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DIY Farmhouse Table {Using Ana White plans & a custom stain mix}

March 24, 2018 / 685 Comments

Before building this table, I set out to find an easy DIY farmhouse table plan that required few specialty tools and no prior woodworking knowledge. I read through several plans and posts until I found this awesome plan! I modified the measurements to create a size that was just perfect for our space, but otherwise followed it exactly and love the result. The total cost was around $100, which is amazingly cheap for a table! I won’t be stressing out when the kids ruin it over the years, since it will add to the farmhouse charm (and since it was so cheap!)

Here is a quick overview of the project!

Materials and tools needed:

  • 8 total 2x4s
  • 6 total 2x2s
  • 1 total 2×8
  • 7 total 2×6
  • 100 total 2 3/4″ screws
  • 20 total 4″ screws
  • Wood filler
  • Wood glue
  • Miter Saw
  • Drill/Driver
  • Orbital Sander
  • Minwax stain (my custom mix includes weathered oak, classic grey, and dark walnut)
  • Minwax clear matte polycrylic

Once we had all our supplies, we followed this plan from Ana White. It is super easy to follow! We built this table in less than a day. First we had to cut our wood down to the exact measurements required in the cut list section of the plans from the lumber we bought. We modified the cuts to create a slightly smaller table. You can follow the plans exactly or modify as needed.

Once the lumber was all cut it only took a couple hours to assemble the table! I love the look of a freshly assembled piece of wood furniture.

Next came the sanding. I always use our orbital sander attached to a shop vacuum to suck up the dust. There is alot of dust when you sand a big piece of furniture! Sand it until there are no splinters or rough areas. It should feel smooth. Stain will not change the texture of the surface, so if the table feels rough before staining, it will feel rough after (not good!) Sand it until it feels as soft and smooth everywhere as you want the table to feel once its in your dining room.

Finally, the fun part- the stain! I like to mix custom stain colors before I do a project by making small mixtures of different combinations of stains which I test first on a scrap piece of 2×4.

For this table I wanted a rustic weathered look, but darker than just the weathered stain by itself, so I came up with this mixture to create this color. It is 60% weathered oak, 30% classic grey, and 10% Dark walnut. It is not an exact science (well, technically it is but I am not very exact!)

Mix a small test amount and stain a test piece of wood. If its too light, add more dark walnut. If its too dark, add more weathered oak. If its not grey enough, add more grey! I start light and slowly go darker since it is much easier to go darker as you mix. Start over if it is too dark to lighten easily. Also, I only use Minwax stains since I always get excellent results.

Next, brush clear matte polycrylic on after the table has completed dried for over 24 hours. If you don’t add a protective layer, the table could absorb color and stains, and since we plan to have our kids do lots of art, we needed to coat it. We only coated the top (not the legs). This coating is my favorite because it doesn’t create a glossy look, but it does a great job of protecting. Markers and paint easily wash right off!

Here is a look at the table in our space. I love how it turned out, and how easy and cheap it was to make!

We have 8 white Ikea Ingolf chairs that fit perfectly! Right now we use 7 and have Arlo’s highchair at the end. When we changed the table measurements we made sure the smaller size would still fit 3 chairs on either side. If you adjust your table size, I recommend you measure your chairs and decide how you want them to fit before finalizing your wood cuts.

Side view:

Here’s a closer look at the underside:

And a closer look at the bottom supports:

This table turned out so well that we definitely plan to try more DIY farmhouse furniture plans in the future. It turned out beautiful, was so easy to make, and saved us a fortune!

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