Concrete Dining Table – DIY for less
Hi and Welcome back! Â We finally have a dining table! Â Woo-whoo! Â I’m so excited to share this with you all today. Â I made a concrete dining table and I’ve NEVER worked with concrete before. Â I wasn’t sure this would turn out, and I made LOTS of mistakes, but I’ll take you through how I did it and what not to do ;). Â Sorry, it’s a little lengthy!Â
It’s a weird thing to figure out your home style. Â I started here with a blank slate and just sort of added things as IÂ built or made them. Â I thought I was going to go the farmhouse-style route, but as it turns out I’ve got more of an industrial vibe going on here. Â That’s actually pretty cool! Â I started seeing my projects described as “industrial”, so now I’m sort of embracing it and loving it. Â If you want some great tips on how to figure out your style, go check out THIS article by Lauren at Bless’er House. Â She’s turned her self-described “Cookie-Cutter” home into something that is so fabulously her own.
Anyway, I was originally going to build this table with a wooden top, much like I built my friend Jeni’s table HERE. Â But, since I was kind of on an industrial trip, I tried to think of what may fit in this room a little better. Â The dining area is open to the living/game room area, so I wanted it to look like it belonged. Â We were talking and talking and talking about filling a hole in the yard with concrete, and I started thinking. Â Concrete can be pretty, right?
So, after doing a bit of “research” I found a concrete dining table on Restoration Hardware’s site for $2,500!  It’s beautiful (just as I expected it would be), but I don’t have $2,500 for one piece of furniture, no matter how nice it is.  So, I started looking around for how I could build a concrete dining table myself.
During my research, I found THIS tutorial by DIY Pete and it was fantastic. Â Pete is great and he makes his steps so easy to follow. Â I probably read through that article 10 times before I even attempted to start. Â I should have followed him to the tee, but I made a few mistakes. Â Everything he says is not copied here, but, if you are interested in building a concrete dining table, go visit Pete. Â You will not regret it! Â I will outline my process and highlight some of the places I went wrong.
First thing was you have a build a mold. Â Again, I’ve NEVER worked with concrete, so I don’t know what I’m doing. Â Pete suggests getting plywood with a melamine coated side. Â The Lowe’s here in our little town didn’t have that, so I ran into my first problem.
Now, what I should have done was drive an hour to the city to find a piece that would work. Â But, because I’m impatient, I didn’t do that. Â Also, I don’t even know if they make it in a size this large. Â After talking it through with my newly-employed and thinks-I’m-crazy new BFF Lowe’s employee, I decided I would make my own melamine lined board. Â I bought a piece of plywood, and since I don’t have a table saw, I had my friend cut it at Lowes to the size I wanted. Â He cut the top to be 84×40″ Â for me. Â I used a piece of sturdy plywood that cost about $20. Â I then found one of these thin sheets of melamine in the back and decided to grab it to line my board with.
So, since the board was already cut, I traced it onto the melamine  and used a razor blade to cut.
Lowes did have smaller sheets of the the melamine lined plywood, and I got my friend at Lowe’s to cut those down to four long strips at 2.25″ wide for the sides.  I attached three sides before I put my melamine sheet on top.  See Pete’s post for more detailed instructions on how to make the mold.
Once I had the 3 sides on, I slid the melamine sheet in, trimming as needed. Â When I got it to just the right size, I glued it down.
Then I clamped it and used some heavy stuff to mash it all down.
Side note – I should have been a little more careful here. I had one corner where it didn’t get pressed down all the way. Â I thought the weight of the concrete would press everything else down, but it didn’t and I have one corner that turns up just enough to drive me crazy, although everybody else says they can’t see it :).
Then I added the fourth side and took some time to make sure it was nice and clean.
Pete suggests using reinforcement. Â Since my top was going to be way bigger than his, I added the mesh but also wanted to add some rebar to the sides to make it a little more sturdy and less likely to break off. Â I laid all my reinforcements out before I got started to make sure everything would fit.
Then I removed the reinforcements, caulked the sides, and cleaned it again.   I used 100% silicone caulk and just  followed Pete’s directions.  Once the caulk is dry, it’s time to mix some concrete.
