[…] $150 Outdoor Dining Table & Bench […]
$150 DIY Outdoor Table & Bench
BUILD YOUR OWN OUTDOOR TABLE & BENCH FOR $150
This is the project that I have been waiting for y’all! Ever since I created our outdoor patio design board I have been dreaming about what the outdoor dining table would look like. Outdoor furniture can be super expensive though, so I knew we would be building our own to stay in our DIY price budget.
These plans came from Ana White’s site & I simply modified them to fit our needs. So I won’t go into the entire build but I will go over some of the details that weren’t super clear on her plan & the bench we created to match the table!
This project is part of a Purdy Brush partnership, however, as always these thoughts & opinions are always my own & I would never steer y’all wrong! Some affiliate links are included because when you support these brands you support me & that’s what family does! Thanks, y’all! Check out our disclosures here!
Table Build
Here are the dimensions for her plan. For our area a 5ft long table was plenty. How cool are the notches that connect the legs & middle support piece?!
How To Make Notches
The first step is to set your circular saw blade depth to 1 1/2″. Next, mark the length the notch will be. These plans call for 3 1/2 inch notches.
Using the circular saw make multiple cuts along the length of the notch. The skinnier the cut the easier it will be to knock them out!
After you make the cuts, use a chisel & hammer to bust out the small pieces. They should come out pretty easily.
Table Build
The only screws that will be seen in this plan are the ones connecting the middle supper bracket to the legs.
The rest will be lots of pocket screws. Pocket screws will be how you attach the tabletop slats together.
It will also be how you secure the table top to the base. I definitely recommend reading through her entire plan to make sure you are pre drilling the right holes in the right places.
The entire table only took us about 3 hours to build & I absolutely love it!
Building The Bench
The plans for the table were perfect but I couldn’t find matching bench plans so we just made one to mirror the table.
The plan was to make the bench 5ft long to match the length of the table & 18″ high. The seat has a width of about 16″.
We added notches to the legs to match the table.
We still used pocket holes to connect the upper supports.
This is how our frame looked before we attached the seat slides.
For the seat slats we used 1×8 slats just like the table top.
Finishing Process
Supplies:
After everything was built we got to move onto the fun part, staining!
Before we get to the staining, some sanding needs to occur. Use 120 grit sandpaper on both pieces.
TIP: To remove all the dust I like to do it the lazy girl way & use a vacuum & microfiber cloth.
Once the table & bench are cleaned off we can start staining! I decided to go with Minwax Golden Pecan stain to pull out the natural look of the wood. This Purdy Roller & Blue Heron XL brush is my favorite way to apply it! I used to just use any old thing to apply stain until I found this brush. The beavertail handle fits my hand perfectly & the angle of the brush provides even staining coverage, so my pieces don’t look blotchy anymore!
TIP: Test your stain color on the underside of your furniture first to make sure you are happy with how the stain looks on the wood you are using. Stain absorbs differently in different types of wood.
This Purdy brush also helps me get into the tight spaces easily!
The table & bench got two coats of stain before I sealed them with spar urethane. This step is crucial to prevent damage from the elements outside!
Ta-Da!
Can you believe this gorgeous outdoor dining table & bench only cost us $150 to make?! It is crazy & I like crazy! The best part is that every time we entertain friends or sneak out here for a date night in, we will know we built this, yes us, with our bare hands!
I’m not saying we are Chip & Joanna good, our marriage is more like Ross & Rachel with him yelling PIVOT the whole time, but still. Also if you are new here & not used to my Friends references don’t worry you’ll get acquainted quick ?
That’s all for now, we have a few projects left to button up before the big patio makeover reveal! I will be posting a sneak peek on our Instagram next week so stay tuned & have an amazing week yall!
Outdoor Project Series:
- Patio Design Board
- Edging In Landscape The Lazy Girl Way
- $15 Planter Box
- Outdoor Bench Makeover
- $3 Outdoor Lanterns
- DIY Hanging Wall Planter
- $150 DIY Outdoor Table & Bench