Build an Umbrella Table If you enjoy a cool drink under a shade umbrella on a hot summer day then building an umbrella table is the perfect project for you. Learn how to build this attractive weather-resistant table that will accommodate an umbrella and stand, as well as have enough surface space for drinks and snacks. Time to complete:  Variable 2 pieces of cedar 1 piece of cedar 2 exterior grade deck screws Step 1: Make the Legs To make the legs, cut 4 pieces of 4″ x 4″ cedar to 17″ lengths. Then rip cut the pieces to 2 1/2″ x 21/2″. Step 2: Create a Skirt For the table skirt rip cut the 1 1/4″ x 6″ cedar to a width of 3 3/4″. Then cut two 26″ lengths and two 24″ lengths. Step 3: Assemble Skirt Assemble a box with these four pieces – 24″ inside the 26″. Glue and brad nail together. Step 4: Attach Legs To Skirt Position a leg in one corner of the skirt, firm against the sides and down against a 1 1/4″ x 6″ spacer.

Glue, countersink and screw through the leg into the skirt. Repeat for all corners.Silver Velvet Curtain Fabric Step 5: Create and Attach Fastening PiecesWall Mount Toilet Venting Using the excess pieces from the skirt, cut fastening pieces to fit between the legs. High Tank Toilets CanadaGlue and screw them into the skirt against 1 1/4″ x 6″ cedar flush with the top of the table legs. Step 6: Measure and Cut Tabletop To make the table top, cut five pieces of 1 1/4″ x 6″ cedar to fit inside the skirt. So all pieces are of equal width, measure and divide by five, then rip cut the five pieces to equal widths. Step 7: Attach Tabletop Lay the five pieces together on a flat surface and fit the table over them.

Countersink, glue and screw through the fastening strips into the pieces. Step 8: Drill Umbrella Hole Stand the table upright on its legs and use the hole saw to drill a hole in the centre, to accommodate the umbrella. Step 9: Finishing Touches Fill all cracks and holes with exterior wood filler. Sand, stain and apply sealer (optional). Got questions about this article or any other garden topic? Go here now to post your gardening ideas, questions, kudos or complaints. We have gardening experts standing by to help you! The for Every Project Love your space with expertly curated paint colors and room images to match any style. From garage paint to deck stain, get the colors and know-how to finish your exterior project. More than a chip on a wall, Project Color is your space, transformed, in a single tap. Get helpful tips and tricks from DIY-ers and experts in our Home Depot Community. Already have a color in mind?Concrete furniture looks amazing and really is cheap to do.

Tables can be made without expensive or specialty tools and will jazz up your home or office in no time! I’ve built many tables and desks using these exact same processes. This tutorial will explain how to make a concrete table top for any sized table you’d like to build. The actual base will not be explained, but full instructions to build it can be found on a Ana-White’s amazing DIY website. I modified her plans by adding to the overall dimensions and removing the wood top. Orbital Sander – Dewalt makes a great orbital sander for around $50. Drill – I use a Dewalt Drill Table Saw – Optional (can use a circular saw instead) Small Shovel (To mix Concrete) Bolt Cutters (To cut wire re-enforcement) Concrete Trowel – $10 Flathead screwdriver or chisel Sanding Block with 100 Grit sandpaper (or a diamond pad). The buffet table I made is 17″wide by 52″ long by 1.5″ thick. Here is a diagram showing how I made the mold. This piece should be the exact width and length you’d like the concrete table to be.

If you want a 1.5″ thick concrete slab, add 3/4″ to the strips so they are 2.25″ tall. This accommodates for the bottom of the mold. Attach using 1 5/8 inch black drywall screws about every 8-12 inches. Drill a pilot hole to help it go in easier. Make sure to drill in from the side as evenly as possible. Once assembled, the mold will look like the photo below. You will now have a structure which concrete can be poured in. Note — the actual top of your concrete table will be very smooth because it will cure against the smooth and flat melamine surfaces. The part that you screed and trowel later on will actually be the bottom side. You will flip the mold once the project has cured. In the video I use a squeeze tube of 100% silicon caulk. You can also use a caulk gun. Then run a caulk tool to smooth it out. You can also use painters tape to get an even caulk line as pictured below. Have paper towels around to clean off your hands when finished! As soon as you are finished pull the tape off while the caulk is still wet.

