DIY Farmhouse Table: Anthropologie Knock-Off for $120!
Are you someone who looks at DIYs and feels intimidated? Well, so were we! But we DIYed a farmhouse table and it turned out great. Read all about how we made a gorgeous Anthropologie knock-off outdoor table for around $100!
If you’ve been a reader for awhile now, I’m sure you’ve seen my farmhouse style outdoor table. In fact, the number one question I get on Instagram is “where is your table from?” And to the surprise of many, I tell them my husband made it!
It all started a few years ago when I fell head over heels in love with an Anthropologie table, to the tune of $3000! Well, as you can imagine, that was just a wee bit more than we wanted to spend, especially on an outdoor one.
But when I started googling that Anthropologie table, I found a blogger who had DIYed it. And she had only spent about $65!! I was in!
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And though I wouldn’t classify us as avid DIYers by any means, my husband is pretty handy. And I had a birthday coming up, so I talked him into making it for me as a birthday gift 😉
My thoughts at the time were that if we spent $65 and it didn’t look great or didn’t last long, it wasn’t a huge investment. And now, over 6 years later, it’s still here!
This is the photo I originally found on Pinterest showing the table that Shanty 2 Chic built, based on plans by Ana White.
DIY Farmhouse Table Details
So cute, right?!
DIY Farmhouse Table Measurements
We followed the plans pretty closely, especially as far as details and cuts, etc., as well as the measurements. You can get the full plans on Ana White.
It’s so funny to see the old backyard, too! This is before we added the fountain and redid the hardscape and pool.
And it was done! It only took my husband about 2 days to build, and all in all it turned out great. We spent more than $65 on wood (I guess that’s California prices for you, haha!) Our total investment was around $120.
Stain We Used
I went back and forth on what to stain it. Originally I was going to use the same colors Shanty 2 Chic did, but I didn’t want it quite that dark. I ended up finding this product, Vintage Wood by Amy Howard. I like that it isn’t too dark and it gives it more of a weathered-wood look (without letting it sit out for years and years – win/win!)
We are having trouble with our top boards warping, so it’s no longer completely flat on the top. My husband is talking about rebuilding, more to learn how to do it better than anything else. I also think we would spend more and use a hardwood. We used pine and it’s too soft for this table and I have a feeling that’s why it’s warped some. It’s not awful, just not perfect.
I guess it has patina, right?!
The other thing I’d love to change if he does rebuild one is to make it larger! At 96″ wide it seemed really big, but the trestle/legs take up a fair amount of space. He made the table before I bought the chairs, and I can just barely fit two of these on the side. It would be nice if it had just a little more wiggle room!
But all in all, I’ve been very happy to have it, and it is well worth the $120 we spent!
We spend so much time here in the summer. We drink coffee and read the paper here in the morning, eat lots of dinners here in the evening, not to mention every summer holiday and lots of get togethers, too.
The other question I get asked on Instagram the most? These chairs! These were from World Market and unfortunately, they don’t carry them any longer. However, it’s not all bad! My same chair is available on the Birch Lane site (and if it’s sold out, you can sign up to get an email when they come back in stock).
My wicker chairs are not rated for outside, so they are starting to show wear and I’m sure they won’t last more than a few more years.
One of the reasons I didn’t buy all-weather ones was the price. At the time, I couldn’t find any that were under $700 a chair so I figured I’d risk it and buy the indoor version. To be honest, I probably should have just bit the bullet and spent more, but so far they are hanging on! If you’re interested in a chair made for the outdoors, these gorgeous chairs from Williams Sonoma are almost exactly like mine and are made from all-weather wicker.
If you want to risk using the indoor chairs like I did, then I recommend having them on a covered patio only. Also, I do treat them each year with a spray-on protective coating which has helped a lot. I’m sure if I covered them all winter they’d fare even better but unfortunately, we are a little lackadaisical about that!
Have you ever DIYed anything? I’d love to hear if you have and what your experience has been!
Though we built the patio cover and added molding in the house in lots of places (you can see our wainscoting here and picture-frame molding here), this was the first piece of furniture my husband ever attempted. And we would definitely do it again!
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Sheila
xo
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out some of my other outdoor posts below:
This is amazing!
Thank you Renae!
Great job on the table! I am working on unwarping pieces of a Victorian shelf/cabinet and my husband reminded me, if you soak a piece (you’d want to take off the warping top boards first), then weight them as they dry, you can unwarp them. The idea is to really wet the fibers so they can bend (unbend, in this case). Just let them really dry under pressure all along each board. This can take a week or so depending upon how many you can weight at a time. 🙂
Hope this will help your table last a few years longer for you! If you can get ahold of ash boards from a hardware store, ash has denser fibers (they make chairs out of it because it is a good hardwood) and ash has a nice color and doesn’t turn reddish as it ages.
Enjoy your lovely outdoor area,
Barb 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this Barbara – so appreciate it! We haven’t done a thing about them yet but we definitely will eventually!
Glad you stopped by and thanks for your kind words!
Sheila
I have seen this table on Pinterest as well and yours looks beautiful!!! My husband and I are diy-ers and love a good project. You have a beautiful home and yard and I am glad I found your blog through KariAnne of Thistlewood Farm:)
Thanks for sharing your table project!!
Aww I’m so glad you came over!! Thanks so much for your kind words – I hope you’ll consider subscribing or at least visit again! 😉
Sheila
xo
Hey there! I found you through a Thistlekeeping! Your outdoor space is gorgeous! We are pretty avid DIYers. We recently built huge barn doors for our barn loft area. They warped terribly over the dry winter. My father-in – law said he learned that if you don’t paint or seal both sides of a piece, the air flows differently through it and can cause warping. We only painted the front of the doors. Now that it is more humid they are bowing less, and we are going to lay them flat and paint the inside. Hope that helps you or someone! Whew! Long comment!😁
That definitely makes sense, Jenn, and we didn’t do that!! As I said in the post, I still think my husband may replace the top boards and if so, we will have to try that. Thanks so much for stopping by and for sharing that tip!
Sheila
Your table is beautiful and better than a new one because your husband made it! My husband is in the process of making a headboard out of an old 5 panel door that I found at ReStore for $2!!! We had to cut down the sides to fit the queen bed in the guest room and the crown molding has been a bit of a beast but he’s almost finished and I’m in love with it! I asked him if he realized he’s making a family heirloom. I wish I could add a picture!
Aww I LOVE hearing that Beth! How wonderful that he’s doing that, and that it will be something you’ll treasure forever.
Thank you for your kind words about the table and for taking the time to comment. I so appreciate it!
Sheila
Love the table! I’m going to talk my husband into making one for me. Also like the wood finish. I have some older wicker chairs as well and have never treated them with protective coating. We just put them away each winter. What type of coating do you use? Love your blog!
Aww thanks Nina! I hope you do – it’s truly a great table and if you’re handy, you can’t beat the price!!
The coating I use is an outdoor wood protective spray called Varathane, Spar Urathane and I get it in clear matte. Good luck with your table!
Sheila