If you love table tennis but don’t have the scratch to buy one from your local sports store, I’m here to tell you that you can actually build your own!
We collected a list of 10 DIY ping pong table blueprints below.
There are some cool options on the list: #8 is made from an overturned car; #6 from a recycled chalkboard; #7 is a $40 option; and all the way at the bottom of the post, we even profile a floating ping pong table for pools!
Whatever your fancy, there are a bunch of options for the ambitious hobbyist. Just click the ‘View Plans’ button to get the step-by-step instructions and you’ll be swinging paddles in no time.
10 DIY Ping Pong Table Plans
1. Folding Ping Pong Table Idea
If you love to play table tennis, you probably know how expensive tables can be. This DIY project shows you how to make one that is collapsible but still sturdy.
You’ll need medium density fiberboard, paint, steel hinges, screws, an extensible net, and pinewood trestles. To make this yourself, cut and prepare the wood, paint everything and let it dry, then screw it all together.
This stand also isn’t super heavy, so you can easily have games inside the garage or outdoors in the backyard. The designer suggests waiting eight hours or overnight before using it. If you want a plug and play solution, check out some of these outdoor ping pong tables. No DIY necessary!
VIEW PLANS2. Group Oriented Ping Pong Table Idea
This is a great table to build in parks, street festivals, or even your own backyard. The design is colorful and vibrant which makes the game more engaging and fun to play.
To build this, you’ll need a lot of wood and plywood, paint, metal cylinders, sandbags, and a few more things. After the wood is cut, assemble the base, attach the top, polish it multiple times, then install it and get a game going.
Constructing this together would make a great community project, as individuals can take turns designing the tabletop.
VIEW PLANS3. Mini Ping Pong Table Project
If you want a quick, simple, and fun DIY project, try making this small board. This uses polycarbonate, plastic rivets, zip ties, and cardboard, and a hand drill.
To make this, simply build the legs and tabletop, drill all the holes, and assemble the pieces together.
The finished product should fold in like a suitcase and makes for easy storage. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can take these blueprints and use a different, sturdier material to craft this. When playing a game, it is also not a bad idea to stabilize the legs a bit more with some weights.
VIEW PLANS4. Two in One Ping Pong Table Plan
Many of us don’t have a lot of free space for things in our homes, especially for small hobbies. This builder was in the same boat and created this table that can fold out into a regular dining or work table.
Made out of pine and redwood ply, this isn’t heavy or hard to move but still solid and sturdy. Two beams of pine give support to the table and castors help secure it all together.
Creating this requires a lot of patience and exact measurements, though you’re sure to be happy with the finished product.
VIEW PLANS5. Simple Ping Pong Table DIY
This basic table costs less than $100 to build and just a few hours of your time. To construct, you’ll need some medium density fiberboard, foldable saw horses, braces, screws, and paint if you want a different color top.
Because this board is made out of two halves, you can easily detach them and push the table up against the wall for practice play by yourself.
If you’re worried about the halves not being held together properly, you can add extra mending plates and drill pilot holes. Obviously, you will also need a retractable net, a ball, and paddles to test out your new DIY plan (want another fun DIY project: check out our DIY Go Kart plans) (want another fun DIY project: check out our DIY Go Kart plans).
VIEW PLANS6. Chalkboard/Ping Pong Table Blueprint
When you have limited space in your home, you have to get inventive and creative.
That’s exactly what this designer did — she created a board that her children could play on that easily converts into a message board when not in use.
This is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Molding, grout, paint, wood glue, medium-density fiberboard, wood clamps, and a saw.
Since only glue is used, it is recommended that you leave this to dry overnight before using it. This also doesn’t weigh much, making it easy to flip over or even display on the wall.
VIEW PLANS7. Cheap and Simple Ping Pong Table Idea
Costing only $40 to construct and a few hours to build, this table is the perfect weekend project. Medium-density fiberboard, primer, tape, screws, hinges, and chalkboard paint are needed to make this.
