sheet of Plywood, ¾ Inch Thick 4 Table Legs Decorative Trim Metal Brackets, 90-Degree Angle Screws Screw Driver Wood Glue Finishing Nails and Hammer Medium and Light Grade Sandpaper Primer and Paint or Stain Polyurethane Top Coat Putty

1. Select your plywood at your local home improvement store or lumber warehouse. Hardwoods will stain beautifully but are more expensive. If you plan to paint your kitchen table, you can save money by using paint grade plywood. You can also ask the clerk to cut your plywood to size for you, saving you this step at home. Your decorative trim for the table edges will also need cutting. Make sure you purchase trim that will cover the ¾-inch edge of your table.

2. Sand your table top with the medium-grade sandpaper first, followed by the light grade to smooth. Your table legs and trim should only need a light sanding with the light-grade paper to remove any roughness.

3. Prime and paint or stain your wood pieces according to the manufacturer's directions. You could wait until you assemble the table to finish it, but it is much easier while it is in pieces. Let the finish dry completely.

4. Attach the metal brackets to the top of each table leg with wood screws. Flip your table top over and attach the legs to the underside of the table with wood screws. Pre-drill the holes to make inserting the screws easier on both the legs and the table top.

5. Flip your table on its edge and run a bead of wood glue along the edge facing you. Attach the trim to the edge with the glue, and then nail it in with finish nails. Complete this process all the way around the perimeter of the kitchen table. It helps if you have someone to hold the trim in place while you nail it to the table edge. Let the glue dry.

6. Fill in the nail heads with putty and let them dry before brushing a coat of paint or stain around the edge to hide the puttied holes. Let the paint dry and finish with a top coat of polyurethane to protect the kitchen table from moisture and stains.

Tips & Warnings

• If you purchase your plywood at a lumber yard, ask them to run the sheet through a sander to save you the sanding step.
• Wear a mask when you sand and as you paint or stain your kitchen table.

Resources

• Local Home Improvement Store