Now the mixing! Â Fun, fun :). Â I recommend some heavy duty gloves, the little disposable ones rip pretty evenly when you’re hand mixing. Â I also recommend practicing first to get the hang of the right consistency. Â I was able to make it work, but it’s a little uneven. Â It was also a bit of a workout.
Here is the mix I used, it’s supposed to be stronger than others. Â I figured it was worth it. Â The price was around $5 per bag and I used 5 bags. Â My table dimensions are 84x40x1.50″. Â Make sure you buy enough concrete, I had to make a super quick trip to Lowe’s, in my messy clothes, because I only bought 4 bags. Â That was not fun :).
I also added one bottle of this color for every two bags of concrete to get that dark grey color.  I tried a couple of things.  First, I added it to the water before pouring the concrete in, but that didn’t work very well because it separated and I had to try and pull the color off the bottom.  For the next bag, I tried adding in at the same time I added the concrete, and that actually worked better.  But the best way was to mix the water and concrete until it was the consistency I wanted and then added the color in and mix it around.
Then I just started mixing and packing it in. Â It was a LOT of work and hard to do, but I did it all by myself! Â I just worked fast and did one bag at a time.
So, the reason I have the form sitting up on the 2×4 stacks is that I don’t have a work table that I could set this on.  I wanted to be able to tap the bottom, so I did this so I could get under the table and tap away with a hammer if that makes since.  So, I did my tapping all around and underneath to release the air bubbles.  Then the skimming and smoothing and it looked like so…
Then I let it dry for about a week, just to be safe. Â I seemed ready the next day, but I wanted it to be as solid as possible. Â Then I removed the sides and flipped it over (my husband had to help – it was crazy heavy).
When I pulled my melamine made board off, it didn’t look great :(. Â As it turns out, my tapping the bottom plan didn’t’ work so well. Â This was supposed to be the top, but the other side looked much better, so I decided that the part that was supposed to be the top was going to be the bottom. Â I still wanted it to be nice and sturdy, so while the bottom was faced up, I sanded and filled the holes with the Portland cement and let it dry. Â I also put a couple of coats of the sealant on to make it all nice and “together”.
See all those holes :(? Â It took forever, but again, this turned out to be the bottom, so it’s okay.
Then, I flipped it back over and worked on the top. Â I again, filled any holes with Portland cement and sanded it, filled and sanded it, and kept going until it was done.
At this point, my top still wasn’t as smooth as I wanted. Â It was very close, but since I didn’t want to keep sanding it, afraid I would knock more holes in it, I decided to stop. Â I sealed it with two coats of sealer, then used Polycrylic on the top, very lightly sanding between coats. Â I also made sure and let it completely cure between coats – maybe a day or so. Â I put about 4 coats and now it is nice and smooth.
It’s also way stronger than I thought. Â I was worried it was going to be sort of brittle, but all the sealant and poly did the trick!
Then I let it dry and that was pretty much it. Â The top probably cost around $110. Â I bought 5 bags of concrete and 1 bag of portland cement – $35. Â The board and melamine and sides cost about $50. Â I spent about $30 on Polycryclic, color and sandpaper. Â This is an estimate, but close to what I spent.
So, for the base concrete dining table I needed it to be STRONG.  I used THESE plans from Ana White.  I picked these, because I have built this base twice before and I knew I could make it strong enough to hold that top and that I could do it so that I wouldn’t have to drill into the top.
So, here are the modifications I made. Â First, I made it a foot shorter. Â So, all the measurements, subtract 12″ from the length if you want it to fit a top that is 84×40.
I then made the legs all one piece (steps 1-7).  I just added all the boards on each side leg at one time, like this. Sorry about my thumb in the pic.
I always have a little trouble with the x in the middle, I usually have to shave little bits off here and there.  My  miter saw isn’t the most accurate and the ends were closer to 45 degrees (the plans say 50 degrees on the ends, but this needed a slight modification because it was a little shorter).  I usually take a straight piece as a guide so I can see right where the shorter “x” boards would line up.
Then I clamp it a use the clamp to “pull” it together until it’s in the just right spot.
Then I added two more supports across the top, one on each side.  Then I flipped it and made double sure it was going to fit the top :).
