Tips on Building an Outdoor Table

Whether looking to build a table to sit on your patio or a series of picnic tables for use in a park, building your own wood table allows you to create an aesthetically pleasing table for less than a commercial model of a similar style. Outdoor tables must be built to withstand more hardships than indoor tables, which remain protected from the elements. Does this Spark an idea?

Choosing a Style

Outdoor tables come in a variety of shapes and sizes and it is important to look at the area your table will be placed before beginning work on your table. Knowing where your table will be placed, what other furniture will be around it and how it will be used allows you to create or select a table design that suits the way your table will be utilized.

Weatherproofing

As an outdoor table is likely to experience a wide range of weather conditions, ranging from intense sun and heat to days where a great deal of rain or snow falls on the table, it is important to ensure that your table has the proper weatherproofing. Select a paint or stain for your table that is advertised as weather safe. After completing your painting or staining, apply a weather-proof finish to the table for extra protection against the elements.

Limitations

Woodworking provides a great deal of joy at the completion and use of a successfully finished craft project; however, entering a project with unrealistic expectations leads to frustration. If you are inexperienced at woodworking, a simple table design is likely your best bet. Similarly, if you are working with access to a limited shop, such as just a table saw and circular saw, then a simpler design will be required to ensure your tools can handle the job. Attempting to build a table beyond your means and ending up with a weak structure is particularly risky with a table that will be left outdoors.

Table Tops

Outdoor table tops come in a variety of shapes. The simplest top for a table you are creating is to simply lay wood planks side-by-side to create a surface, and can be employed with aesthetically pleasing results. A more adventurous craftsman may elect to attempt a design with an inlaid surface however. For an inlay, a rim around the border is left higher than the rest of the table top, allowing a top made of glass, tile or slate to be placed inside where it sits flush with the top of the rim.

Seating

Seating around a table is often as important as the table itself. A table such as a picnic table comes with seating attached to it; however, picnic tables are not the only table which can benefit from attached seating. A square patio table with four attached seats, with one off each side of the table, creates a self-contained table unit.