Covered Porch Table

Jim Cox
by Jim Cox
12 Materials
$96
3 Hours
Easy

I was asked if I could make a table for someone to fit a small 6x8' enclosed porch, and a couple of old tall chairs. I made this table to enjoy some coffee "out on the porch" in the morning

Major parts

Here's a 10' treated 4x4, a 10' piece of 4" schedule 40 PVC pipe, two 4" flanges, and a 24" tabletop. I gotta say thanks to the gal that posted this tabletop with hairpin legs a while back, it both inspired me and saved a TON of time

Cut the base pieces

I cut the 4x4 into 5 pieces, actually made them different lengths just for looks: 2 @ 24", 2 @ 20", and 1 @ 16". You'll see what I was going for in a few more steps. NOTE: The circular saw (a Hometalk reward) would not cut all the way thru the 4x4 so I had to make a few cuts for each piece. BTW laser guided saws are the real deal.

Clean up the ends

Here you can see some error in my multipe cuts on the ends of the 4x4. I cleaned them up quickly with a portable planer and a sander.

Free help : )

Here's the future owner helping me. She selected the sides she liked best on the wood and began sanding

Two-part drilling for bolts

I drilled a 7/8" hole more than halfway thru (about 4" in from the end for each piece) and then using a 5/16" bit went another inch down.

Bolt together the bottom pieces

We used a cordless impact to run some 5/16x3 1/2" lag screws with washers thru the drilled holes into the next piece. This took a total of 8 bolts. When we got close to finished we stopped at number 7, leaving the last bolt out. It will make sense later.

Sorry about the chrome extension, but she IS wearing safety glasses

Bolt on the base flange

Find the center, and bold on the base flange. We will take it back off in a few more steps for painting. Note the painted lag screws here. I knew I was going to paint the base hardware, so I wanted something that already had a coating to help my choice of color to adhere to

Mark and cut the PVC for pedestal

We measured the PVC and marked in several locations. I then wrapped twine around it to help make my line solid. We used a metal bit in a sawzall. The pipe was about 37" long

Sand and paint

I sanded the entire piece of pipe with a power sander and then gave it two coats of white chalk paint to match the Girlfriend's existing chairs.

Attach the top flange

We selected the 'best side' of the top, and then marked centerlines on the other. The top was 1" thick and the flange 1/2" thick at the bolt holes, so I used No. 6 x1 1/4" drywall screws with 3/16" fender washers to attach the flange to the table top.

Quick test fit

We did a test fit to make sure everything looked good. The base had a hint of wobble to it, so we lowered the free end (remember we left one bolt out?) to make the table sit flat/plumb without any movement, and ran that last lag screw into the base with the impact wrench. We then disassembled the PVC and base flange for staining

Staining the wooden parts

We stained the base top, sides and end, and then the top of the table (underside stained first) all with Minwax Espresso. I like how this color blends with treated pine. (See my Barn Door DIY) I removed the bottom flange and bolts. I scuffed the flange best I could with Scotchbrite and gave it and the bolts a quick coat of Rustoleum Kona Brown

Clearcoat the table top

I waited overnight and gave the tabletop three coats of Krylon clear. I had some bad luck with Minwax brush on poly so I wanted to try something different. This was dry in a couple of hours. Not shown: I bolted the painted flange and bolts back on to the base

Glue the PVC parts

I primed and glued the three pieces of PVC together. First you apply the purple PVC primer (acetone) and then go back and use the clear PVC glue. I went sparingly with the base as I did not want any runaway glue causing stains etc.

Delivered!

Here's the porch with the new table and the existing chairs. I think the color is close enough on the white. The owner enjoyed staining the wood and watching the grain come out. This was an easy project that had been rolling around in my head for months, we got it done in 3 hours (not counting drying time for paint and stain) and didn't spend a fortune either. Best of all, it is exactly what she wanted, so that's a win.


Our cost was around $77 because we had a lot of the paint/hardware/etc on hand, just stuff I keep close by for repairs and those creative moments that might strike


Holler if you have ideas or comments to help make it easier for someone else. Happy hometalking!

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4 of 16 comments
  • Darrel Bickel Darrel Bickel on May 20, 2021

    For the record primer is available without the purple stain, stain's main function is for building inspectors, to know it's been primed. There is also a fushion one-step glue that requiers no primer, and the primer just softens the pipe to start the glueing process and for this use probably was not needed. A cleaner will also remove the lettering and whatever else is on the pipe, and likewise will soften the pipe to speed gluing up. Much schedule 40 in builing supplys is a foam core and sanding a layer that is quite thin is not a good idea. Your painting this will make it last longer as it will block sunlight that speeds aging. I also must ask if this is for interior use why did you use treated wood? Treated wood made prior to Dec. 31, 2003 contained arsenic and chromium, it was replaced with cooper based pesticides. The sanding can create toxic residues and it is not to come in direct contact with food, so hope the treated wood spoke of was only the base 4x4's. Your stain and finish also protects wood and is all that was needed.

    • See 1 previous
    • Jim Cox Jim Cox on May 25, 2021

      I didn't know how dry the porch would be, and I knew the treated wood could be counted on. It's as new as this post.

  • Christie Decker Christie Decker on May 20, 2021

    I have a table that came out of my late in-law's truck camper. It uses flanges and pipe, I mounted it to a 2x6 (2 side by side) base...I love it, it's easy to take apart and move to where I need it/want it...I've not thought I could do the same with PVC pipe...wow, now, I can make more tables to have elsewhere. (I'm a semi-pro crafter, never enough tables for the stations I need, what can I say?) Thanks for the tips...I am grateful!

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