Our original kitchen table was a beautiful antique given to us by my mother-in-law. The table seated four and had one of those pop-up inserts that folded up from the middle of the table. Small, space-saving, old, beautiful, and, absolutely unsuitable for three toddlers who ate like a pack of hyenas, and also far too rickety for bearing the weight of butchering various farm animals on it. After a year and a half of three toddlers eating at our antique table, the cracks were stuffed with food, the legs had milk all over them, the chairs were falling apart, and we may be accidentally cut our tabletop with a bone saw. We decided we needed a new table more suited to our lifestyle. Now I always wanted an old-fashioned farm table. I wanted a big slab of usable wood that you could cut a carcass on or roll out bread dough on, a usable work surface, sturdy, with no cracks for food to fall into. Offended at the price of tables in the stores, we decided we could make our own.
We decided to use dimensional lumber for the tables and benches because the wood was relatively cheap. We also spent quite a bit of time researching what to finish our table with. We needed the finish to be non-toxic of course, since our kids eat off the table, but also sturdy enough to withstand the eating habits of three young kids. We finally decided on Danish oil, natural colored. We tested pieces of wood stained with Danish oil to see if it could really live up to its reputation. We squished blueberries, tomato sauce, and magic marker into the wood to see if the sealant would hold. And it did! The marker, strangely enough, was the hardest to get off of but then it rubbed away after a couple of days of using a damp rag with soap. I’d strongly suggest ‘Washable’ markers. Also, crayon comes off.
My husband designed the table and built it. I was in charge of sanding and staining, as usual. He not only designed a beautiful table that had no cracks for food to fall into but, it was also sturdy enough to butcher on and that three kids could sit on it. Literally, we can’t keep them off of our new table. It’s very strange but they treat the table like a floor that is higher than the other floors, they sit on it all the time, doing puzzles, coloring, and playing with toys. I even find myself sitting on it. It has become the centerpiece of our house.
Also, I never thought I wanted benches at my kitchen table but now that I have them I’m glad I do. I can easily fit eight adults at my table and the benches are easy to clean. Now I have to admit occasionally, (i.e. daily) my kids tumble off these benches and onto the floor but they used to fall out of the chairs too. Gravity is strong with my kids. One of the best things about these benches is that they fit snug under the table, like a glove, where nothing is sticking out from under the table, which makes them a great space saver. Then benches are also very beefy, heavy enough that they won’t flip over if my kids stand on the end but my four year old can pull them out. I put felt on the bottom of the feet so they are easier to slide and they don’t scratch the floor.
It’s been a little over a year now since we’ve built our table and I’m very happy with it. It’s just as strong as the day we built it and the Danish oil finish still looks great. I think the only negative thing I have to say about it is that dimensional lumber is soft so there are some dings in it. But in our defense, if a kid takes a fork and repeatedly stabs your table in the same spot when you are out of the room, that is going to leave a mark regardless of the wood.Â
love your commentary. Your children sound like a handful but you seem to manage them without any serious stress. I cannot think what my mother would have done if my brother or I had “taken a fork and repeatedly” stabbed our kitchen table.(lol) Your DIY table is a beauty and I hope you have it for many years to come. While my father didn’t make our kitchen table he did refinish it some years after it was first purchased. I am still using that same table in my kitchen and I am 70 years old; it’s been in our family now for almost the same number of years. I hope your table brings you and your family the same joy and wonderful memories that our little birch table has given my family.
Thanks Susan for sharing your memories with us. I hope that our table will be able to stay in the family for generations to come. Although the table is only a few years old it already holds a special place in our family. Years from now I can look at it and say, ‘Here is where Imre stabbed our table with a fork when it was only 4 months old’. Ha Ha!