DIY Cedar Patio Table

The Rogue Engineer put up a photo on Instagram the other day of a DIY cedar patio table that he had made out of scrap wood after a deck build.

As soon as I saw it, I wanted one. The X-brace legs and angled feet – gorgeous!

But, and like 36% of the population in North America, I have a dog. A big, beautiful, affectionate and happy berner. Because she is big, beautiful, affectionate and happy she always wants to be around people, and when she’s around people her tail is wagging.

Why do I bring this up? Because the plans for the Rogue Engineer’s table had it at 18″ high – same as the coffee table I have now – and the same height as Miss Lacey’s nose and wagging tail. Which means hair in your food and drinks and the risk (although she hasn’t table-surfed as of yet) of a sneak attack on your snack.

Nope, I needed this table, but in a higher and longer version.

I won’t take from Jamison’s building plans – he is the genius behind this piece – but I will tell you that I adjusted the dimensions on the DIY cedar patio table length to 45″ to (almost) match the length of our outdoor loveseat and I made the cross-legs longer so the overall height would be 24″ tall.

(Click on any image or the highlighted links to be taken directly to the building plans)

My Step-Dad came and helped me build it, and together we had it whipped out in a matter of a couple of hours. This DIY cedar patio table is a basic project, and if you are comfortable with a mitre saw and drill you can easily handle it.

Isn’t it gorgeous?!

The smell of cedar as we were cutting and sanding was fantastic. I love, love, LOVED the look of the bare wood…

but as you can see, it didn’t match anything else in my backyard. Even with the grey patina cedar gets over time, it still wouldn’t coordinate with anything we own. I enjoyed the bare wood for a couple of days and then added a coat of stain from Benjamin Moore called Midsummer Night. Fitting right?

It’s a brown-black and pretty close to the colour of our patio furniture. I’ve used BM’s “Arborcoat” before on my pallet potting bench, and the colour has held up amazingly. It’s been outside all year for two years and it hasn’t chipped, peeled or faded – even with winter’s abuse. Best part is that it’s a water-soluble stain, so clean up is easy.

Jamison’s plans on this DIY cedar patio table call for a 2×4 as the centre beam (which I forgot to buy) but I did have an extra 1×4 so we improvised. See that nub sticking out of the end? There’s a sneaky trick to making your beam look like it goes through like that (check it out on Rogue Engineer).

The angled feet and table underside just add that extra touch don’t you think?

Because this table is made from cedar, it can be left out all year long if you wish, or you can easily carry it inside to store – cedar is much lighter than pine.

Not only is this DIY cedar patio table an easy build and a beautiful piece, but my version is dog-friendly – or rather food-friendly if you own a dog. Just above nose height and wagging tails are stopped before swishing over your plate.

It’s also a pretty great height if you want to work outside – makes a perfect outdoor desk!

Hubby is hoping to finish up laying our patio extension this weekend and then we’ll finally be picture perfect and ready to enjoy all of our hard work!