Now, time to sand and stain.  I actually enjoy sanding.  It’s kind of nice for me, for some weird reason. Anyway,after a lot of sanding,  I painted on one coat of Minwax Special Walnut.  It was nice, but I wanted it to be a little  more “ash-y”.  That’s a word, no?  Anyway, I mixed an almost white, tannish wall paint with water.  About half and half ratio.  Then I took a rag a wiped it on, blending it in as I went.  That gave me this finish, which is really full of depth.
Then I did 3 more coats of Polycrylic and added some heavy duty furniture levelers. Â I’ve used the same ones before and they are super heavy duty and work great. The only part is, they don’t come with instructions. Here is a pic of how to do it, just in case you need it.
DONE! Â Whew! Â That was something. Except, wait…we had to get it in. Â The bottom part was easy, me and the hubs moved it in and made sure it was in the correct spot. Â
At this point, I made sure it was level with the furniture levelers.
The top was a different story. Â We estimated that it weighs over 500 lbs. Â So, I had to bribe people over with burgers and beer. Â It took a lot of us, and some dog beds, but we eventually got it in.
The whole thing was quite comical, but we did it!
I put some double sided tape on the top of the legs, but as it turns out, I didn’t need it.  So, I had the guys lift it back up and I ripped it off.  In his article, Pete suggests  using caulk where the legs meet the table, but it is so heavy it really doesn’t need anything.  I tried to get it to slide off — nope!  I still might add it, but it’s okay like so.
So, there it is- my concrete dining table.  It wasn’t easy, but it was doable.  With minimal tools, and no concrete experience, I was still able to pull it off, so I’m convinced anyone could do it!  With the wood, stain, poly and furniture levelers, the base was still under $100, making the whole project less than $200.  Really!  Score!
Please let me know if you have any questions, or if anything doesn’t make sense.
Materials list – concrete dining tableÂ
I have added this material list because I’ve had so many questions. This is unsponsored, but does contain affiliate links, which you can find out more about HERE. Â Please let me know if you have any more questions!
Concrete dining table top
Melamine lined plywood (or regular plywood lined with melamine sheets)
Screws
concrete
Concrete color of your choice(optional)
Sand paper
Base for concrete dining table
See plans HERE for list of basic parts for base
2 additional 2x4s for extra support
Minwax stain in Special Walnut (or color of your choice)
tan paint mixed with water
What do you think? Â Could you use a concrete dining table? Â Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks for stopping by!
April
Concrete Dining Table
Pin for later!
April, this is AMAZING. Your best project yet! It looks so beautiful and will be perfect in your dining room.
Thank you so much Kim :).
The only question I had is if you added color to the Portland mix like you did the other?
I am in the middle of it right now (it is drying!) I love this post. It has been so helpful.
Hi Jonathan! I did not add color to the Porland Cement, but that’s a good question! I’d love to see a pic when you are done. Glad I could help :).
Thanks for the quick response!
I was just curious cause I wanted it to match the color since I made mine the same charcoal as yours. Will the Portland blend in with the charcoal or is it a lighter color?
It is a bit of a different color, but that doesn’t bother me. It looks more like a “natural” stone, if that makes sense. I actually have another post about the second table like this I built, but it’s probably too late because it sounds like you’ve already started on this one. If you do decide to add color to the Portland cement, it still might not be the exact same color. But, honestly in 2 years I haven’t noticed it until I just went to look, haha.
Here is the second one. It has a totally different appearance. https://www.uncookiecutter.com/concrete-table/
Would love to see the second post! Do you have a link?
Yep! Here ya go – https://www.uncookiecutter.com/concrete-table/
WOW!! This is AMAZING April!! Love it
Thank you Amy!!
This turned out perfect! It is beautiful. I hate it when I mess-up on project and I can see it, but everyone tells me “they cannot” or “it looks fine” –I feel like it is there way of telling me not to stress over it, but then every time I see the mistake I cringe. Great post–Lots of photos, love it.
I know what you mean! We had guests over last night and I was pointing out all the little imperfections I noticed and then I thought “i’m crazy, stop talking” haha. Thanks Jess!
I love a good knock-off and this is amazing! I like yours better! Pinning!
Wow, thanks so much Roxanne!
April this is absolutely gorgeous! Would love to see the chairs you choose to go with it!
haha, me too! I can’t decide and they are so expensive :(! Thanks so much Kelley!