If you don’t have a saw, your local home improvement store can cut the MDF to the exact size that you need. Simply prime the board, use the tape to make lines, apply the paint, and let it dry.
Then screw on the hinges to attach the two pieces together. The chalkboard provides a smooth and level surface for the ball to bounce on but also a way for players to keep score.
VIEW PLANS8. Old Car Ping Pong Table Idea
This is a fun DIY idea that will definitely amuse your friends and family. This French artist took advantage of a flipped car on a public road. What better base than a thousand-pound vehicle?
Simply cut some medium density fiberboard, allowing for cutouts for the wheels.
This can be glued to the frame or the tires for stability. Painting the top a vibrant color, like blue or green, makes the table even more visually appealing.
This can easily be replicated by making a car out of wood and metal. There is plenty of room to get creative here, as you can model this after any type of vehicle or even visit a junkyard.
VIEW PLANS9. Door/Ping Pong Table DIY
Available for purchase, this inventive table is actually a fully functional door! Created by an amazing German interior designer, this is a very ambitious DIY project. If you’re experienced with woodworking and crafting, you can try following this YouTube tutorial.
While it is not as seamless as the original, it is still a great way to converse space and make something fun in your home. You’ll need wood, a circular saw, wood glue, a power drill, sander, and paint.
Installing the door into your home is a bit difficult, but when it is completed you will be able to just flip it horizontally whenever you wish to play a game of table tennis.
10. Makeshift Ping Pong Table DIY
If you’re on a tight budget or just need a table in a fix, this is the perfect DIY plan for you.
This can be made with items you already have in your home, like two plastic containers, a weight for them, wooden dowels, and a screwdriver.
Simply empty out the containers and fill them with something heavy, like coins, marbles, or rocks. Cut a hole on the sides of them, then insert the dowel.
Place them in the center of your dinner table and you’re ready to play! This “net” can easily be stored anywhere and pulled out when you need to use it.
This is a very quick solution, however, as your table likely isn’t the same size and texture as a regulation table. Remember, you can buy one, as well, if you don’t have time to DIY it!
VIEW PLANSWhat is Reddit saying?
One poster explained that he’s passionate about the game but new and used options were way too expensive for him so he solicited advice about building a table.
Posters asked him whether he was interested in beer pong or ping-pong- because if you’re just trying to build a beer pong table all you need to do is get some 2 by 4s for the legs and some plywood for the table surface.
A down and dirty, inexpensive solution is to use an undersized table that measures 4′ x 8′, instead of the typical regulation size 5′ x 9′. A piece of particle board is probably the best option in that case.
Another Reddit user said that you could use a 4′ x 8′ hardboard that is 3/16th inches- paint it white, apply some tape, add some green trim and install a net and you’re all ready to go. Another DIY professional showcased his homemade ping-pong table that cost under $100.
I made a Home-made Ping Pong Table for around $100! from somethingimade
It is a truly handsome option installed in a home gym with a full wood surface and white trim. It’s built with 2 by 3s and laminate flooring. He says the bounce is exceptional but can be somewhat inconsistent. If he were to reconstruct it, next time he would install some plywood to help support the laminate.
A college student-submitted instructions on Imgur for a cheap and easy build- saying that it cost about $40 using some salvaged table base parts that he got from a junkyard. He used some wood finish Minwax stain so that it would be really dark and attractive and applied it to the wood scraps that he salvaged.
Crazy Concrete Ping Pong Table
Another user assembled a concrete ping-pong table for outdoor backyard fun with a red Cedarwood base.
It sits under a pergola– next time he says he would’ve rented a cement drum mixer to pour all of the cement at one time to prevent inconsistent batches that resulted in a weird table surface pattern. One builder suggested concrete alternatives- using foam core and fiber reinforced concrete for a thinner and smoother layer on top.
