Tuesday, April 23, 2013

DIY: Chevron Patio Table


This is the first spring in our new house, so I have grand plans for the backyard! Since we have a pool, I really want the patio space to be awesome, and as we are starting with NOTHING, our budget is pretty small, which means I'm building things and redoing thrift store finds. The first project I decided to take on was the patio table. I wanted something super sturdy and substantial, I designed this table with the knowledge that I had limited tools and money at my disposal. it's 3 ft by 6 ft and standard dining table height (28inches high). Below is the tech drawing I made to  start with, and stayed true to as I was building. Other than one bashed up finger, it all went pretty easily! Total cost, about $100, time, one weekend. Full instructions are detailed below.


Materials:
  1. 10 Pressure treated 2in x4in x12ft I bought I had about 6 ft left over
  2. 1 Pressure treated 4in x4in x12 for the legs- only need one
  3. 4 Leg brackets (they are with the deck construction materials at home depot)
  4. 4 L-Brackets
  5. Stainable Wood Filler
  6. Outdoor Wood Stain and Protector
  7. 1 box of 2.5 inch long nails
  8. 1 box of 2.5 inch long screws

Tools:
  1. Chop Saw (you could use a hand saw if you wanted to get a REAL good workout and spend about a month cutting wood, I highly recommend power tools for this one)
  2. Palm Sander (again, you could sand by hand, but you'll be happier if you get an electric sander)
  3. Screw Driver
  4. Hammer
  5. Spackle spreader
  6. Paintbrush
Directions:
  1. Cut lots and lots of 13 inch long pieces of wood with 45 degree end cuts (the top and bottom side of the parallelogram is 13 inches long) you need about 60 of them, and then little pieces to fill in the rest of the frame.
  2. Cut outer frame, and screw together using L-brackets, then screw in cross structure pieces about 1.5in down from the top side of the frame so that when you set in the top pieces they are flush with the edge of the frame. 
  3. Line up first full chevron and nail into each cross piece of the frame, continue up until they are all in (you may need to trim some pieces as you go for a better fit) 
  4. Cut remaining pieces to fill in the frame
  5. Fill all the cracks with stainable wood filler (this is where I stopped day one so the wood filler could dry over night)
  6. Sand the whole top smooth!
  7. Cut corner brackets for the bottom and screw them into as many parts of the frame as you can. Attach legs with leg brackets
  8. Stain the sucker and you're done!!




20 comments:

  1. Hi, just out of curiosity why did you nail the top instead of just using screws for everything? Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Krystal, you could totally use screws for everything. The reason I did not was because using screws would require drilling pilot holes for each one. So basically it would be twice the work and take twice the time. Nails work just as well and are a bit quicker when there are so many pieces to attach to the base. Also, on a personal note, I have brutal carpal tunnel, so using the drill that much would have crippled me for days! Good guestion though! Thanks for reading!

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  2. I found this on Pinterest and it is really lovely! My husband wants to DIY an outdoor table once we have a patio, and I think this is perfect! I may switch it up and try a herringbone pattern though, since I already have a slight obsession with chevron and don't want to overdo it :)

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    Replies
    1. Rachel, sounds like a great idea! Do send me a pic of your version when you get around to it! Herringbone would be lovely!

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  3. I just want to thank you for putting stuff like this on pintrest, or Internet, with pictures as you go a long. It makes it easy to get inspired to try and do a DIY. I will definitely be trying this as soon as get into my new house. Please keep posting!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Christine! that's always great to hear! Be sure to head over to the new blog location, all the oldies are over there too, but that's where all the new posts are! Thanks for comenting! let me know if you have any questions when you get to building it!

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    2. here's the link to the new Website!
      http://www.wouldntitbelovely.com/wouldntitbelovelyblog/

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  4. beautiful table! Can you show how you attached the legs? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Jess, I actually used these brackets to attach the legs, and screwed through the side of the brackets into the legs to make sure they were attached. Hope that helps! http://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-Z-MAX-Galvanized-4-in-x-4-in-Double-Shear-Face-Mount-Joist-Hanger-LUS44Z/100375088?N=5yc1vZaqxb

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  5. If I wanted to make this item but for our living room with different dimesions (16-18 inches high & 37x37 across as a perfect square) would it look okay!? Could I follow these same instructions???

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    Replies
    1. I would imagine that you should be able to use the same process and just scale down the size, If I were you, I would probably even use thinner slats in a non-pressure treated wood since you'll be keeping it indoors!

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  6. Thanks Wibly - I am putting this together on our patio - and it's starting to look very good.
    Thanks for your great plan and details.

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  7. My husband and I saw this and want to make it. But we're wanting it made 4ft wide and 5 ft long so it fits perfect in our dining area. But we are wanting to add 4 triangle patterns instead of 2, can you give me some advice on what length to make them please. I would really appreciate your help.

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  8. What color stain did you use?

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  9. Good work! In done, I love the style ""wood"" it gives a more natural and simple side to the outside table. I have a small garden and I intend to put a small table in the middle, I searched a lot of website and I came across this link really interested me http://www.archiexpo.com/architecture-design-manufacturer/outdoor-table-2117.html.
    It offers a variety of outdoor table; it is very convenient to find the table suitable garden or balcony. In any case, I found my outside table...

    ReplyDelete
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  11. Thank you for this inspiration. My husband and I have similar taste on quite a bit, but can NOT agree on furniture. I saw this pattern and knew this had to be our desk top. We have been trying to agree on a plan for the past year and nothing. After I showed him this we were able to knock it out in a day! I'm not sure how to attach a photo or I would because it is a work of art. Thank you again!

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  12. Nice table - I' going to try it with some left over hard wood flooring - will let you know how it turns out

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