That looks beautiful. I am seriously impressed that you were able to do all of that yourself (expect for the transport, of course). Way to go.
Thanks so much Stephanie!
Unbelievable! You did such a great job on this. I’m going to share it with my brother who is really DIY furniture projects. Congratulations on your beautiful new table and thanks for sharing!
Thank you Elizabeth!
This. Is. Awesome! I love this so much, and I’m pinning because we’re considering some remodelling and I think this would make a great island counter-top! Save some serious cash, and add a little interest! Thanks so much for sharing this!
Oh Jen, this would be awesome as a countertop! I couldn’t believe how cheap concrete is – a lot of bang for your buck! Thanks for stopping by!
Woah! I know that was a ton of work but it turned out AWESOME!!! Thanks so much for the shoutout too!
Thanks Lauren! I just love that post you did, so helpful!
You’ve done it again! I seriously LOVE your style, and this table 🙂 Thanks for sharing at the Talented Tuesday party! Love seeing your projects! PS – If you’re ever looking for someone to collaborate with, I’m loving the industrial style right now too 🙂
Thank you so much, and let me know what you have in mind! I’m game :).
Your table looks amazing! I love it! It’s so unique. I also love that shelf you made! So interesting! Thanks for sharing the details of this cool project!
Thanks so much Emily!
All I can say is WOW. It looks great, and you are amazing. And if you think that anyone could do it, you are wrong. 😉
Thanks Leslie! It really wasn’t so bad, however I’m going to lay off the concrete for awhile (we did some in the backyard too). Thanks for stopping by!
This looks great! We recently made a wooden table for our patio that is similar but all wood. This is truly amazing. I hope to give this a try some day when we are in our forever home – because I do not have to move a concrete table! Simply Amazing!
Thank you Elizabeth! That is true, you do NOT want to move this thing. If we ever sell, I’ll probably leave it, haha.
April, this is amazing! I love how it has a concrete top to it. When I initially saw the picture on Facebook I assumed it was a standard wood top. Such a great idea! I have not used concrete in any project yet, and to be honest is all terrify’s me. I will say, I love your DIY weighs, You gotta do what you gotta do!
Thanks Emily! It wasn’t so bad, the concrete. I did have a few people (*men) look at me and laugh when I told them my idea, so you know I HAD to do it ;). Go try it, it’s cheap! Start with a small piece and see how it goes! I’m loving it!
This looks awesome and is feeding my granite top dining table ideas.
I’m curious as to what type of wood you used for the base, as it is carrying all that weight?
Just standard 2×4 studs. They are super strong and it is evenly dispersed. Thanks so much for stopping by! Good luck with your table 🙂
April, you inspire me SO much. You take on some BIG projects and they are always awesome! This is fabulous. Make me one next!?! 🙂
Sure!! Although, I’m pretty sure the shipping would be about the same cost as the Resto one, haha. I’m also pretty sure you could make it, you are pretty good yourself! Thanks for stopping by Sara!
woman you are amazing! This is my favorite project of yours I’ve seen. And I love the photos, the pink socks making an appearance while you were cutting the melamine was great! I can just imagine the insanity of taking that table top inside!! very very nice!
Thank you Orana! Haha, I didn’t even notice the pink sock! Thanks for stopping by ;).
At first when I read concrete I was skeptical but this is beautiful! It looks like a great blend of farmhouse meets industrial to me!
Thanks Yanique! I was a bit skeptical myself ;).
This turned out gorgeous! Love it!
Thanks Allison!
I love this!! You make the best tables! I love that you used concrete!
Thanks Meg!
This table turned out to be Perfect. I loved how the wood and concrete looks together.
Thank you so much Deepika!
You come up with such interesting projects – it looks great!
Thank you Anna!
This turned out beyond amazing! You did a great job and it’s perfect for your home!
Thanks Ruthie!
Wow that is gorgeous! great job!
XO Ellen from Ask Away
http://www.askawayblog.com
Thank you Ellen!
What a stunning table you created! Amazing work and the patience of Job! Well done! Love your work! You MUST share this project again! I’d love for you to pop by my blog and share your works at my Making Broken Beautiful Party beginning this evening 6:00pm (MST)! http://thecuratorscollection.wordpress.com
Hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
Terry
I will, thank you so much for the heads up on the party and for the kind words! So glad you stopped by!
