Farmhouse table
We’ve swapped out our round table for a farm-style table! I love the antique table we have been using. It just takes up so much room in our small dining area, especially when we add the leaves. This change of tables allows more seating for family and guests and creates a sense of spaciousness in the dining area. Over the fall, we ordered a farm table to be crafted by a wonderful local couple. While our new table is being built, they graciously loaned us their floor model table to try in our home, which has been very helpful in helping us decide on the size that would work best with a new table. The added benefit of using the loaned table is we could try a little hack my cousin has used for years to add seating for larger groups.
The table we’re using is 34″ x 72″ and fits six people around it with no problem. There is also enough room for two additional chairs for a cozier group at the table.
How to add seating to a dining table
We recently hosted 12 friends for dinner and we could seat everyone around our table. To make our farm table larger, to accommodate everyone, we placed a 4×8 sheet of 5/8″ sanded plywood on top of our table. A 3/4″ would also work. Before adding the plywood to the top of the table, I added this grip shelf liner I purchased at Walmart to protect the table and to keep the plywood from sliding on the table.
Dropcloth for a tablecloth
I realized at the last minute that I didn’t purchase a tablecloth to cover the plywood, so I used a couple of smaller, somewhat matching tablecloths to cover the plywood. I have since purchased a canvas dropcloth from Home Depot that works perfectly as a larger tablecloth. (Tip: The drop cloths also make wonderful no-sew curtains when you use curtain rings.) The table in the first photo is covered with a drop cloth. They work perfectly for tablecloths, are a neutral color, and wash up well.
We plan to round the corners of the plywood and I might stain the board, though that isn’t necessary since I will most likely always use a tablecloth. We’ll see how ambitious I am!
Folding table + plywood for larger groups
If you don’t have a table that would accommodate a 4×8 piece of plywood, you could also use an eight-foot folding table like this one from Amazon and top it with a piece of plywood. Folding tables plus a drop cloth work great for outdoor seating too!