DIY Network

Kids' Game Table Craft a great play place. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-604

Any time is playtime with this festive table.

Instead of having kids' games take over the house, why not B. Original and create a great place to play? Michele Beschen shows how to turn an old kitchen table into an island of fun with this custom play table. From the built-in storage for those tiny building blocks to a hard-playing game surface, it's got something for everyone.

Scroll down to start creating a custom play place for your own little ones.

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Kids' Play Table

Materials;

old, wooden kitchen table
building pad or base plate for plastic blocks
2 unbreakable canisters with a lip at the brim
18" by 18" piece of felt.
drill with 1/2" inch spade bit
jigsaw
safety glasses
router or rotary tool with router attachment
spray adhesive
sandpaper
paint and paintbrushes
non-toxic polyurethane

Note: Michele Beschen divided her table into separate sections for building blocks and for other games. Customize the design to fit your kids' favorite pastimes.

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G

• Position the building pad and canisters on the table and trace around them with a pencil. Check underneath the table to make sure the canisters aren't above any essential hardware or supports. After tracing, set the pad and canisters aside.

• Wearing safety glasses, use a 1/2" spade bit to drill pilot holes inside the traced canister shapes.

  Safety Alert: Always wear safety glasses when using a power drill or other power tools.

• Wearing safety glasses, use a jigsaw to cut out the canister shapes (figure A). Check the underside of the table to make sure there is not hardware in the saw's path. Stay inside the traced lines so the canisters don't fall through the table.

• Sand the cut edges of the holes.

• Position the piece of felt in the game area of the table and trace around it (figure B). Set the felt aside.

• Michele Beschen cut grooves around the game area to hold cards – especially handy when small hands are struggling with large cards. To do this, first use a straight edge to draw lines for the grooves; Michele Beschen's were about 20" long and slightly outside the line for the felt pad.

• To cut a groove, clamp a metal straight edge about 2" to the outside of the traced line. Wearing safety glasses, use a router or a rotary tool with a router bit to cut the groove. Start with the bit set fairly shallow – about 1/16" – to make the first pass through the cut (figure C). Continue to go over the groove line, adjusting the bit about 1/16" deeper every time until the groove is 1/2" deep. Repeat for the other grooves.

• Use a piece of folded sandpaper to smooth all the edges of the grooves. Clean all debris out of the grooves.

• Mask off the entire tabletop – except for the building pad shape and the felt pad shape – with painter's tape and kraft paper (figure D). Then, use spray adhesive to secure the pad to the table. Spray the adhesive on the table as well as on the backs of the building and felt pads; masking the table will protect it from adhesive overspray.

  Safety Alert: Follow all product instructions when using spray adhesive, and make sure to work in a well-ventilated area.

• Once the spray adhesive has cured, finish the piece with paint, rubber stamps, wood-burning or other decorative finishes as desired.

• Seal all of the wood surfaces with non-toxic polyurethane. Once all finishes have dried, slip the canisters into their holes (figure F).

• If a standard-size kitchen table is too tall for the kids in your life, consider cutting down the legs to a more tot-friendly height.

• For seating, Michele Beschen painted some wooden crates from the hobby store in bright, playful colors. Place the crates on end for seating at a full-size table, or horizontally if you cut down the table legs for extra-young players.

• The crates also double as storage for cards, games and other supplies (figure G). Michele Beschen covered the front openings of her crates with fabric cut to size and secured with hook-and-loop tape.

Let the games begin!