How to Seamlessly Extend Your Dining Room Table

Extra guests are coming and they won’t fit around your regular dining room table. Make your table bigger without anyone noticing which part was “added on.”

A while back Chaya Fishman (@app_fish) posted a hack on how to extend your dining room table to fit a large crowd on her Instagram account. We thought it was the perfect DIY to share for Pesach when you may be hosting more guests than usual. Thanks, Chaya, for sharing it with us and our readers.

Chaya used basic plywood and we used a melamine board. Note that melamine is much heavier, however, it has a smoother surface.

Start by placing your folding table next to your table. Measure the amount you need to add to make the table at the same level (is it a ½ inch shorter? ¾ inch?). Then measure the width of your dining table and you’re all set to head to your local Home Depot.

Head directly to the plywood/boards section. Look for a piece that is as thick as you need to add height. Once you choose the right option, you can ask an employee to cut the board to the width of your table. In addition, have them cut two strips of extra board to use to hold the board in place.

Once you have your board cut to size, head over to the nail section and choose a nail that is long enough to be nailed into the boards (you want the 2 strips nailed into the main board, so the nail needs to be the height of the board plus a bit more).

Once you are home. Place your cut board on the floor. Lay the folding table over the board to use as a guide. Place the two strips of extra board on the two sides of the folding table and nail them in. (Note: This is a good way to release some stress). These side pieces will hold the top in place and keep it from moving around.

Remove the folding table. Place the folding table back next to the table. Flip the board over the table. You may want to wrap the edges of the table with some masking tape to protect the edges from getting caught in your tablecloth.

Want an Easier Solution?

This idea is from reader Devorah Rubin (@onthetablelkwd or www.tablecloth.shop). Many dining room tables are 48 inches wide. If yours is too, purchase a folding table that is the same width. This is the best-priced square table and here it is on Amazon (note that the cost may be the same when shipping costs are calculated). Then, you can simply get a tablecloth that is 48 inches longer than usual and you have a bigger table, although I recommend simply getting a matching tablecloth to that’s the right size to fit the folding table (don’t you hate when that extra table gets a mismatched cloth that’s hanging too low?). A matching cloth will make it look complete.

If the folding table is not the same height as your dining room table, you can also buy table risers.

After you put in all that work, enjoy your extra guests! (photo by Chaya Fischman)