Easy Farmhouse Table DIY: An Upcycle for Beginners

Looking for a new farmhouse table but don’t want to break the bank? This easy tutorial will do the trick. Plus, it’s a great project for beginners. 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that all things farmhouse are the current rage in home decorating. And yes, even if you don’t live in an actual farmhouse. We’ve just purchased our first home and it’s about a mile away from downtown Indianapolis, which means that there isn’t a farm to be seen, but that doesn’t mean I can’t DIY all the things and add that warm, rustic feeling. Hence, this easy farmhouse table upcycle. 

This simple black table from IKEA fit our condo perfectly but looked really drab in the new house. I wasn’t feeling it so I decided to search the web for the perfect farmhouse table to go in our dining room. I immediately suffered from sticker shock and couldn’t believe how much stores were charging. I mean, after all, they are supposed to look like they have had years of use but they aren’t actually vintage. 

Naturally, I decided to do what I always do when I don’t wont to pay full price for something… I upcycled my bleak IKEA table into the beautiful upcycled farmhouse table of my dreams. 

 

 

What you will need:

• White chalk paint 
• Fine grit sandpaper 
• Sanding block
• Minwax Polycrylic
• Minwax Dark Walnut Stain 
• Paintbrushes
• Soft rag for staining 
• Liquid Nails
• Your current dining room table (or find a cheap one at a thrift store/garage sale/marketplace)
• 2×4 pine wood (length depending on your table) 

Because I don’t own a saw or anything else exciting and capable of cutting, I went to my local lumber yard and had them do the heavy work for me. I purchased seven (7) boards each totaling eight (8) feet in length. Because my current table wasn’t quite as long as I wanted it to be, I had the boards cut down to seven (7) feet This gave me 8 extra inches in length at each end of my table. 

Once you’re ready to start, paint your current table completely white with the exception of the top. My table needed two coats of the white chalk paint to cover it properly. 

Sand the fresh cut wood on all sides with a sanding block. You want the boards to be as smooth as possible, especially on the edges as well as the ends. 

 

Lay your boards on top of your table so you can get an idea of placement. I numbered mine once I configured them exactly so. 

 

 

Using the Minwax Dark Walnut Stain, start applying a thin layer to each side of all the boards with a soft cloth. I used a darker color because it matches pretty well with our hardwood floors, but you can choose whichever stain fits your space the best. 

 

 

Allow boards to dry completely. I think mine took about an hour or so. 

 

 

Measure your table carefully! 

Because my table required seven boards, I place one of them directly in the middle which allowed me to lay three more boards on each side. The only measuring I had to do was to get the first one in place properly. 

 

 

Secure each board to the top of the table with a pretty heavy stream using Liquid Nails. Any part of the surface that isn’t covered the boards will not stick to it. 

 

This part is optional, but we chose to use clamps to hold some of the boards in place that had larger gaps than the others. This just allowed the Liquid Nails to dry where we needed it to. 

 

 

I let the Liquid Nails dry overnight. Once you are sure yours is dry, you can begin painting on thin coats of  Minwax Polycrylic to seal the wood of our farmhouse table. We all know how many beatings a dining table can take. You want this bad boy to be as protected as possible. Using multiple thin coats is much better than gooping it on. If it dries thick it will leave a blue hue. 

There are many finishes of Minwax Polycrylic. I chose a semi-gloss so it’s easier to clean. 

 

Let the Minwax Polycrylic dry for at least 30 minutes between coats. 

 

 

While the tabletop is drying, grab your fine grit sandpaper and begin distressing the frame. This is where you get to go as crazy as you want or as conservative as you want. I prefer the aged look so I roughed mine up. Because the table was already black, I just sanded lightly allowing that finish to show through. You don’t want to press too hard or you won’t achieve the right look. 

 

 

Sand in all the places where normal wear would occur. Or make it up as you go. Either way, just do whatever looks better to you. This is just my way of doing it. 

 

Once you have distressed your farmhouse table to your likings, seal the chalk paint with the Minwax Polycrylic as well. Chalk paint chips very easily and so you want to seal it in order to keep it just as it is.

Let dry. 

 

 

And voila! Your easy farmhouse table is complete. 

 

 

If you would like to save this project for the future, be sure to pin this easy DIY farmhouse table to your favorite board.