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Home ยป Blog ยป DIY ยป DIY Farmhouse Dining Table

DIY Farmhouse Dining Table

April 13, 2019 by Molly
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I am excited to share the most beautiful farmhouse dining table that was handmade by my amazing husband! This DIY farmhouse table is budget friendly and fairly simple to make, even if you donโ€™t consider yourself very handy with tools.

DIY Farmhouse Table

This post contains some affiliate links. Ifย you make a purchase after clicking a link, sometimes I earn a small commission. However, there is no additional cost to you. Please read theย disclosure policyย for more information.

The Benefits of Building your own Farmhouse table

My DIY farmhouse table was a couple of years in the making, but I think it was totally worth the wait.

For years I wanted a farmhouse dining table, sometimes called a harvest table, but never really wanted to spend the money. They are usually very costlyโ€”at least the ones I wanted were expensive.

I wanted a rustic dining table that would seat at least eight and of course the bigger the table the more expensive. Shipping is a factor as well because farmhouse dining tables are typically solid wood and one big piece of furniture, which makes them very costly to ship.

DIY Farmhouse Table

I finally decided I had to get my husband on board with building one to save money. Plus, it would be something handmade by him that I can cherish forever! It took about a year of convincing, but he eventually caved after he realized it was a great way to save money.

Dining room with a homemade table that has a burlap runner and a flower arrangement in the center.

Picking which DIY farmhouse table to build

After months of searching Pinterest for farmhouse tables, I found the perfect one from Dear Lillie. I absolutely love the look of her table and the dรฉcor in her dining room. She also gives excellent directions on the stain she used and how she applied it to the table.

The building plansย are from Ana White and areย very precise and easy to follow. This table can be made in different sizes, which was perfect since I wanted a rectangular dining table big enough to seat eight.

Gorgeous farmhouse table with a burlap runner down the middle and a flower arrangement sitting in the center.

Building the farmhouse DINING table

Once my hubby was on board, we had to pick up the supplies which are listed in the building plans. The total cost for the wood and a new saw blade was around $125. We used solid pine for the plank top.

The actual building of the table took a while, but he worked on it over time. Unfortunately, he cut a few boards wrong and had to redo them. The simple plank top was easy to assemble once he completed the frame of the table.

Have I mentioned how amazing he is?! He built our farmhouse table in the garage, so taking his time wasnโ€™t a big deal. However, our garage became quite dustyโ€“especially when he sanded it.

Farmhouse table sitting in the garage with sawdust all over the table and the floor.
Finished farmhouse table sitting in the garage without any stain.

Staining the farmhouse table

After my hubby was finished, we moved our new farmhouse table into the dining room without any stain on itโ€“only the natural finish of the wood. I was really nervous to stain it because I didnโ€™t want to mess it up.

Several months later, I finally stained our dining room table (I told you this project was years in the making!). Since our table was sitting there without any stain to protect it, I bought a waterproof tablecloth to cover it. It worked perfectly!

Wiping the first layer of stain on the dining table.
DIY Farmhouse Table

The directions from Dear Lillie uses two stains:ย  Rustoleumโ€™s Weathered Gray and Minwaxโ€™s Provincial. Since I love the look of her table, I chose the same color combination. I love the rustic charm vibe the color combination created.

Rubbing stain on the bottom side of the homemade table.
Rubbing stain on the homemade table.

The instructions say to wipe one color on and then the other using a soft cloth. I did this, but the color of my table didnโ€™t turn out quite like hers. However, I actually love the final look of my new farmhouse dining table. I love how the natural wood grain really pops with the stain combination I used. It also gives the table the rustic finish I was hoping for.

Finding Farmhouse Dining chairs

Once we got the table stained, the hunt was on for chairs. This, again, was a several-month process. I really couldnโ€™t decide what kind of chairs. Originally, I wanted fabric chairs like the ones Dear Lillie has in her dining room, but my husband didnโ€™t want fabric chairs. I think fabric chairs give the table a more modern farmhouse look, and we were going for a more rustic look.

My husband offered to build wood benches to match the table, but I am not a fan of benches for dining room tables. It is a hassle sliding in and out of the bench.

Farmhouse Table with flowers in the middle sitting on a burlap runner.

After months of searching for chairs, I came across these gorgeous bistro chairs from World Market. They are not great quality, but they match almost perfectly and look amazing with our farmhouse style table.

DIY Farmhouse Dining Table with a flower arrangement in the middle

The rest of the Farmhouse dining room

In our dining room, we have a handmade bar cabinet that looks fantastic with my handmade farmhouse table. I picked up the bar cabinet at an antique market called Third Sunday Market in Bloomington, Illinois. You can check out all of my other favorite finds from myย Third Sunday Marketย blog post.

The DIY farmhouse dining table and the gorgeous bar cabinet give the dining room farmhouse charm which makes the perfect setting for dinner parties and family dinners. I love the modern farmhouse style of this entire space.

DIY Farmhouse Table

As part of the dining room upgrade, I painted the walls with Farrow & Ball Elephantโ€™s Breath. I chose this color because itโ€™s neutral, and I think neutral tones go with everything. Since the wall color is neutral, I felt like our dining space needed a pop of color so I chose a sheer light blue curtain that I picked up at TJ Maxx.

