How to Build a Space Saving Dinner Table

Downsized homes and smaller apartment buildings often mean less room for furniture in the common rooms. If you're dealing with a cramped combination of living room and dining room, create a space-saving dinner table that folds out of the way when your meals are through. Start with an old dining table that's lost its leaves. Use an out-of-the-box installation method and you'll have a compact dining table for two or three people, plus extra floor space when you need it.

Old dining table
Screwdriver
Level
Pencil
Hinges
Drill and bit
Screws
Toggle bolts

Instructions

- 1
  Separate the dining table’s two halves. Use a table meant to have leaves in the center expanding the surface area and has removable, metal legs.
- 2
  Remove the hardware in the table’s center meant to hold the leave in place. Discard these pieces.
- 3
  Place the table up against the wall with the middle touching the wall. Have a friend help you hold the table in place. Use a level on the table ensuring the surface is level. Trace a line on the wall across the tabletop. Trace another line on the wall marking the table edge’s underside.
- 4
  Undo the screws holding the table legs. Remove the legs from the metal sleeves or slots. Set the legs aside for later.
- 5
  Attach one half of two or three hinges to the table’s underside right at the edge. Hold the table against the wall making sure the hinges lie flat against the wall as well as the table edge.
- 6
  Mark the wall through the holes in the hinges indicating where the screws go. Remove the table and set it aside.
- 7
  Drill into the wall on the marked sites and insert toggle bolts. Hold the table up against the wall and screw the hinges to the wall through the toggle bolts.
- 8
  Lift up the table surface and insert the legs into the sleeves or slots. Lower the table for dining. Raise the table and remove the legs to fold the table against the wall at the end of the meal.

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