A full guide, with building instructions and a cut list, for building a simple DIY farmhouse table. This farmhouse-style dining table seats up to 8 people and cost less than $300 to build!
**This post was originally published Dec. 13, 2012. It was last updated on Feb. 16, 2021. I’ve added a few notes in BOLD to highlight how the table is holding up over 8 years later.**
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We decided to build a table large enough for dinner parties and game nights with our friends. Plus, the table is absolutely gorgeous! And, added bonus, it didn’t cost a ton of money! My husband and I spent a lot of time thinking about what we wanted in a table and going back and forth on whether to build or buy. After I showed him tables that other bloggers had built, like Michelle’s kitchen table, he finally came around to the idea of building.
Michelle’s table wasn’t quite big enough for what we wanted for our space, but she got her plans from Ana White. We checked out her site and found plans to just the kind of DIY farmhouse table we were looking for! The Rustic Table plans best matched what we were looking for, but we didn’t follow them to T.
We adjusted the table size for our space, which we mapped out with tape on the floor. We also changed the size of the table legs and built the table in a different order. But the basic plans and instructions are thanks to Ana White!
Our Kitchen Farmhouse Table
I absolutely love how the DIY farmhouse table turned out! It fills the space in our dining room perfectly. And it’s gorgeous!
DIY Farmhouse Table Materials and Cut List
Materials
- 5 – 1×8 – 8 ft. long
- 2 – 4×4 – 8 ft. long
- 4 – 1×4 – 8 ft. long
- 50 – 2″ wood screws
- 70 – 1 1/4 screws
- Wood Glue
Cut List
- 5- 1×8 @ 84″ (table top boards)
- 2- 1×4 @ 34 1/4″ (apron width)
- 2- 1×4 @ 82″ (apron length)
- 4- 4×4 @ 29″ (legs)
- 7- 2×2 @ 32.5″ (support beams)
- 4- 2×2 @ 12″ Mitered at 45 degrees (cross supports)
DIY Farmhouse Table Assembly
Building the Table Apron
Step number one in building this table was constructing the apron. The apron is made up of four 1×4’s. The sides are 84″ long and the ends are 31 1/4″ long. They are attached using 2″ wood screws. All of the screws in the table were pre-drilled and countersunk. Pre-drilling the screw holes helps keep the wood from splitting and countersinking the screws keeps them flush. 
Attach the Supports
The next step in constructing this DIY farmhouse table is attaching all of the supports. The supports are the seven 2×2’s cut to 32.5″. They are attached to the apron with wood glue and 2″ screws, these are also pre-drilled and countersunk. The cross supports in the corners are 12″ and mitered at 45 degrees. They are attached with just wood glue. When we built this table in 2012 we didn’t own a pocket hole jig to create pocket holes and attach the mitered supports. We bought a Kreg Jig a few years later and were we to construct a table like this again, we would definitely attach the cross supports with screws in pocket holes.
Attach the Legs
In Ana White’s build plans for this table she used 2×4’s for her table legs, but we wanted the legs of our DIY farmhouse table to be chunkier than that. We opted for 4×4’s for the legs of our table. Each leg is 29″ long and is attached to the corners of the apron using wood glue and 2″ screws. We placed two screws (again pre-drilled and countersunk) into each leg through the apron on the ends of the table. The two screws are side-by-side, on the same side, to avoid screwing them into each other if there was one on each side.
We also assembled our DIY farmhouse table in a different order than the Ana White plans. We opted to construct the apron and attach the legs before attaching the tabletop. This made painting the apron, supports and legs of the table much easier. There was no need for taping off sections of the table. To prep for painting I filled all of the screws in with wood filler and then sanded those spots smooth. Then I sanded the entire table, wiped it clean and applied a coat of primer. I painted the entire table Olympic’s Snow Storm in a semi-gloss finish. Semi-gloss will withstand spills and food splatters more easily.
It has held up amazingly well considering the amount of spaghetti sauce and dried oatmeal that I’ve had to scrape off of it for the past five years. It will probably need another coat of paint once the kids get a little older and less messy when they eat.