DIY Farmhouse Table

Love the table

I absolutely LOVE my DIY farmhouse table, but what I love most is that my husband made it for me! It looks handmade, which is exactly what I was hoping for, and I will definitely cherish this table and my husbandโ€™s hard work forever!

xoxo,
Molly

P.S. I want to give a huge shout-out to my friends at Forget Me Not Flowers in Bloomington, Illinois for creating the most gorgeous centerpiece for my farmhouse table. I wanted a country chic farmhouse dรฉcor look, and their creation was perfect!

Photo of rustic flowers centerpiece on burlap runner.
Pinterest Image for DIY farmhouse dining table

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christie Dunn

    April 14, 2019 at 5:59 am

    I love it!!! So very pretty! I have worked on a few projects but don’t have the time I would like these days to do very much.

    Reply
    • Living in Normal

      April 14, 2019 at 9:04 am

      Thanks, Christie!
      I know what you mean, this table took forever to make because life gets busy. But it was worth the wait!
      Molly

      Reply
  2. Paula Campbell

    April 14, 2019 at 7:29 am

    Oh, I love your farmhouse table and chairs! You and your husband did a great job! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Living in Normal

      April 14, 2019 at 9:03 am

      Thanks, Paula!
      Molly

      Reply
  3. Diana

    April 14, 2019 at 7:52 am

    I love the farmhouse style, and this is an absolutely beautiful piece of furniture, your husband did a fantastic job and you saved tons of money at the same time by DIY! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Living in Normal

      April 14, 2019 at 9:03 am

      Thanks, Diana!
      I know, I can’t believe how much money this saved us! I’m so glad he made it for us!
      Molly

      Reply
  4. Briana

    April 14, 2019 at 8:16 am

    This is beautiful!! What a fantastic project!

    Reply
    • Living in Normal

      April 14, 2019 at 9:02 am

      Thanks, Briana!
      Molly

      Reply
  5. Kelly

    April 14, 2019 at 8:22 am

    Gorgeous! And I love Ana White’s plans they are all so great.

    Reply
    • Living in Normal

      April 14, 2019 at 9:01 am

      Thanks, Kelly!
      I will have to look at more of her plans to figure out the next project! Ha!
      Molly

      Reply
  6. Lisa

    April 14, 2019 at 8:38 am

    What a true labor of love. Absolutely gorgeous table.

    Reply
    • Living in Normal

      April 14, 2019 at 9:01 am

      Thank you, Lisa!
      Molly

      Reply
  7. Aaron @ BuildingOurNest

    April 14, 2019 at 8:45 am

    I am obsessed with farmhouse tables, as well, but the price is generally a huge barrier. I absolutely love DIY projects, especially when I can get my hubby involved as well. I know what the next project Iโ€™m suggesting will be!!

    Reply
    • Living in Normal

      April 14, 2019 at 9:00 am

      Aaron,
      It took a lot of convincing, but so glad my hubby finally caved! We get so many compliments on the table, which he loves! Let me know if you all make one!
      Molly

      Reply
  8. Hannah

    April 14, 2019 at 9:37 am

    Love the table!! Your husband is very talented! Maybe I can coax mine into building me a new vanity ๐Ÿ˜‰ haha! I came across your link in the It’s A Lovely Life April challenge, and was intrigued by your blog name because I had a hunch you probably lived in Normal, IL. I went to college at ISU and now work in Normal! Such a small world! Love seeing someone so close taking part in this challenge too ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Living in Normal

      April 14, 2019 at 4:08 pm

      Haha! That’s funny! It is a small world! Hopefully you can get a vanity made soon!

      Reply
  9. Jeanne

    April 14, 2019 at 12:52 pm

    Great job hubby on the building! I’ve made many wrong cuts so I can empathize with the frustration. Great job on the staining – I see you also don’t use gloves sometimes ๐Ÿ™‚ The table and decor in the dining room are perfect!

    Reply
    • Living in Normal

      April 14, 2019 at 4:07 pm

      Thanks, Jeanne! Yes, the glove got in the way! My hands were stained for days! It’s crazy how the stain wasn’t what I was expecting, but I love it!

      Reply
  10. Tracy

    April 14, 2019 at 3:12 pm

    This table is gorgeous! I would love to be able to have a table like this! (guess I need to talk to my hubby lol)

    Reply
    • Living in Normal

      April 14, 2019 at 4:06 pm

      Thanks, Tracy! I promise, it wasn’t too bad! My husband is not a carpenter, but he did an amazing job. The directions are pretty simple! I hope the hubby will make you one!

      Reply
  11. Carrie Holmes

    April 16, 2019 at 1:02 pm

    I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this! Thanks for the inspiration and guidance to try this myself!

    Reply
    • Living in Normal

      April 18, 2019 at 7:04 am

      Thanks, Carrie! Let me know if you make one! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply

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Welcome to Living in Normal! I love sharing everyday style ideas, delicious food, real life adventures, travel, bargains and anything that makes life exciting. Learn more about Molly.




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