Build a round diy dining table

It’s been a long time since I got around to writing an article… Life got in the way and sometimes showed itself from its turbulent side, but sometimes also from its (renovation) everyday side.

Now I finally get to make a sound – because I really want to share my new DIY dining table with you.

I’m sure you all know them – the stylish round dining tables that are omnipresent on Instagram right now. Best with only one foot, a column or a complicated construction in the middle. They are available from some of the most renowned manufacturers, of course especially from Scandinavia. And they are just beautiful. Problem: This beauty also has its price.

And since it is a table for our country house, I did not want to spend tens of thousands of euros on it… Nevertheless, a round dining table was a must. So it was clear that I want to try to build myself a dining table.

And here is your DIY tutorial!

Material list – what you need for the DIY

Drainage pipe (ca. 38cm diameter – can be ordered online or in well-stocked hardware stores)
Round table top made of plywood (mine has a diameter of 110cm and a thickness of 3cm)
1 glued wood panel 40x80cm
1 glued wood plate 60x80cm
Wooden strips / wallpaper strip flat profile (15 pieces of 240x4cm)
Thin wood screws (self-tapping – I prefer to use Spax)
Jigsaw
Pencil
1 bag of sand
Chalk paint
Parquet varnish
Brush
Paint roller
Assembly adhesive from the cartridge
Cartridge press
Tape measure
Nail
thread
Spirit level

DIY Step by Step – how to build a round dining table

A few measurements and explanations in advance:
The standard height of a dining table is between 70 and 80 centimeters – my table is 76 centimeters high. Since the table top is 3 centimeters thick and the base is 2 centimeters, I shortened the tube to 71 centimeters.

First I shortened the tube to the appropriate length. Since it is made of very solid hard plastic, I recommend you to use a jigsaw. The most important thing is that the cut is straight – otherwise the table will wobble later, and there’s not much that’s more annoying than a wobbling table… For this, I drew in the length of 71 centimeters every 3-4 centimeters and connected the marks together. When sawing, proceed slowly and with concentration!
Then I sawed out "pegs" for the tube – wooden discs that fit exactly into the tube and attach it to the top of the table and the bottom of the base. For this purpose, I placed the tube on the smaller glued wood plate and traced the inner circumference with a pencil. I did this 2 times – for the bottom and for the top. Important: Test right away if you can put the tube over the disc – if not, you need to do some improvements.
I sawed out the foot from the larger glued plywood – it has a diameter of 50 centimeters. I drew the circle using a rather old-fashioned trick: Tie a 25 centimeter thread to a pencil and a nail. The nail you hammer lightly in the middle of the plate – then you simply draw the circle with tightened thread. Ready.
The one "plug" (sorry, I can’t think of a better word…) I put exactly in the middle of the underside of the tabletop and screwed it with many screws.
I did the same with the foot. So now the table top and base have the two wooden discs in the middle.
I put the foot on the floor and put the tube on top of it so that it sits firmly on the "plug" – and quite flush on the foot. It must not wobble. After that you can screw the tube with thin wood screws to the wooden disk. It is now no longer visible, the tube is firmly on the foot.
The trick to make the table guaranteed wobble-free: Now put the bag with sand (or similar – the main thing is heavy) into the tube or pour the sand into it. So simply gets the light table the necessary stability!
Next, place the tabletop on the tube so that the wooden disc on top of it disappears into the tube – just plug it… Here, too, the tabletop must lie flush on the tube, the disc must no longer be visible.
Finally, screw the tube to the "plug" on the inside.

Now the table is actually finished – but not really pretty yet…

This is how you embellish your DIY dining table

I went back and forth on whether to paint the table black or leave it natural – I really love the look of raw plywood. But since I would like to have chairs made of unpainted wood, I chose black.

So I painted the entire table with black chalk paint ("Athenian Black" by Annie Sloan – paid for myself) – including the pipe, because if there are small gaps between the wooden slats, you don’t want orange to show through…

Then comes my favorite part: attaching the wooden strips!

First I sawed the wooden slats exactly to 71 centimeters length. For the first bar I drew a vertical line with the spirit level, the bars should not be crooked…
On the backs of the strips I applied assembly glue and then glued the strips close together and pressed them down briefly. With a good assembly glue this is sufficient – you should not necessarily take the cheapest here.

When all the strips were glued on, I gave the glue time to dry – and admired my work beforehand!

After that the whole table got a layer of black paint, which I sealed with parquet varnish. For the plate I took the trouble to apply 3 layers with a varnish roller (in between let it dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions!) – the plate should also be able to withstand something and I do not want to constantly admonish the offspring to put down the cutlery carefully. Now the table is absolutely family friendly. Important: Make sure that the varnish has the Blue Angel and is therefore not toxic.

Another idea would be to cover the table foot with gold or silver foil or to apply a high gloss varnish on the naked tube. Or how about marble look? I’m afraid I’ll have to build a few more side tables…

And here again the finished DIY dining table – who would have thought what you can build from a chipboard and a drainpipe..