Farmhouse Style Table, Benches, and Barstools

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My husband hand-built this charming farmhouse dining set for a client in Salt Lake City who runs an Airbnb nearby. She wanted a beautiful, high-quality set that could comfortably seat up to 12, so he crafted a massive 12-foot table with matching benches — sturdy, built to last, and so giant we had to rent a U‑Haul to deliver it.

We used our Kreg pocket hole jig to give the tabletop a seamless look with no visible screws. The Kreg is my favorite tool by far! My husband drilled pocket holes into the supports underneath and screwed into each top board, making the whole thing rock-solid while keeping the top clean and polished. My husband filled any visible holes around the rest of the pieces with plastic wood and plugs, carefully smoothing each spot as he went with a 120-220 grit sanding block. I prefer plastic wood to regular wood filler because it gives a much smoother, creamier finish instead of the slightly gritty texture you get with traditional wood fill.

Matching the kitchen cabinets was super important to our client. We used pine to save her money, while her cabinets are maple. Since woods tend to absorb stain differently depending on species and grain undertones, we mixed a custom Sherwin‑Williams stain color to get the right hue. It was important to choose boards that had minimal red grain. We started with a pre-stain wood conditioner; then applied with stain rags three even coats of stain to build a rich, consistent color; finally sealed everything with a clear, non-ambering polyurethane for lasting protection. Polyurethane can sometimes yellow a bit at first or over time, so we specifically chose a formula that resists color change and preserves the true tone of the stain — and honestly, it matched the cabinets better than we hoped. It looked beautiful, and our client was very happy!