This took me a couple of weekends and late night sanding after I put the kids to bed. It's not a long project or super hard but I wanted to make sure I sanded it enough and took the time to plain the top with a hand plainer. I used Douglas fir wood from Home Depot, I wanted to use nicer wood from a wood shop but it would have cost over $500 dollars in wood alone. I used a hand Plainer to make sure the boards were even and then I sanded it and sanded it some more. I went up to 400 grit sand paper and that made a world of difference. I used pre-conditioner before I stained it with dark walnut. I am very pleased with the result and my wife loved the table for Christmas.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Pre-conditioner, dark walnut, and a satin clear coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate