A Farm Table of Our Own: Construction Phase

After the arrival of my trusty sidekicks, er, parents, we got down to business.

Thank goodness for Ana White!  With her farm table plans as inspiration, we had the perfect starting point.  My plan was to not only build the frame and legs first, but also to paint them before drilling on the table top.  Since my color scheme was literally night and day from the top to the frame, it just seemed easier to keep them separate.

Step one of construction was the apron.  Using saw horses to elevate our work space to a much more comfortable level, the most important part of this step was making sure the corners were square.  To do this we used a, um, square.

That's my Pops and me drilling the apron together

Now, this table required a high level of sturdiness.  It needed to support the pounds and pounds of protein that John finishes off in one setting.  Therefore, we had no choice but to reinforce the apron.  Using 2x2s that were cut to fit the inside of the apron, we channeled Rachael Ray and eyeballed the spacing to about 8 inches between each support.  

As we attached each support by drilling through the apron, we also used the level and square to make sure everything was.......level and square.  

Our pre-made table legs were attached to the corners of the inside of the apron from the sides.  We drilled two screws on each side for ultimate sturdiness.  It's a technical term.  (You could also wait to add the legs until after attaching the top and screw the legs to the top.  I thought it would be easier to paint the frame if the legs were already on.)  

Farm table frame is complete! As you can see, the oh-so-organized garage makes for a fabulous backdrop.

My sweet mother showing off the completed frame. She can even hold a hammer while posing! 

Before adding the table top, I painted the frame.  As previously explained in A Farm Table of Our Own: How It All Started, I decided to take a stab at crackle paint.  

To do so, the first layer of paint was a flat light gray.  After that dried, I slopped on a layer of crackle, and upon maximum dryness applied the final layer: a flat white.  And then the magic crackled away! 

Ohh it looks so...rustic! 

Will your DIY-novice-heroine's rustic farm table dreams be satisfied by her own blood, sweat, and tears?  Stay tuned for the last installment of A Farm Table of Our Own...