This is absolutely amazing! OMG! I love it! Thanks so much for this awesome tutorial! I seriously might have to try this.
Thanks Cristi!! It really wasn’t so bad! I had about 5 guys laugh and roll their eyes, so of course I had to do it. It’s just concrete, super cheap if you mess it up, it’s no biggie. Thanks for coming by!
W.O.W. This is an amazing table!! I am visiting for the first time, I found you on Terry’s Linky party from thecuratorscollection.com. I am a huge fan of RH too, and this table is just awesome! Great job, you should be so proud!
Thank you so much Rhonda! I was so excited to find Terry’s party, seems right up my alley! Can’t wait to come back in the morning with my coffee and browse around :). Thanks for coming by!
I’m just blown away by how gorgeous your table is! And you built it yourself!! Plus the fact that you only spent $200 on it and it will last forever! You are one talented lady!
Thank you so much! It wasn’t so bad :). Thanks for coming by!
Awesome post! I would love to invite you to my new link party The Beautifully Creative Inspired. The party launches every Fridays at 9AM eastern time on 5 BLOGS! It runs until Wednesday night 😀 Hope you can party with us!
I’ll head over now! Thanks for stopping by and for the kind words!
The table is amazing I love the look of it – Thanks for linking up to Pin Worthy Wednesday, I have pinned your post to the Pin Worthy Wednesday Pinterest Board.
Thanks so much Amberjane!
Wowzers! This is seriously the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time. It looks like it comes straight out of a Restoration Hardware magazine! I’m pinning it for my own inspiration! I hope you’ll link your Concrete Dining Table and all of your other furniture makeovers with Friday’s Furniture Fix! Doors open every Thursday night at 9PM EST and close on Monday’s at 11:59PM EST. Hope to see you there! Take Care… Carrie http://thirtyeighthstreet.blogspot.com/2015/09/week-7-fridays-furniture-fix.html
Thanks so much Carrie, I just went over to the furniture fix party! Thanks for letting me know about it. I appreciate you stopping by!
LOVE! I have been talking about doing this for months! Thanks for such a great tutorial. Good job!
Thanks so much Kaylor! It wasn’t that bad at all! Thanks for stopping by.
What an incredibly ambitious project. And of course the result is stunning!
Thanks so much Mary!
This looks fabulous. It is huge. I have a concrete top table…but it looks pretty boring. Maybe, I should change the base.
It is huge, for sure! I picked this base because I knew it would hold. Thanks for stopping by!
Impressive! I really like it a lot.
Thank you so much Lucilla!
WOW! This turned out incredible! I am definitely pinning this because all those tips you shared are priceless. I’m guessing that table is not going anywhere for a long time! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Dream. Create. Inspire. Link.
Haha, nope! Thanks for stopping by Jenny!
Wow! I’m swooning over your Concrete Dining Table and will be sharing it tonight at 9PM EST for Friday’s Furniture Fix! Thank you for linking up last week. We hope you’ll join us again!.. Carrie
http://thirtyeighthstreet.blogspot.com/2015/09/fridays-furniture-fix-link-party-no-8.html
Wow! Awesome, thanks so much!
This is so over the top gorgeous – amazing – beautiful – outstanding – amazing – ( and every other word I can’t think of at the moment )
What a masterpiece !
I’m pinning – thanks so much for sharing !
Wow, thanks so much! I so appreciate your kind words. Glad you stopped by!
Totally amazeballs! The table is gorgeous and your instructions with the hiccups are very helpful.
Thanks Erlene!
I would say your style is industrial too, but a little warmer. Nevertheless, I loved it and the concrete table was “Awesome”. That was a project I have been contemplating for a while, but I’m a bit intimidated by it.
I loved the post and I am sharing it this week at Beautifully Creative Inspired Link Up as my one of my favs. Please pop on over and grab the featured badge, share and link up another post this week.
See you at the party!
Gina
MirrorWatching.com
Thank you so much Gina! I’ll head over, glad you stopped by :)!
I love your post!!! I love it so much that I’m sharing it as a feature on my link party! 🙂 Check it out here: http://www.classyandcrafty.com
Thank you so much for posting!
~Jen
Cool! Thanks so much, I’d love to check out the party!