Stain the Sides of the Tabletop Boards Before Attaching
I sanded and stained the bottoms and sides of the tabletop boards before attaching them to the apron. I didn’t want the bottom of the table or the sides of the boards unstained. Especially the sides of the boards because the unstained wood would have been visible in the table top cracks. The stain color I chose was Minwax’s Dark Walnut. This rich color is definitely one of my favorite stains because I also used it on our coffee table, nightstands, bar and sofa table/shelf. The table top is attached to the apron with 2″ screws (2 per board) through the top of the table. Again, these screws were all pre-drilled and countersunk. The table top is also attached to the supports under the table with 10 1 1/4″ screws per support bar. The screws in the supports are sunk about halfway through. This kept us from needing longer screws for attaching the table top to the supports.
Stain and Seal Tabletop
After the top of the DIY farmhouse table top was attached I filled the screw holes with wood glue, sanded the entire table top and stained the top side to match the sides and bottom. Once the stain was dry, I applied 4 coats of Matte polyurethane. I chose a matte finish because it didn’t add any sheen to the table, which made it look more rustic. However, we may add a regular coat of poly as well if the matte finish proves too soft. After all, this table will see some pretty rough use over the years.
We never ended up adding another coat of polyurethane to the table. It is full of scratches, nicks and even has a few math equations etched into it from when Jesse was in grad school. But it all kind of adds to the charm of a DIY rustic kitchen table.
DIY Farmhouse Table Budget Breakdown
We opted to build a farmhouse table instead of buy one mostly due to our tight budget. We knew that DIYing this project would save us hundreds of dollars. So here is a breakdown of how much this project cost us: (The prices in bold are what the current cost would be due to inflation over time.)
- Wood – $86 ($144)
- Stain (Minwax Dark Walnut) – $7.77 ($7.98)
- Paint (Olympic Snow Storm) – $11.97 ($32 Olympic paint is no longer carried at Lowe’s)
- Polyurethane (Rustoleum Matte finish) – $11.93
- If that is all we needed to buy then our total would have been: $117.67 ($195.91)
We, of course, had a few hiccups or purchases that needed to be made outside of these costs. My husband decided that he needed a new drill to better complete the project. I accidentally ruined our paint brushes and had to buy more. Plus, we were out of sand paper. We had all of the screws, wood glue and wood filler on hand, so those weren’t purchases we needed to make. We actually ended up still spending just a little over $300. That’s still WAY cheaper than we would have paid for a farmhouse-style table anywhere else.
My Farmhouse Chairs
I bought the chairs for the table on Craigslist for $90. They also came with a table, which we keep in the garage as an added work area. We sold our old table and chairs for $80, so the chairs ended up only costing us $10. They compliment the DIY farmhouse table perfectly. I spray painted them solid white with fun blue legs a few months after buying them. I also added upholstered Parsons chairs to the ends of the table to finish off the space.
Our first building project was also from Ana White! The farmhouse table, I believe (the big one that we have outdoors). Since wood is so expensive here we decided to buy it in bulk, about 400€ worth of wood, and it turned out to be a great decision because we’ve used it for a ton of projects and still have some leftover for a couple of other things we want to do. Plus any farmhouse table of that size would’ve cost us much more anyway.
Yours is beautiful! I really really love the rich dark matte top combined with the white legs.
Have you thought about staining the seat of the chairs a darker tone? I love the shape of the chair but I’m not a fan of lighter wood tones myself.
This is amazing, I’m so impressed you made it yourselves!!
We really want to do more stuff like that but we don’t have the space in the flat to either store the materials and make it or put it once we are finished. When we move to a proper house with a garage and a garden we will be all over it 🙂
xox
I think the money savings was great but that pride of having something in your home that you built together is my favorite part. We hosted a party the other night and people kept asking where we got the table. I loved watching Nate get all excited (he doesn’t get excited often) when he told him that he built it.
Now I can’t wait for him to start on our formal dining room. 😉
I seriously love the combo of the table with the chairs. Good choice!! Drool worthy.
