Concrete Patio Table

10 Materials
$100
7 Days
Medium
Am I the only one dreaming of patio furniture that’s WAY outside the budget!? I know my mom is too, so there has to be a few of us eh?...

To be honest, some of the most expensive patio furniture I've purchased has lasted the shortest amount of time. We needed an inexpensive solution for a patio table that wouldn't need replacement after one snowy winter.

After seeing some beautiful (and clearly time-worn) stone and concrete patio tables at restaurants, we decided to tackle our own DIY concrete patio table. Here's how we made it! More detail is available in the original post on my blog (linked below).

Before: We made our own concrete form out of old laminate countertop. Here's the empty form before the concrete was poured. I wish we had found a glossy countertop material, because i think the finish would have been crazy smooth, but this surplus matte one was well-priced and did the job well!
Prepping the Form
Step 1: Prep the Concrete Form and Reinforcing Mesh


Like so many DIY projects...the real time is spent on prep work! The form has a flat bottom with a strip of countertop attached around the outside to hold in the concrete. Then we cut a piece of reinforcing mesh to fit the form.
Mixing Concrete
Step 2: Mixing up the concrete!


Unfortunately it was super hot outside when we poured this table, so we had to work fast. Ideally, I'd want to do this on a cooler, overcast day...but this was the time we had!
Filling the Form with Concrete
Step 3: Fill the Form with Concrete


We filled the form about half way deep with concrete. Then we tied in the reinforcing mesh so it would be in the middle of the tabletop. The remainder of the form was then filled with concrete.
Fasteners to Attach Table Leg
Step 4: Include Fasteners to Attach Table Leg(s)


We found a vintage table stand on a buy-and-sell for our DIY concrete patio tabletop. It needed fasteners at the top to hold on the table top. We peeped the tabletop for the fasteners by placing them in the concrete as it set (on the bottom of the tabletop).
Curing Concrete
Step 5: Curing the Concrete and Stripping the Form


It was still a bit hot and dry out, so we kept the exposed surface of the concrete moist to help with curing. The concrete cured for 7 days before we stripped the form. The curing is continuing, but the concrete we used had sufficient strength by this point to strip the form.
Applying Concrete Sealant
Step 6: Sealing the Concrete


We applied a concrete sealant to the tabletop. There are lots of different kinds of sealant available for different finishes.
Finished Concrete Patio Table
After: Here's how the table turned out! We have used it every day since and are still loving it :)


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Home for the Harvest | Mary Jane Duford
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Melissa S Melissa S on May 26, 2019

    SO peeved I just tossed my old laminate countertop. That is REALLY nice.

  • Valerie jones Valerie jones on May 26, 2019

    Looks awesome!!! Good job!!! I was expecting to see the standard concrete table, but this is wayyyy better! Got that mod feel!

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