This is amazing! What a great way to get the same results but not pay nowhere near the cost.
Thanks for sharing at The Creative Corner! I can’t wait to see what you share next week and have been up to.
Thanks Bethany, I’ll go link up! Thanks for stopping by!
Wow the table looks great! Before all the images loaded, I was already thinking it totally looks like something from Restoration Hardware! Thanks for sharing with us at the Merry Monday link party. I hope you’ll join us again next week. Sharing your post on Twitter!
Thanks so much Ashley!
I love this table! You did a lot of hard work but it looks so pretty. thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty
Thanks Vickie!
Your table is amazing! You must have let out a huge sigh of relief when it was finally sitting in your dining room. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thnaks Vineta!
You did an awesome job on your table…I ♥♥♥ the design. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Marigene!
My dad and I are helping our friend do some concrete cutting. We don’t know anything about this, so we figured it would be wise to get an idea of how it works. This helped, and I can’t wait to give it a try this weekend.
I’m so glad! I had no idea what I was doing (and still really don’t), but it was doable, and we love our table. I’d love to see your work. Good luck!
I love love this concrete dining table!
Just a thought… do you think it would work if you put concrete on an existing top? No need for a mold, just smooth it on? With the sealant and poly, I’m thinking it would protect it from chipping. Or am I wishful dreaming?
Jennifer
I was just talking to a friend of mine about this! I do think it would work, but you still might have to make a mold. I’m not sure how the concrete would “stick” to the sides without a mold, but this was my first time working with it so I’m not sure. It sure would be lighter! Thanks for stopping by and I’d love to see it if you do it!
This is simply amazing. You did such a beautiful job — it has inspired me to do a (much smaller) version of my own. Quick question — did the charcoal color from Quikrete give yours a bluish cast at all? Your color looks ideal, but other people said (from amazon comments) that the color was on the blue side.
I love that you had to use dog beds. They’re wonderful for moving heavy objects — pulled that trick many times!! Thanks for sharing,
Thank you so much! I can’t remember, but I didn’t use a whole bottle – maybe half a bottle for 3 bags – and it turned out really light grey. It doesn’t appear blue to me, but I have a lot of blue in here. I’m so glad you stopped by and I’d love for you to post a pic on FB when you are done! Good luck!
Thank you so much for the response! I’ll definitely shoot you a pic when I’m done with it.
Can’t wait to see!
Some people just cut concrete parts and shape them the way they want. Of course those needs proper equipment and some companies do those.
This is a beautiful table and I want to have one just like it my kitchen. What would be even cooler is if I can cut the concrete myself and do it that way. But if I’m really smart about this, I should have a professional service cut it for me. I’ll have to look into this more and see if it’s something that I can do.
Thanks Jason!
I never would have thought of adding rebar to make sure the table doesn’t break off as easily. I can’t believe how inexpensive your DIY version was compared with the Restoration Hardware piece you used as inspiration. It all turned out absolutely beautifully! I do have one question, though. Is the polycrylic stuff you used on the top safe for eating off of?
Thank you so much Rachel! From what I understand, once Polycrylic is cured, it is food safe. I always feel like it’s something that’s going to do us all in, but this is as food safe as anything I could find. So far, it’s been great! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Wow, your concrete table turned out very similar to the expensive one in the picture. I love the industrial look of the material when it is used in interiors. I wonder if it would be difficult to have concrete cut to size rather than pouring it into a frame. I bet you could get some interseting shapes that way.
Oh, that’s a great idea, I never thought of cutting it. That would be too cool. Thanks for stopping by!
Wow, you make this look way too easy. I can’t believe how nice it turned out. I might have to consider actually making one now. Thanks for sharing.
We love it and it was so worth the effort. Thanks for stopping by!
That’s a great project! I like the smell of sanding, too. And the pic with your dog by the finished product really makes the table look good!
Thanks Bobby!
This is awesome! I have to say that the concrete and wood complement each other beautifully. I saw the all-wood versions of this table, and frankly, there is no comparison (IMO). I’m going to do this!
I know you have some nice photos, but if not too much trouble, could you possibly post a closeup of the cement “grain”. I’m thinking of adding a slightly, olive-green tint in the cement.
Thanks and GREAT JOB!
