When we started talking about re-doing our screened in sun room, I had a couple of ideas. I really liked the look of some of the modular furniture you find at the Orange and Blue box stores. Again though, the cost. So I looked at some DIY options and liked this one from Shanty 2 Chic:
Size wise, I think it would fit well in the space and would make for a very cozy spot to drink coffee in the morning or even curl up with a book. But, I really want a dining room table to eat at. And I didn't think that this would work well.
Ultimately, I went with something else that they built, but the found the plans on Ana-White's web site:
Of course, we made a few modifications. The original table was 88" in length after cutting your boards. Having a family of 6, we decided to make it longer at 96" for more seating. Ultimately, by the time we trimmed the boards evenly, we ended up with 94", and I'm very pleased with that.
The plan also have you make the table out of pine. Can I just say, we're not fans of pine. It is our least favorite wood to work with. Because we live in Houston where it gets very humid, and this is an outdoor table, we decided to make our table top out of cedar. Surprisingly, we had to get the lumber at the Blue box store because they didn't carry cedar in 2x4's at the Orange box store.
Originally we planned to have the table built and stained by Memorial Day, since we had a BBQ planned, but this cedar took a LOT more effort to sand down smoothly. For cost purposes, we did build the base out of pine. We love how the table turned out:
This, of course, is not the finished product. We're going to stain the table with a color called Kona from Varathane/Rustoleum to match the chairs. I didn't like the skirt on the original table, which was optional, so we didn't include it in our build. This size is really perfect for this space and it fits right between the two fans (essential for comfort!)
You may also have noticed the lattice. I mentioned in another post that my dogs blew out the screening. Well, no sooner did we put this up, and next to the door that leads out to the backyard, my 80 lb labrador blew it out again. Twice. Re-screening this room is no small task and this lattice helps keep him off the screens.
The rug is an outdoor rug from World Market
I bought two of them, since they're only 4x6. I love the colors with the accessories I've already bought. This is a super practical rug since it's polypropylene (aka, plastic) and can be hosed down in the event it gets dirty.
We actually spent this past weekend staining the table, so I'll get those posted soon.
We have a few more things to do as well. I want a bar cart to be able to store my outdoor dishes, so that's still on the building list. I need to purchase the drapes from the inspiration board (3 sets for the entire room). That means we need to run galvanized pipe for our curtain rod as well.
Stay tuned!
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