Dining Table DIY

There's nothing quite like the thrill of when you beat "The Man".
There are lots of ways to do it. But today I'm talking about making something you love, that would have cost way more than wisdom suggests, if you had chosen to bow down to "The Man" and bought it at a store.
Dining tables. Such a racket right? They cost a t-o-n.  At least they do when you are looking for a solid wood table that seats up to ten people (mama likes to entertain).
Being unwilling to pay money that causes us physical pain has led us through a parade of tables throughout the years from Ikea and Craigslist.
Some lacked quality, some lacked style, and some lacked the ability to stand up to red sauce and markers*.

But we wanted it ALL. Muah-hah-haaaa!
So guys, we made ourselves a table! Because we're Americans dammit.
With the quality, style, and durability we wanted.  And we did it for $225.

Here's how it happened:

-We were inspired by this DIY table. But we knew we wanted to change a few things. For one, neither of us are really into the whole rustic barn theme, so we went for a seamless, smooth top.
To do that, we chose wide plank pine, and then braced it underneath with oak for stability (since it's a harder wood, and I think sets off our oak pepper mill nicely.)

-We also wanted to be able to fit 10 people at the table. But, instead of making it longer, which didn't really fit our room, we made it a wider 4x6. This way we can seat two chairs on the end, and the extra depth in the middle is perfect for laying food out or playing games. Food and Games -important!

-For me it was important to achieve a light wood finish. We used a clear Polyurethane to finish the top. I think Kent spent about two weeks sanding, and staining, sanding and staining, until it was sealed and smooth.
It looked great! Only....yellow. Like Winnie the Pooh, like, not what I was hoping for.
So, Kent stripped it back down to the boards with what I think was some kind of napalm.
And being the kind and patient soul he is, we started over. This time, we experimented with a pickle finish, and added white primer to the poly and painted that on to stain it.
Whoops. It was too much white, and with the brush marks, it looked a little *gasp* rustic.
But we were close, after Kent stripped it back down to the boards, we added just one or two drops of white to the poly, and came out with the perfect shade of pine for our table.
YES!
The legs were  trial and error as well. We started out with these ikea trestle legs like the tutorial used, but they were a little wimpy, and the top wiggled in a way that suggest tipping...as Oliver says, no panks.
But we liked the idea of metal, so we put these guys on. They are much more stable and we are keeping them for now. (Although, I put a bug in Kent's ear to get back out in the garage and build me a leg base like this. (Which let me tell you, is like asking Kent to go eat donuts, or listen to 80s music loud.)

I think what I love most about this new table, is that it is anything but precious. We've already put a notch in the side while we were making it, and the finish is perfectly imperfect. Whatever comes it's way, I ain't worried. It is ready for game nights, big meals, and sticky fingers!

*Our previous table had this beautiful glossy white finish...it didn't stand a chance. I'm going in another direction these days. Indestructible. We also waved goodbye to upholstered chairs and are now warmly embracing metal chairs. This had revolutionized meal and craft times for me. I have zero worries.