DIY Benchwright Table and Bench

My husband says I have impeccable timing with all of my projects – I say there’s never a bad time to start a project! Case in point – my farmhouse table. I was five months pregnant visiting my parents in Idaho (I live in Arizona) and I decided that it was a good time to finally build the table I had talked of for two years. There’s no time like the present, right? My dad questioned my ability to get the table back to AZ safely, but I threw caution to the wind and would figure it out later! I built the table and matching bench out of hard maple and followed plans based on the Pottery Barn Benchwright series. I had never worked with hardwood before and there was definitely a learning curve. Luckily my dad had some experience with hardwood and he was able to lead me in the right direction. I pieced together the table top and bench top, and then assembled the legs, but kept them unattached from the table top. I built a wooden frame to transport the table to Arizona and attached it to the top of my car. In the heat of an Arizona summer, I proceeded to finish the table by staining it with an espresso stain from Minwax and then attaching the legs. Finishing projects like this always take more time than I anticipate and this table was no exception. After days and days of staining and days and days of drying, I sealed it with a wipe on poly. I lost count of how many coats I applied, but I know it was more than 15. Yes, 15. Wiping it on doesn’t apply a thick layer, so I did a lot of layers. I had to protect it from my 4 kids! I finished just a few weeks before I had the baby. Timing is everything. :) To see more details on the project check out my blog at lifewithfingerprints.com