Jesse did such an awesome job!
I’ve always wanted a farmhouse table.
I’ll have to tell Travis that Jesse did it, so can he 😛
Nice post. The construction looks sturdy and I like your finish process. It’s definitely easier to paint and stain some items before you assemble them. That matte poly looks great too, good choice.
I’m seriously crushing on your table and even $300 for it is a steal! Our table is showing a lot of wear (it’s been 2 years!) so we need to do something asap. I dream up sanding it down and re-staining it but who knows when that’ll happen!
You guys did such a great job. I almost wish we didn’t already have a table that we both liked so that we could build one…haha.
You did an awesome job!! I love it! I am so excited to get a larger dining space so we can try it too!
I bet you’re excited to host some dinner parties now!
It looks absolutely gorgeous! I have a week spot for farmhouse tables myself. We had ours forever, and then finished it off in the same color scheme as you chose (how can you go wrong? such a nice combination!). But I’m a little jealous of building the table from scratch, I think it’s so much more meaningful when you make your own furniture.
I really like the thickness of the legs and how it balances out nicely with the length of the table. Such a nice job!
Want. Your. Table.
Wish. I. Had. Skills/Tools. To. Build.
It ROCKS. Looks SOOO professional, polished-but-rustic in all the best ways. I am super impressed by you guys! LOVE.
Love this table! I love the stained top of the table with the white legs! Awesome project!
blessings,
karianne
Please let’s be friends so you can teach me your wood building skills! I want a table like this! I’m seriously so impressed that you MADE it!
Beautiful! I love it! (Can’t wait for my husband to make one!)
I love Ana White, I’ve downloaded a heap of plans for things I want to make, I’m just a bit scared of using power tools that I could potentially chop my arm off with…lol. The table looks so beauctiful, if I didn’t know better I would think you had bought it ready made. Awesome job!
What a beautiful table! You guys should be proud; it’s awesome!!
You should be proud, building a table isn’t like say a picture frame or gluing sticks together! Jesse also realizes now there is nothing stopping you from asking him to complete all sorts of big projects right?
Bliss
Haha he does and he is very afraid! 😉
Very nice. I’ll definitely keep this design and the other links you posted in mind. I want to make my own once we have a house to put it in.
By the way, where did you get those 4x4s? Did you go to a specialty lumber yard? When we built our raised garden bed the regular hardware stores said they only carried pressure treated 4x4s and by the time I called some of the specialty lumber yards I had moved on to a different design and didn’t ask about those.
We actually got them at Lowes. It took us awhile to find them, but they were there!
Your table looks amazing. I will never get tired of seeing pictures of it. I love Ana White…how incredible is she and her free patterns??? I am also impressed that your husband remembered to take pictures, he is good! Enjoy that beautiful table of yours.
I am head over heels for this table. It came out so great. Can Jesse make one for me next? 😉
We have some Ana White plans up our sleeves for the new year as well. Hopefully my project goes as smoothly as your did.
I am so saving this for “the future”! lol. Our current table seats four… and we’re about to have our second child… nevermind room for guests! Sadly, I think we’re going to have to move before we can have a table the size i want! all in good time 🙂
Hmm, I usually go to Home Depot because they’re close. I bet I checked with them and assumed it was the same at Lowe’s.
Wonderful!!! Thanks for sharing!
AMAZING! I just love and adore your hand made table! You must be so proud of yourselves. Truly gorgeous and truly inspiring!
Wishing you a wonderful holiday surrounded by friends and family at your amazing new table!
🙂 Linda
Oh MY GOODNESS! i love love love this, Ashley!! It looks amazing.
Thanks so much for linking up at last week’s Humble Brag. This week, The Better Half, along with a bunch of other awesome bloggers are hosting a link party to support the Sandy Hook area – $1 will be donated for every project linked up. Its up and running now. Hope to see you there!
http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/special-link-party-supporting-sandy-hook/
Last week’s features will be posted Friday morning along with the ad space winner.
