We’ve had this little table since we first moved in back in 2007. It served us well when it was just me, Kayce, and Parker. Not so much anymore. After much searching online and in local stores, we couldn’t find a larger replacement that fit the casual look we wanted for a kitchen table.

Original Table (3×4′)

Since we like this table so much, I said to Kayce, “let’s just make this table bigger”.  So I did. A nice glue up of some very clear aspen panels and several coats polyurethane later. We had a table top. I cut the longer apron pieces and reused the legs and hardware. I only had to add a center support to the frame.

Aspen Panels

Glue up at Joe’s Shop (Thanks Joe)

Finished Top

Old Top Compared to New

Finished Table (4×6′)

Now, we had a new problem… No chairs for the ends. Again, we searched and searched and couldn’t find any chair that would match sufficiently. We also looked for benches, but found that they either didn’t match or were overpriced. So, again, I looked at the old table top, and decided just to make my own benches. With some parson style legs from Lowes and few pieces of 1×3 I had everything I needed.

Dry Fit

Many Coats of Paint

Finished Base

Completed Bench

Our “New” Kitchen Table

So, with mostly hand tools and for less than $400 we went from a 3×4′ table that seats 4 to a 4×6′ table that seats 8. And it’s solid wood, so it has many, many years of use a head of it. Hope you enjoyed this this photo diary of my project and hopefully, it will encourage you to tackle a project of your own.