Thanks Miguel! So glad you enjoyed it and good luck making your own. I’ll email you a close up pic, I can’t add it here.
Thanks so much, April!
Very nice of you to send the pics. I will definitely document the project and send along some photos when done.
Thanks again!
Thank you Miguel. Let me know if you didn’t get pic!
Can I use ordinary cement and mix it like an ordinary cement? we dont have concrete mix in our area.
Hi Norms, I’m actually not sure. That’s the only kind I’ve ever tired. Give it a shot! I’d love to hear how it goes. Good luck!
Wow. Just WOW. I cannot believe you tackled something like this!! Clearly you are really talented. What a challenge and what a result. Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you so much Linda! Glad you stopped by :).
I love that you made this. I came out great!
My husband works for Restoration Hardware and was able to get the table for really cheap but I was wondering if you have any blog posts on how you decorated it. I am having trouble deciding what kind of chairs I should get.
I did upcycle some chairs to go with it – Here is the link https://www.uncookiecutter.com/modern-dining-chair-upcycle/. I did the stain on the chairs the same as I did the base of the table and they go well for a more modern look. I think some ghost chairs or the white bucket chairs would go great too! I used to work for RH, I loved it ;). Thanks for stopping by!
Woah! For very little experience with concrete you certainly did a fine job! I’ve been doing concrete for 30 years and while we’ve done a few outdoor bars (for family) we haven’t done any dining room tables. Probably could get into a whole new area in concrete furniture making – better not show the wife this article or I’ll have honey do lists for days. Great job!
Haha, Thanks! It’s such a fun medium.
Wow, that table looks just divine! I would love to make one of my own for my dining room. Thanks for sharing this tutorial!
Thanks Heather!
I looked like a lot of work, but well worth it. I gotta say, that’s a beautiful table.
Funny how you put that case of Corona to good use.
Thanks Jim 😉
It looks beautiful! We’re thinking about building it for our new home!
What kind of wood did you use for the base? Oak?
Thanks Liz! I just used regular pine 2x4s, but oak would be beautiful. Make sure to check out the other concrete table I did for more tips and tricks.
Awesome table! I have been looking for something like this for a while. I think I may end up making this one. You made this a few years ago now, have you had any issues with the strength of the mix?
One thing on the concrete bubbles you had on the side against the melamine, you may try something like Concrete Pharmacy Flow Control from Home Depot (other places surely sell something similar). It makes the concrete mixture more liquid when added and may let the bubbles up when you knock the form.
Hi Andrew! Thanks for the tip, that’s great info! I did do another table (search Concrete table to see) and it turned out way better! Both tables have held up great so far, and we’ve had no issues with either!
Thanks for the post. It reinforce that what I was doing was the best way for me to approach it! I added a 6’ live edge cherry inlay down the middle
of the polished concrete table top. Added a nice touch to class it up a bit.
Oh I bet it’s so pretty!! I’d love to see a picture!
Such a beautiful table! I can’t wait to make one for me. You shared a simple way to make a cute table. Thanks for sharing your great work with us.
Thanks!
I was so happy to have you! I need you to come make me one of those tables for my house? I don t think a cement table would be too much to ship right? ??
Haha, well, maybe not but if you attempt it I”d love to see!
This looks so great! We just wrapped up our own set of round concrete side tables last week and I’m itching to get my hands on a bigger project.
Very cool!
Hi! So we are trying to furnish our apartment, and I decided one day I wanted a concrete dining table. I’m obsessed with the RH tables so I love that I’ve seen some DIY designs that are RH inspired. Living in an apartment has us very limited on anything esp tools. We are willing to purchase some things, but will be building it inside if possible. We thought about having a department store cut the wood for us. Can we do all sanding for this table by hand? We don’t have a patio to avoid dust from electric tools… looking to build 72″ long table. Thank you for your article!
You could sand it by hand, but it is going to be tough! If you have the wood cut for you, make sure the lumber you pick out is as straight as possible. Use a shop vac to help collect dust while you work. I’d love to see a pic if you decide to do it! Good luck! (Also, check out my other concrete table posts, I built the top of one inside and have some more tips there).
An amazing project. I love the creativity used here. I have seen concrete bench tops being used in modern kitchens, but not with tables. Well done 🙂
Thank you!