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If there's one project I get asked about the most, it's definitely the DIY extendable table we built for our RV. Whether you live in a small space or just want some space saving ideas, we hope you find inspiration in this post.
How To Make An Expandable Table
Although we built this transforming desk in our mobile home, it can easily be used in a home office, living room, apartment, or small nook that needs extra work space.
Wooden Dining Table With Expandable Leaf In Walnut And Ash Brown
This is a project we've been planning for a while, but despite building a media room and installing a telescoping slide
Fortunately, Eric's extended family has a shop on their farm in Wisconsin and is letting us use it while we visit them for a few months.
From the moment we brought our RV home, we knew we were going to replace the dining room table with a custom media cabinet. The plan was to custom build a cabinet that would house not only our TV and fireplace, but also an extendable table where we could eat or work.
Laneberg Extendable Table, White, 511/8/743/4×311/2
This is a before photo of our RV dining table cabin so you can see what we've been working on
Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time finding information to help me build a DIY extendable table or buy any products. In the end, we figure it out for ourselves. Having said that, we are very happy with the results.
That's not to say the design can't be improved (I'll share some of them at the bottom of this post), but hopefully we'll give you a starting point to build something similar. There are many custom options that can be created based on your needs and space limitations.
Amazon.com: Tablechamp Extensions Expandable 19.7 X 31.5 Oak Antique Solid Wood Pine Oiled
If you live in a small space, you know how important furniture is for different functions. Our DIY extendable desk was originally inspired by this pull-out drawer desk and Goliath desk from Resource Furniture, which I originally saw in this YouTube video. Both feature innovative furniture designs that transform from a narrow console table to a large dining table in less than a minute.
Check out this post on Instagram. A post shared by Resource Furniture (@resourcefurniture) Dec 2020 at 7:06am PST on Mar 2nd
It wasn't long before I became obsessed with designing space-saving tables that could expand, fold, contract or transform in one way or another. They are very innovative and beautiful. However, I found the style limited and the price high.
Extendable Dining Tables To Maximize Your Space
In fact, the only extension tables I could find at the time were made in Europe and cost thousands of dollars, which was out of our budget. Not to mention we need something special and simple. I imagine that more designs will continue to become available over time and as the tiny house movement grows in the US.
While this is not a step-by-step tutorial on how to make this table, I will link to the basic materials I used for reference.
After spending hours looking at telescoping tables and drawer slides, I realized they were either too big to hide, or a bit more expensive than we were willing to spend.
Breadboard Farmhouse Extendable Dining Table
Then when I finally found a few slides that would work, the company never got back to me, which was really frustrating. Finally I called and was told (rather rudely) that they only sell wholesale. If they could email it to me that would be great. by mail, but it says they gave me a contact phone number for a company that sells the same slides.
The owner answered when I called the company and was so nice and helpful that I ordered a metal console extension slider from his website as soon as I hung up the phone. I really like the passion of this company and I can definitely recommend them. I ordered folding table leg hinges, but we decided not to go that route.
The great thing about these slides is that they are designed for console tables and are only 14″ off, but they can be extended up to 64″, giving you 54″ of tabletop space.
New Haven Adjustable Height Extendable Dining Table In Brown
Another aspect I spent a lot of time researching was the table legs to use. I know we can customize the wooden legs, but first I wanted to know what the other options are.
Note that depending on your specific design, you can make table legs that are flush with the rest of the table if not extended. Since our media cabinet has storage cabinets and a fireplace, we just had to find removable legs.
Originally, I wanted U-shaped telescoping legs similar to modern European designs (and in an inspirational video above). Only I couldn't find a company that sells them locally. Most of the ones I found were in other countries and very expensive. Others break but are too big, or too big and don't fit the design I want
Steel Frame Extendable Dining Table
At this point I wish I knew how to weld or knew someone who could do it for me. I'm even thinking of contacting the metal fabricator. Instead, I moved on to other table leg designs and quickly became obsessed with industrial-style table legs that can be easily attached to any surface to create a table or countertop.
I'm especially in love with the Floyd clamp style feet, but they only come in 4 units. Package and stock out. Fortunately, I found Tiptoe, another store that sells table leg clamps. Only they are in France, so delivery will take a while and we won't get them before we leave.
I ordered it anyway and had it shipped to my dad out of state because we were going to stop on our way to Wisconsin.
Diy Dining Table Plans
Luckily, I was able to cancel the order and get my money back, but I'm still very disappointed. I had the pleasure of ordering some from France and am excited to incorporate this innovative design into our RV.
We ended up purchasing two 28″ wooden legs and tie plates from a local hardware store. We also picked up 3 edge-glued spruce panels for $16. We considered plywood and other wood options, but now that we didn't have all the tools, we decided that spruce panels would be the best plan of attack.
Although we had to make a few compromises on the table legs, the method we ended up with was actually less expensive, not to mention easier to install and store. Everything happens for a reason, right?
Rosalind Wheeler Folden Extendable Trestle Dining Table
Each panel in the project is 1 x 18 x 48, so we had to cut them to 1 x 18 x 34.5. Depending on the wood you purchased and the length of the table, you may or may not need to cut it.
We thought about whitewashing the countertops, but we used the dark tung oil left over from when we sealed the bathroom countertops.
If you're near Ikea, I recommend checking out their countertop options. Note that many lightweight options are made with cardboard honeycomb insides, so they will be difficult to screw in and the cut edges will be rough. However, if you find the exact size you need, you may be able to do this.
Best Extendable Dining Tables
We had planned to use a table lock to attach the table top extensions, but Eric wanted to play with wooden dowels, so he bought a set. This works fine, but if you're using a table lock, it's unnecessary and frankly creates a lot more work.
We then added a table lock to the top of each table because our cat kept jumping off the table, making the pen less effective than we expected. They are now locked and won't move unless we unlock them
We actually installed a sash lock for the windows because we could find one locally at the time and it worked well, but I still recommend using a real table lock or a parallel deadbolt lock. We've used it for other projects and it's my preference.
Rustic Extendable Farmhouse Dining Table
I love how this table is hidden when not in use, but it only took 3 steps to set it up.
We drilled a hole in the inside wall of the left cabinet, which goes into the upper drawer compartment. We have a surge protector/extender and this is where my computer is plugged in. Thus, we simply drop the wire on the table and pass the wire to the floor.
Eric and I have both been working on this table for a week now and we love it! There is enough space for me to stay on the computer temporarily
Carved Oak Arts And Crafts/art Deco French Expandable Dining Table Wit — The Art Of Antiquing
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