We outgrew our little golden oak table when Baby #4 arrived.

I dreamed of having a long farmhouse table that could seat a large family and still have ample room to accommodate guests, but buying one new was so expensive! We didn’t need chairs (ours were still in good condition), just a table and a bench.

Walking through the lumber department in Home Depot one day (my idea of fun!), I noticed that the 4×4″ pressure treated pine deck posts were shaped just like farmhouse table legs!

They were also much cheaper than buying actual table legs made from a harder wood like maple.

Photo Credit

I told my husband about the idea of using the deck posts for table legs, standard lumber for the brace and apron, and spending a little more on nicely planed boards for the table top.

My idea was to sand down the legs until they were relatively smooth, paint them white, then distress and seal them. That way, you couldn’t really tell we were using outdoor lumber for an indoor project! The Farmhouse look is only improved by distressing, so it seemed like a good fit for life with six kids. 🙂

Brad was totally on board! I quickly sketched out what I envisioned the table looking like, and we set to work!

I bought the lumber and finishing materials, and he built the table in our basement with our oldest son, who was six at the time, and more than happy to operate the drill!

In all, this Farmhouse Table and Bench (plan for the bench coming soon!) cost us around $300 – about $700 cheaper than buying one new! It comfortably seats our family of 8, with plenty of room for a few guests.

Over the last 3 years, this Farmhouse Table has stood up to 3 meals a day with the whole family, homeschooling, crafts, food preparation, fellowship meals, potlucks, cupcake decorating with friends, and hours and hours of of playing card and board games.

It’s a constant hub of activity, and while we would build it again in a heartbeat, it’s so durable, we probably won’t ever need to!

We’ve had so many requests to build this Farmhouse Table for others, but we’re pretty pinched for time and space, so Brad drew up the Farmhouse Table Plan on SketchUp Make (read his review of SketchUp Make here), so you can do this project with your own family!

It’s very easy to put together (we’re total newbies at this!), affordable, and you can build the whole thing on a Saturday afternoon with standard size boards from your local lumbar yard.

Here’s the Free Farmhouse Table Plan!

Free Farmhouse Table Plan

This Free Farmhouse Table Plan is easy, affordable, and can be made in one afternoon with standard size boards from your local lumbar yard.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Active Time 4 hours

Finishing Time 2 hours

Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Estimated Cost $250 plus finishes

Materials

4 pcs 4” x 4” x 40” Wooden Deck Post
1 pc 2”x4”x8’
1 pc 4”x4”x8’
7 pcs 1”x10”x60”
3 pcs 1 ¼”x6”x7’ 0
Wood Glue
Plugs
White Paint
Stain
Polyurethane
Pocket Hole Screws

Tools

Optional

Instructions

Overall size:

NOTE:

Be sure to glue each joint before screwing together.

Step 1

Start by cutting all the pieces to size. This build uses lumber very efficiently and you will only need to make a few cuts for this table.

Cut list:

Cut 2 pcs 2”x4”x42”

Cut 2 pcs 4”x4”x42”

Cut 2 pcs 1 ¼”x6”x42”

Cut 2 pcs 1”x10”x46 ¼”

Cut 2 pcs 1 ¼”x6”x84”

Step 2

Cut one end (or both) of the 4” x 4” deck posts. Just locate the shaped part of the post where you like it.

It starts out roughly like this:

We left about 1 ½” of the flat part of the leg underneath the shaped portion of the post, to serve as the bottom of the table leg like this:

Step 3

Add 4 pocket holes to the top of all 4 legs like this:

NOTE: It depends on which pocket hole jig you're using so just set it up as per the instructions

Step 4

Take 2 of the legs and one 1 ¼”x6”x42” board and screw them together using pocket holes screws after gluing. Pretty important to glue this before screwing as this is a critical joint of the table 🙂

You might even want to bolt this joint; we didn’t, and our family of 8 has used this table for over 2 years at the time I wrote this post.

The ends of the board should align with the legs. Make sure everything is square and both legs are parallel.

Repeat the same step with other 2 legs and 1 ¼”x5”x42” board.

Step 5

Use the 2 leg assemblies made in previous steps and two 1 ¼”x6”x84” boards to make tables frame.

Joint these pieces using pocket holes in the legs of the table.

The end of the boards should align with the ends of shorter boards on the leg
assemblies as shown.

Step 6

Once the table frame is standing stably, screw-in 2pcs 4”x4” pieces to the inside of the frame on each end of the table.

If only 3 legs are touching the ground, letting it sit overnight on a flat surface will let things settle out the way they should be.

There should be 1 ⅞” gap between the edge of the leg and the edge of the 4”x4” pieces.

Step 7

Screw in the middle supports for the table.

Use 2 pcs 2”x4”x42” pieces and attach them 20 ½” from the 4”x4” supports.

Step 8

Now that the base of the table is completely done apply white or any other color wood paint you prefer to the base of the
table.

Step 9

Once the base is painted and dry its time to make the tabletop for the table. It will be made from 1”x10” boards.

In order to hide screw holes used to attach these boards to the tabletop, you will need to stain them in 2 steps.

First, stain all the edges of the boards and one surface boards as well.

Leave one surface of the boards unstained. This will become the tabletop at
the end and will be stained after the boards are put in place.

Step 10

Now that both the base of the table and boards for the tabletop are dry, screw all the boards to the frame using predrilled
holes.

First, take one of the 1”x10”x46 ¼” boards and place it stained side down so there is 1 ⅛” gap between the frame and the edge of the board both on the sides of the table and end of the table.

Make sure this first board is screwed in accurately. It will be used as a guide for all the rest boards.

Using 5 pcs 1”x10”x60” boards, assemble the middle of the tabletop.

Take the first board and align it with the end board. Make sure the corners align perfectly and the board is straight.

Once this board is screwed in place the rest 4 boards putting them right next to the two boards already attached.

Lastly, take the remaining 1”x10” board and screw it in aligning its ends with the edges of other boards. Screw it in like the rest of the boards.

Step 11

Using wood filler, fill in all the screw holes left in the tabletop.

Let it dry according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

Step 12

Once dry, cover the base of the table with plastic and stain top part of the table using wood stain.

Step 13

After the stain dries you can apply a clear coat to the desired finish.

Notes