Instructions to Build a Children's Table

Height

• The most critical aspect of a child's table is its height--and this height is best determined by measuring the chair that the child will use with it. The proper height for a child's chair allows the child's feet to rest flat on the floor and for his knees to bend at a 90-degree angle when he sits. You can get a good estimate of this height by measuring the child's leg from the floor to the bottom of her kneecap. To get the table's height, add 8 inches to the chair height. That way, both the table and chair will work together to help the child maintain good posture.

Materials

• Most do-it-yourselfers use wood to build their table; it is easy to work and makes a sturdy piece of furniture. Either lumber or plywood can be used, and sometimes both are used together. In that case, plywood forms the top and lumber is used for the legs.

  Other materials, such as PVC pipe, can be used successfully also, but these materials may require skills or tools the home builder does not have at hand. But even when using these, most builders will still prefer a wooden table top.

Construction

• When you choose solid lumber, boards are usually edge-glued with carpenter's glue and allowed to dry. Scrape off any excess glue that oozes out from between the boards; cut the resulting panel to size, add legs (and an apron between the legs, if desired), and then sand and finish the whole table.

  A plywood top can be substituted for the glued-up panel, and edge tape added to the edges of the plywood. The legs and apron are added as before.

  When you use plywood alone, glue and nail together with the top four combination leg/apron pieces, each of which resembles an inverted "U." This creates a table resembling an inverted box with a "notch" removed from each side. Some builders add extra wood pieces to the inside of these notched legs, forming box shapes. (Such a child's table looks very much like a classic style known as a parson's table.)

Finish

• The finishes available for a child's table are the same as those available for adult tables--stain, clear-coat (varnish, shellac, etc.) and paint. Of these, paint seems to be the most popular. It is both durable and colorful, and tables painted with latex paints are washable.