You make a garden dining table by building a frame from pressure treated or naturally durable timber, fixing planed boards across it to form the top, and finishing everything with an exterior grade oil or stain. A straightforward six seater takes a weekend: cut the legs and rails, assemble two end frames, join them with long stretchers, then screw or bolt the top boards down with small gaps between them for drainage and timber movement. Total cost depends on the timber, but a solid build using softwood is achievable for a modest outlay.<\/p>\n
The details are what separate a table that lasts a decade from one that warps after a wet winter. Below is the full method, along with the specific decisions that matter in a British climate.<\/p>\n
This is the decision that determines everything else.<\/p>\n
Pressure treated softwood, usually redwood or whitewood, is the practical choice for most builds. It is widely available from timber merchants, takes screws well, and the treatment protects against rot and insect attack. Buy it and let it dry for a fortnight under cover before working with it, because freshly treated timber is often damp and will shrink after assembly.<\/p>\n
Oak, iroko and western red cedar are naturally durable without treatment. They cost considerably more but need less maintenance and age to a handsome silver grey if left unfinished. Oak is heavy and hard on tools; cedar is light and easy to work but softer and dents readily.<\/p>\n
Scaffold boards are a popular reclaimed option and give a substantial rustic top. They need thorough cleaning, denailing and sanding before use, and they are rarely perfectly flat.<\/p>\n
Whatever you choose, avoid untreated softwood from a general DIY range. It will not last a British winter outdoors regardless of how much oil you apply.<\/p>\n
Work from how many people you want to seat.<\/p>\n
Allow 60cm of table edge per person. A 180cm long table seats six comfortably, three per side, or eight if you seat one at each end. Width of 80cm to 90cm gives room for serving dishes down the middle while still letting people reach across.<\/p>\n
Height should be 75cm from the ground to the top surface, matching indoor dining convention. Remember to account for the thickness of your top boards when cutting the legs: if the boards are 45mm thick, the legs and frame need to finish at 705mm.<\/p>\n
Check the table will fit your patio with 90cm of clearance around each seating side for chairs to pull out. Garden tables are often built larger than the space allows because outdoor areas feel more generous than they measure.<\/p>\n
For a 180cm by 85cm table you will need roughly:<\/p>\n
Four legs from 70mm by 70mm timber, cut to your calculated length. Frame rails from 45mm by 95mm timber: two long rails and two short rails. Two long stretchers if you are bracing lengthways. Top boards from 145mm by 45mm timber, enough to make up your width allowing for 5mm gaps.<\/p>\n
Use stainless steel or exterior grade coated screws throughout. Ordinary steel screws rust and stain the timber within a season, and the rust weakens the fixing. Coach bolts through the leg to rail joints add considerable rigidity and are worth the extra effort for a table this size.<\/p>\n
You will need a drill driver, a saw, clamps, a combination square, a tape measure and an orbital sander. A pocket hole jig makes clean hidden joints and is worth borrowing if you can.<\/p>\n
Start with the two end assemblies. Take two legs and one short rail, and join them to form an upside down U. The rail should sit flush with the outside face of the legs, positioned high enough to leave good clearance beneath the tabletop but low enough not to interfere with sitting.<\/p>\n
Drill pilot holes, apply exterior wood glue, and fix with screws or coach bolts. Check the assembly is square with your combination square before the glue sets. Repeat for the second end.<\/p>\n
Now join the two ends with the long rails, one on each side. This is where the table becomes rigid. Clamp everything, check diagonals are equal, and fix.<\/p>\n
If the table is longer than 160cm, add a central cross rail beneath the top to stop the boards flexing in the middle. This single piece makes a noticeable difference to how solid the table feels.<\/p>\n
Before moving on, stand the frame on a flat surface and check for rock. Trim the offending leg by a millimetre or two if needed.<\/p>\n
Lay the top boards across the frame and space them out. Leave a 4mm to 6mm gap between boards. This is not optional: the gaps let rainwater drain through rather than pooling, and they give the timber room to swell in wet weather. Boards fitted tight together will cup and split.<\/p>\n
Use a spare screw or a coin as a spacer to keep the gaps consistent.<\/p>\n
Allow the boards to overhang the frame by around 30mm on all sides. The overhang looks better than a flush edge and keeps rain running off the frame rather than into the joints.<\/p>\n
Fix each board with two screws into each rail it crosses. Countersink the screws slightly so nothing catches, and consider plugging the holes with timber dowel for a cleaner finish.<\/p>\n