This would amount to the same quality of durability but without the hundreds of pounds of extra weight. The next step is going to be to add some green acid stain for some fun color effects. In the DIY area of Reddit, a husband says that he was looking to spice up his garden and patio after he and his wife had just finished remodeling their home.
So, I want to build a concrete ping pong table/dining table for my patio this summer. Any idea where to start? from DIY
Because they consider themselves pretty handy, including having done drywall cabinet installation and interior wiring, he was soliciting the community to figure out how complex a build a DIY ping-pong table would be.
His wife was interested in using the tabletop surface to serve food- so it would actually be doing double duty.
He didn’t need it to be regulation standard, just something fun to do outdoors when family and friends come over in the summer months.
Reddit posters pointed out a couple primary concerns- basically saying that the concrete weighs a lot.
They calculate that you would need at least thirty-five 60 pound bags for a 9′ x 5′ x 4′ table that will ultimately weigh over 2,000 pounds. Installation and construction itself would be incredibly complex- you’d need to have some mixing machines on hand to handle that amount of concrete.
Pool Float Ping Pong Table
Another really unique build that we saw is a ping-pong table that floats in the pool.
It uses particleboard with some pool flotation noodles strapped with Velcro so that the table floats in the water- a fun and creative way to spice up a pool if you have one.
Playing Tips
Over at PongBoss.com, they provide some useful tips if you’re first starting out playing the sport.
15 Table Tennis Tips To Improve Your Game – PongBoss
As well, you can get some great advice about purchasing and playing ping pong over at PingThatPong.com.
Master The Basics
One bit of advice they share is that you want to master the basics before you practice more advanced strategies.
In fact just getting good at some of the fundamentals like how to properly grip your paddle, moving your feet and practicing different spin effects will help you beat most beginner opponents.
Table Tennis: How to Play Table Tennis, Including Strokes
You’ll want to practice a lot, as well, but in between your competitive matches- this can help you to overcome significant weaknesses in your game while also developing strengths you need to improve when playing in tournaments.
Practice Serving
Practicing serving is also essential- short serves are frequently recommended because they make it difficult for the other player to assume an advantage over you.
Experiment With Different Heights
You can also utilize different heights, they say. So try to hit the ball just prior to it reaching its topmost height with a bit of the backswing and a quick and short stroke.
You can also hit it when it’s at its highest point with a relaxed technique- this is when flat shots are advised. The final height is when the ball has already bounced and is near to colliding with the table again- this entails using a forehand loop strike.
Stick With One Paddle
Another tidbit they offered was to choose a paddle and stick with it-this helps you develop a feel for the sport. After you’ve developed a mastery over a basic paddle, sometimes it’s necessary to upgrade to a more expensive model. You’ll want to use it exclusively so that you develop an intuitive feel.
Join A Table Tennis Club
Another logical tip is to find a table tennis club in your neighborhood- this will grant you access to better quality players and more frequent practice to improve your performance. Because this is a psychological as well as physical sport- they advise you practice patience and calmness, waiting for your opponent to make an error you can capitalize on.
Practice Your Footwork
You’ll also want to pay attention to your footwork. Like with most sports, footwork is really important but often overlooked.
There are some YouTube video training drills that you can watch to help you develop more nimble and expert footwork. Once you’re able to develop better agility you can place yourself in optimal locations to hit the ping-pong ball back to your opponent- they say that if you’re just standing still the entire time you’re torquing your body in weird ways that don’t create the best strikes.
Whenever you are about to hit the ball, they advise that you should lean forward well onto your feet tips-this helps you avoid leaning backward which is a typical error that novice players make.
Submit To Us!
If you end up constructing one of these DIY ping-pong tables, shooters and email or comment down below and we will feature your build on this page.
Hi, my name’s Elena Coolidge. I’m a DIY enthusiast who loves building fun woodworking plans. These DIY plans are fun hobby projects for enthusiasts or even more advanced builders that want to build things like bunk beds, end tables or even a duck box!
