Cutting a Dining Table in Half and Attaching to the Wall to Make Half Table
My husband gave me this idea of cutting a dining table in half and attaching it to the wall to make a half table.
I found this amazing dining table at the thrift store for a mere–OMG— $24.
Yes, $24.
I know….a steal… It’s heavy, too!
What’s even better is that wasĀ exactly what I was looking for!
Because I wanted to cut this dining table in half.Ā
BEFORE
AFTER!
This is the base cabinet that I had inĀ my laundry room.
I removed them (and later turned them into a workstation for my garage) because I want a table in there that I can store laundry baskets underneath.
Usually, our dirty laundry looks like this all over the floor. Although I have a couple laundry baskets, I want something more organized and hidden underneath so that it doesn’t overflow into my line of vision. And it would be nice to walk through without tripping on Lightning McQueen undies. š
BEFORE
Afterwards, it was soooo much more organized with laundry baskets under the separated and “cut” table so that the dirty laundry was out of the way.
My husband surprised me when he mentioned that I could “cut a table in half” and prop it up against the wall (how in the heck did he know about that design idea? AndĀ why didn’t I think of that??)
I was inspired!
How to Cut a Table in Half
The benefit of cutting a dining table in half is now you’ve got a shorter table. Those two shorter dining table pieces can now be attached to the wall to create a shorter table. It saves space. These half tables are perfect smaller homes that don’t have enough room for a large dining table, or maybe you want to create a countertop-style place for kids to eat. These half tables, when attached side by side, create long space-saving solutions for laundry rooms. Now you’ve got space to store laundry baskets underneath!
It’s really easy to create, depending on the type of table you’re wanting to cut in half.
Materials Needed
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- Jigsaw or circular saw (optional depending on the table)
- Screw drive or power drill
- Corner L-brackets
- Wall anchors
- Stud finder (optional)
- Furniture paint
- Floral Stencil
- Clear furniture wax
STEP 1: Find Out if You Really Need to Cut It or Simply Unscrew It
Luckily, this table I bought is one of those tables that separates in the middle where a leaf is supposed to go. So, I wouldn’t need to cut this table in half. I would only need to remove the bolts that are holding it together!
But if yourĀ table needs to be cut in half, you could probably use a jigsawĀ or a circularĀ saw.
Cutting a table in half, you’d need to make sure that the table is properly supported and that the blade is lowered or adjusted deep enough to safely cut the table in half.
If you’re a total newbie, I would ask someone who has power tool experience to do it for you.
STEP 2: Loosen the Screws Underneath the Table
Thankfully, my table only needed to have the screws loosened underneath the table and the ends pulled apart for the table halves to come free from each other.
Once separated, there should be two halves of the separated or cut table, each with just two legs on one side.
STEP 3: Add L-Brackets to the Cut Side
These corner L-brackets are what is going to hold the separated or cut table pieces to the wall.
The size you use will depend on the size of the table and the load the table will bear.
My recommendation would be to secure brackets into studs in the wall if possible, but if not possible, then use wall anchors. Again, this depends on load the table will bear.
STEP 4: Prop Up the Table and Paint It
This is probably easier to do when the table is whole, before separating or cutting it. š
In my case, I waited until the table was already cut in half, which probably wasn’t the smartest thing because then I had to find a way to prop up the table while I painted and stenciled it.
But I didn’t want the finish to get ruined on the table, so for me, it was easier to do it this way.
Using my favorite floral stencil, I stenciled over the painted table. I had used Annie Sloan Paris Gray chalk paint.
It looked gorgeous!
Related Read: What’s the Best Paint for Furniture?
Watch This Project in Action: How to Stencil on Furniture
Here’s a video on my YouTube channel showing you how I stenciled on this table that I separated or cut in two.
STEP 5: Wax the Table to Protect the Paint
The last step is to add a coat of clear furniture wax over the paint to protect it.
The table will fully cure in about 2 weeks while the clear wax dries, so just be careful with your freshly painted table that you just separated or cut in half and stenciled.
Did you find this tutorial helpful? Click here to SAVE it.
So have you ever separated or cut a table in half? What purpose did you have for the table? Leave a comment and let’s chat about it!
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Iām wanting to cut my 40×60 table in half lengthwise, hoping these instructions would work for me?
Hi Serena,
You just solved a huge problem for me. I am going to purchase a rectangular dining room table with a split in the middle and create the one you did for your laundry room. I will then have my ” sewing table” and “added work space” on the opposite wall to my extra large computer / printer (painted hollow door on rolling file cabinets. The room is coming along great including my gallery wall. I also finished a small wall with sign HAT BOX FUN….hung 3 large hat boxes and separate lids , my my they look awesome. I really laughed out loud when I read what you said about your husband …when you bring stuff home, mine is the same. Hang in there my Dear.
Heather / Canada
Hi Serena! This is such an awesome idea! I love how it turned out š
How did you mount the cut table to the wall? I turned out great!
L brackets. She mentioned it in the instructions.
i love what you did with the tables….tho i am wondering how you installed the dining table on the wall like that (once cut in half). i am looking to make a desk and that would work perfect!
I can’t wait to see it all finished!
Wow Serena! Although I’m not participating (avoiding commitment š ) I’m folowing you from Israel and inspired by you, began to work on my own laundry room. Thank you so much for a great blog!