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DIY Table Top For Beginners (with Free Woodworking Plans!)

Are you looking to build a new DIY table top for your kitchen table? This one is super simple to build (even for beginners) and we’re giving you the free woodworking plans too!

Thank you to Kreg for sponsoring this DIY table top build! All opinions are entirely my own. This post also contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t recommend wholeheartedly. Read my full disclosure here.

Last year we built this gorgeous custom built in banquette in our breakfast nook. After we were done, we needed a table for the space so we could actually use it and I was at a loss! I couldn’t find ANYTHING that would fit the space.

Our gorgeous dark wood built in kitchen nook needs a new kitchen table

The round tables were awkward for anyone sitting in the corner. We couldn’t find a square table that fit right and the rectangular tables were all too narrow.

So, what do we do when we can’t find something that works perfectly? We DIY it!

And don’t worry guys, even if you’re a beginner when it comes to woodworking (like you’ve never built anything in your life before)…this is TOTALLY manageable. I promise.

But, here’s the thing. I had envisioned a farmhouse-style chippy paint table base with curves and details. Which is not impossible to DIY yourself, but it’s pretty darn tricky.

So to really make this project super simple and achievable in just one weekend, we took an existing table base from something I found on Facebook Marketplace for $25 and built a new DIY table top for it that fits perfectly with our banquette.

We actually got this table on Facebook Marketplace with the round top that doesn’t work “perfect”, but it works ok and we’ve been using it now for almost 2 years! I’d say it was DEFINITELY time to make this new DIY table top happen. In fact, it was long overdue!

Want to see our new DIY table top with the white farmhouse table base?

This gorgeous diy kitchen table top fits perfectly in our kitchen nook

For this fun DIY (and SUPER EASY) woodworking project we teamed up with our friends Kreg again to create the plans and share them online for free, which are now available on KregTool.com!

If you’re wondering, Kreg’s website is full of easy-to-follow woodworking plans that are all available for free! I promise that you are going to find so much inspiration while you are there!

This gorgeous dark wood table top is an easy DIY project that fits perfectly in our breakfast nook

Now the thing that makes this DIY table top an incredibly easy woodworking project that is PERFECT for beginners is the incorporation of Kreg’s pocket hole jig, which is the easiest way to join pieces of wood. Click here to learn how to use a pocket hole jig!

UPDATE: In 2021 Kreg replaced the K5 Pocket Hole system with the Kreg 720 Pro. Check out our guide all about the new Kreg 720Pro to learn more.

Kreg pocket hole jig holding a piece of wood that will make our DIY kitchen table top
Pocket hold drilled into the underside of our dark-stained wood kitchen table top
This dark wood kitchen table top is the perfect farmhouse style kitchen table for our breakfast nook

Other methods of building a kitchen table top without pocket holes involve complicated table top construction techniques like dowel joinery or biscuit joinery.

Both of these methods require jigs and extra tools to make holes in the edge of the wood for dowels or biscuits.

our diy kitchen table top is stained a gorgeous dark chesnut color

How much did it cost to build this tabletop?

Not only is this DIY table top super easy to build (even for beginners), it was pretty inexpensive.

Here’s a cost breakdown for this DIY kitchen table top:

Lumber (2×6 premium cedar) – $81.81

Polyurethane – $11.48If you’re trying to decide whether to use polyurethane vs polycrylic for your project, check out this article with an overview of each.

Wood Putty (1 Walnut & 1 Ebony) – $3.68 each – $7.36

Cabinet Screws (to attach the table to base) – $7.37

**Already hand on hand: all sandpaper, wood glue, pocket hole screws, Dark Walnut stain, and all tools required **

TOTAL COST OF DIY TABLE TOP – $108.02

If you wanted to find ways to cut costs, even more, you could choose a different type of wood that was more affordable.

Alternatively, you could also use a thinner wood and attach a border on the edge to hide the thinner wood.

Our farmhouse kitchen table top was an easy DIY project that looks amazing in our kitchen nook
A vase of flowers centered on our diy kitchen table top
shows the white stand of a table with a can of Rust-Oleum chalked paint and a can of Behr wax finish on a wood floor

What about the cost to paint the table base?

The table base was also pretty cheap to makeover. Here’s the cost breakdown for the painted table base:

TOTAL COST OF PAINTED TABLE BASE – $59.96

If you loved this, be sure to check out these other chalk paint furniture ideas!

So that means we’re into this table for approximately $170 – which is pretty good. Definitely, A LOT cheaper than buying a real wood table and the best part is that it fits perfectly in our space.

How to Make a DIY Kitchen Table Top: make this stunning dark wood kitchen table top, with woodworking plans included
How To Build A DIY Table Top

How To Build A DIY Table Top

Yield: 1 Table Top
Active Time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $100

This kitchen tabletop is so easy to build, even for beginners. We incorporated pocket hole joinery to join the table slats together and used an old table base from something we already had and repainted it

Materials

Tools

  • Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
  • Air Compressor
  • Clamps
  • Drill
  • Hammer
  • Impact Driver
  • Jointer
  • Miter Saw
  • Orbital Sander
  • Square
  • Table Saw
  • Tape Measure

Instructions

  1. Cut wood.
  2. Run wood through jointer.
  3. Drill pocket holes.
  4. Assemble table slats.
  5. Sand sand square table interior.
  6. Add border slats.
  7. Sand table top flat.
  8. Fill gaps and sand.
  9. Stain and finish.
  10. Assemble table.

Notes

Cut list:

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