Use a paper towel to remove any caulk that accidentally gets on other parts of the mold. Let cure for a few hours. Once the caulk has cured, go ahead and cut the re-enforcement to size using a bolt cutter. If your table is 52″ long by 17″ in width, cut the metal wiring to about 50″ by 15″. It will leave about an inch of play on each side. Then use rubbing alcohol and a paper towel to thoroughly clean the mold, making sure all sawdust and particles are out of the mold. It’s time to mix up the concrete.  Follow the directs on the bag to see how much water they recommend adding. I like to pour some water into the tub prior to the concrete to minimize dust. Wear a dust mask for this process because the particles are not good to breathe. Mix 1 or 2 bags of concrete at a time. To stir up the concrete use a small shovel or garden hoe. I like to mix it to a peanut butter consistency. If it is too dry add a little more water at a time. If too much is added, put in a little more concrete mix.

*Now is the time to add liquid or powder coloring to the mix if you’d like. Another way to add color is by using concrete acid stain after the project has cured. Take a handful of concrete (wearing your rubber gloves of course), and start packing the concrete into the mold. *Don’t forget to make sure your work table is as level as possible prior to packing the concrete. Once the mold is filled up a little more than half way you’ll want to add the re-enforcement. Simply put the re-enforcement in place and then finish packing the rest of the mold with concrete. Fill the mold with concrete until it is full. Take an old 2×4 or straight piece of wood and screed off the excess to level out the concrete. Move the 2×4 in a sawing motion. Continue back and forth across the entire mold (multiple times) and fill in any low spots with extra concrete. Check that your work table is still level. You can always shim if needed. A level work table will make sure your concrete table is an even thickness throughout.

Once you’ve finished leveling out the concrete lift your work table slightly up and down to vibrate the concrete. Vibrating the concrete will help minimize the number of air bubbles in your finished piece. This is a very important step. Another way to help vibrate the piece is to hit the bottom side of the table (underneath your piece) with a rubber mallet or hammer. Then use the hammer (or an orbital sander ) to vibrate the air bubbles out from the sides (tap the sides with the hammer). Finally, use a basic concrete trowel to smooth the concrete. The part you trowel will actually be the bottom of the concrete tabletop. You want the bottom side to be flat so it rests on your table base. Now it’s time to sit back and relax. Let the concrete piece cure for a good 3 to 4 days before removing it from the mold. Remove all the drywall screws. Next, take a chisel and slowly pry the wood side away from the concrete. Make sure not to let the chisel (or flathead screwdriver ) touch the concrete.

Use a sanding block to soften the edges. Make sure to work from the corners and not into them. In the photo below, you’d start the sanding block at the corner and move to the left. This prevents blowing out the corner. Run the block lightly around all bottom edges. (It will only take a couple minutes.) Slowly flip the concrete. It helps to have two people. I like to take a few shop rags or foam to put under the concrete so when it is flipped vertically there is something for it to rest softly on. Continue flipping the piece and rest it on a few spare boards. Resting it on boards that are evenly spaced will allow the piece to dry thoroughly. Remove top of the mold. Fresh out of the mold. Use an orbital sander to smooth the piece. You will expose a few more bug holes but that is okay. Run the sander on the sides and corners as well. The top edges will be pretty rough. You’ll fill in the rough area with portland cement after this process. Mix portland cement (not normal concrete mix) with water until it is a toothpaste consistency.

You could mix the cement with a concrete fortifier to help it bond as well, but is not necessary. Rub the paste into the bugholes using a circular motion. Fill any other areas with the paste as needed. To fill the rough edges in put some paste in the bridge between your thumb and index finger. Slide along the edge as shown below. After filling the holes use a plastic putty spatula to remove excess paste. Let sit for 1 to 2 hours and then do a final sanding. Use 120 and the 220 grit sandpaper to remove extra paste and to give the table top a smooth finish. Round over the edges as well. Use a clean rag and get any remaining dust off the concrete. Next, find a new rag and use it to apply a stone or concrete sealer. These can be found at a local hardware store. Read the instructions to find out the best way to apply the sealer. Once the sealer drys I like to wax the piece. It adds an extra layer of protection and shines the piece up a bit. The paste wax I use is Johnson’s Paste Wax and can be found in the wood stain section at the hardware store.

Apply the wax in a circular motion. Then buff it with a clean microfiber rag or terry cloth. It will be smooth and shiny! 21. Set the concrete piece onto your base. If needed, feel free to run a thick bead of 100% silicon caulk around the top of base so the concrete piece doesn’t shift. I’d recommend using caulk on a coffee table because your feet pushing against it will shift the concrete. On a buffet table you could go with or without. The base I built for this particular concrete top was designed by Ana-White. She has an amazing blog with all sorts of furniture projects. I modified the plans to fit this table. To see the design I was inspired by click here. Ana has detailed plans for the truss table project. In a future post I will talk about other finishing methods. Below is a photo of what a table looks like if you grind it using a wet polisher and expose the aggregate (rocks/sand). It can be a neat effect as well, but requires a special polisher found here.