How to Make a Folding Ping Pong Table

by DoItYourself Staff

Many people love to play table tennis, but purchasing your own ping pong table can be expensive, and it can be cheaper to build a folding ping pong table from scratch. Most of the materials needed to build your own folding ping pong table can be found at your local hardware store and at home.

Tools or material needed:

· Two plywood pieces measuring 4.5 feet, by 5 feet.
· Two solid pressed wooden pieces measuring 4.5 feet ,by 5 feet, 1/2 an inch thick.
· White paint (optional color difference)
· Green paint (optional color difference)
· 2- two by two lumber pieces, measuring 5 feet tall
· 2 - two by two lumber pieces, measuring 9 feet tall
· Screws
· Screw drivers (or drill)
· Wood Glue
· Clamps
· Masking tape
· Thin Detail Paint brush and a paint roller
· 6-inch tall net (with mounting kit)
· 4 door hinges

Step 1- Lay down the base for the ping pong table

Take the two 9-by-9 pieces, lay the two pieces of wood to form a rectangle, this will be the base for your ping pong table.

Step 2- Making the legs and attaching them

Each leg for the table needs to be 29.5 inches tall. Cut the two 2-by 2-pieces into four 29.5 inch legs. People who are good with woodwork can also carve intricate designs into the legs. Attach the legs to the four outer corners on the base of the ping pong table using either nails, or screws. Some people prefer using nails over screws, but screws tend to hold for a longer period of time.

Step 3- Adding the Hinges

To ensure that the ping pong table folds, make sure to put 4 hinges in equal intervals on the bottom side, connecting the two pieces that are 4.5 feet long in order to make the table the standard 9 feet long. Carefully screw the hinges to the bottom side of the table.

Step 4- Adding plywood

The plywood needs to be added to the wooden surface in order to ensure that the ball will bounce, and to cover the nails that may be showing after attaching the legs and hinges. A bounce of 8.75 inches is required by the international authorities in table tennis. Take a good measure of glue and add it on the two wooden pieces. Very carefully put the plywood sheets on top of the surfaces, then apply the clamps in order to keep the ply wood and the wood surface together while allowing the glue to dry.

Step 5- Painting your ping pong table and adding a net

Standard folding ping pong tables are green, but since this particular ping-pong table is custom, one can paint the table any color they wish. One should use the paint roller to give the table its solid color. To paint the lines, one can use the white paint or any custom color to replace white. Allow the paint to dry. Add a six inch net to complete your table, buy or make some paddles, buy a ball, and enjoy.