DIY Children's Play Tables

You can make your own children's play table with minimum building skills and pre-cut lumber from your local home improvement store. Determine the desired size of the surface of your table and have the wood cut when you purchase the lumber. This DIY project then becomes a simple matter of assembling the parts. Does this Spark an idea?

Materials

Consider the types of activities your children will be enjoying at their play table, as well as how many kids will be using the table at one time. You should then take the size of their playroom or bedroom into consideration before you decide how large the tabletop should be. Commercially available children's tables come in a range of sizes and shapes, but your hardware store may only cut a rectangle or a square for you. Have a sheet of two-inch-thick hardwood or MDF (medium density fiberboard) cut to the length and width of your tabletop.

You can also purchase paint-grade wood, depending on the finish you plan to apply. Hardwood is better for staining, while MDF should be painted. Pick up some polyurethane for a protective topcoat, no matter which finish you select. You'll also need medium and light-grade sandpaper.

For the table legs, you can purchase decorative legs at the home improvement store, but you may need to have them cut down to fit the desired height of your table. The choice is yours, but 24 inches is a common height that works well with children's chairs. Keep in mind that you will have two inches of tabletop to consider, so if the overall desired height is 24 inches, have the legs cut to 22 inches. You can attach the legs to the top with L brackets and wood screws, one for each leg. Add a brace beneath the tabletop every 16 inches--a two-inch square wood strip that runs perpendicular to the top will work. Attach it with three-inch wood screws. Iron-on wood veneer is simple to apply and works great to cover the open edges of the wood around the rim of the table.

Assembly

The first step in creating your children's play table is to attach the iron-on veneer around the edges of the tabletop. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and you'll have the edges covered in no time. It's a good idea to sand all of your wood components before you assemble the table. You should also paint or stain all of the pieces at this time too. It's easier to when they are not attached to each other. Follow the directions on the finishing products that you select, and make sure to let everything dry completely before you begin assembling.

To make the table, attach an L bracket to the top of each table leg, and then attach the legs to the underside of the tabletop, in the corners. While the tabletop is face down, attach the braces directly to the wood top; they'll help prevent the tabletop from bowing. Remove the wood shavings and debris before you turn the table over.