Love how the table turned out! Good for you guys 🙂
Would you mind sharing the dimensions you ended up with? We are in the beginning stages of table building and want something that fits three chairs on each side like yours does. We don’t currently have a table to compare to and just working off one sample chair is not cutting it.
Hi! Your table looks great! I’m going to attempt the same design with Ana’s plans but am also adding 4×4 for the legs and making the apron a bit smaller for more of a overhang. Can I ask some silly questions – Any idea what size screw you used for attaching the legs, and did you put them in from the inside or outside and fill the wholes? I’m very new to this and trying to do it right the first time! haha Also for the cross supports, did you have to change the length of the 45degree cut to accommodate the 4×4 or did it still work at 12″? And last question, do you know why she has 1×10 boards for the top but on the plans they are sized at 9.5″? Do you need to sand/trim all the edges of the timber for a nice edge and that step just isn’t listed? Thanks so much and awesome work!
Sorry forgot one – I’m also trying for a 3 seater along the edge like you, can you tell me your finished length? I’ve got mine estimated at 7′, but not sure if that will be too short to fit 3 once I use the 4×4 legs and bring them in a bit with a shorter apron. Thanks so much!
Hi Shari! Thanks so much for your questions! I’m not 100% sure on a lot of them so let me talk to my husband and I will email you tomorrow evening! 🙂
awesome thanks! I’m going to scope out my hardware store tonight then have to come back and work on changing all the plans to mm since I’m in NZ! Argh! 🙂
it looks gorgeous! what type of wood did you use for the top?
Thank you! We used plain ole white wood, just make sure you give it a good coat of poly since it is a softer wood!
Is the table completely sturdy without any ‘wobbling’? Most designs I’ve seen (and the ones I’ve built) have a stretcher between the legs and also the length of the table connected to the stretchers between the legs.
Your thoughts?
We have not had any wobbling at all and it’s been almost a year. We’ve even had people stand on it and dance without issues. It’s solid as a rock!
Love the table! Where did you get the chairs? Did I end up reading it right that you got the 6 chairs for $90 total? I am thinking of making this table but am having a hard time finding chairs that don’t run up into the hundreds very quickly. Thanks!
Thanks Mark! I bought the chairs off Craiglist! It was the only option I could find for that many chairs on a budget!
Beautifully done! Those chair seats would look so awesome the same color at the table top… 😉
What brand of stain did you use?
Hello,
We are in the planning stages of building a farmhouse table for our kitchen. Can I ask how you attached the legs to the top? We have 4 kids so we definitely need it to be sturdy? Thanks so much for the inspiration and insight!
Katie
Hi Katie! The legs are actually attached to the apron of the table, not the table top. We used bolts to do so and it is solid as a rock. Let me know if you have more questions!
How did y’all bolt the legs to apron? My husband and I are completely copying your plans (because it is a GORGEOUS table), and the legs are stumping us. How did you keep the bolts from showing on the outside? Thank you!
This table is gorgeous. I have been planning on making a table like this for quite some time but after seeing this post from you I am determined to start building mine this week. I was wondering what the dimensions of your table ended up being. I want to follow your tutorial to a T because I love the way it turned out but I’m afraid it won’t fit in my space.
I love this table. We plan on making it this summer. What was your cut list?
I forgot to ask for the shopping list also. This will be our 1st big project. 🙂 Thanks in advance.
hey that’s a very nice table….i need to ask a couple of questions the wood you use the 4×4 legs are they white pine or yellow pine and the same question for the top boards are they white pine or yellow pine …thanks for taking your time to answer these questions.
Hi, this table is beautiful! it’s exactly the size I am looking to make. are you able to provide your measurements and plans?? thanks!
Love your table project! Please tell me what kind of wood and thickness the boards for the top is made of.
Thanks!
What were the final dimensions of your table?
Question, you have the top boards cut length of 84″ and the apron side cut length is also 84″, if you add the apron end pieces to the sides the apron ends up longer than the table top, or am I reading something wrong?
Hi Pete! Thanks for pointing this out! That was a typo on my part, the apron is 82″ so there is an inch overhang of tabletop on either end. I’ve corrected it in the post.