Once the top is on, run over the whole table with an orbital sander. Start at 80 grit to level the boards and remove any mill marks, then 120, then 180. Round over all edges and corners generously: sharp arrises splinter, and a garden table gets brushed past constantly.<\/p>\n
This step is what determines how the table looks in three years.<\/p>\n
Exterior decking oil is the most forgiving finish. It penetrates rather than forming a film, so when it weathers it fades evenly rather than flaking. Reapply once a year, usually in spring.<\/p>\n
Exterior wood stain adds colour and UV protection, and is worth considering if you want a specific tone. Choose one intended for horizontal surfaces, as they are formulated to handle standing water.<\/p>\n
Exterior varnish gives the hardest surface but is the least suitable for a garden table. Sunlight and moisture eventually lift the film, and once it starts flaking the only remedy is sanding the whole top back.<\/p>\n
Apply the first coat to all surfaces including the underside and the leg bottoms before the table goes outside. Untreated end grain on the base of a leg wicks moisture straight up from the patio and is where rot almost always begins. Some builders fit small plastic or rubber feet to lift the legs clear of standing water, which extends the life of a table considerably.<\/p>\n
Apply at least two coats, and three on the tabletop. Let each dry fully, and choose a dry settled spell rather than a single sunny afternoon.<\/p>\n
Clean the table in spring with warm soapy water and a stiff brush, working along the grain and clearing debris from between the boards. Rinse and let it dry, then re oil.<\/p>\n
Cover the table over winter with a breathable cover rather than a plastic sheet. Plastic traps condensation underneath and creates exactly the damp conditions you are trying to avoid. If you have the space, storing the table under cover is better still.<\/p>\n
Check the fixings each spring. Timber moves through the seasons and screws can loosen. Tightening them takes ten minutes and prevents joints working themselves apart.<\/p>\n
Expect some cracking along the grain, particularly in thicker timber. Surface checking is normal and does not affect strength.<\/p>\n
Building is worthwhile if you want a specific size, enjoy the work, or have a space that standard tables do not fit. A handmade table also has a character that suits an established garden.<\/p>\n
It is less worthwhile if you want a table that requires no annual maintenance, or if you need something that folds or stores compactly. Manufactured outdoor furniture uses materials such as powder coated aluminium, polywood and synthetic rattan that handle weather without any yearly attention.<\/p>\n
Our range of modern outdoor garden dining tables UK sale<\/a> covers those low maintenance materials, and our outdoor garden dining sets UK<\/a> pair tables with matching seating so heights and proportions work together. If you build the table yourself, you may still want ready made seating: our modern outdoor garden benches UK<\/a> suit a long homemade table well.<\/p>\n It is also worth thinking about shade and storage while you plan. Our outdoor garden parasols UK sale<\/a> include freestanding designs that work with a solid table top without needing a parasol hole. You can see the full outdoor range at Furniture in Fashion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pressure treated softwood offers the best balance of cost and durability. Oak, iroko and cedar are naturally durable and need less treatment, but cost considerably more.<\/p>\n Gaps of 4mm to 6mm let rainwater drain away and give the timber room to expand when wet. Boards fitted tight together trap water and will cup and split.<\/p>\n A weekend for the construction, plus drying time between finish coats. Allow another day or two if you are applying three coats of oil in changeable weather.<\/p>\n If you must, use a breathable cover rather than plastic and lift the legs off the ground. Storing it under cover is better and significantly extends its life.<\/p>\n Once a year, usually in spring after a clean. If water stops beading on the surface before then, oil it sooner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Building a garden dining table is a weekend project that gives you exactly the size you need. This guide walks through timber selection, explaining why pressure treated softwood suits most builds and how oak, cedar and reclaimed scaffold boards compare, then covers sizing to seat…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":59889,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[845],"tags":[630,344,3958,1660],"class_list":["post-59888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-outdoor-furniture","tag-diy","tag-garden-furniture","tag-how-to","tag-outdoor-dining"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59888\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Frequently Asked Questions<\/h3>\n
What is the best timber for a garden dining table?<\/h3>\n
Why do I need gaps between the top boards?<\/h3>\n
How long does it take to build a garden table?<\/h3>\n
Should I leave the table outside over winter?<\/h3>\n
How often does a homemade garden table need re oiling?<\/h3>\n