Need help making a beer pong table
 

Hey guys, I havent been posting last couple days because I am moving into an apartment down at Charlottesville. Since I am not a freshie, now I can live off grounds, and that means no RA's and tons of booze. We have an extra room and a limited budget.

Our first project for the room is to make a beer pong table, but we need help. If any of you guys have done it before, I would appreciate any tips. We want to paint it school colors, and probably put a sealant on it to prevent warping(although we are not sure what to use).

A cool idea was to use glow in the dark paint, and UV lights in that room. But if you guys have any idea or tips for a beer pong table, let me know.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

talk to AMD...he's on vacation this week, but when he gets back, hit him up. I know he is either building one, or it's finished...

Google Beer Pong tables and you'll see tons of sites that sell them, and i know there are a few that have dimensions and skematics on how to build them.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

For one, it needs to be at least 8' long. Main thing if you want to maintain space, is to make sure you hinge it in the middle. You might want to spring on some fairly nice wood since it'll be smoother and accept stains/color/laquer better.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

I suggest pine, oak or maple. Also, remember to put trim around the edges.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;207069]I suggest pine, oak or maple. Also, remember to put trim around the edges.[/quote]
what do you mean trim?

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

Is this ping pong turned into a drinking game?

Sorry, I'm ignorant about these kind of things! :D

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

Buster - [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_pong]Educate Yourself on the finer aspects of Beer Pong[/url]

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

[quote=hooskins;207076]what do you mean trim?[/quote]

Like if you get a thick piece of board for the top, put veneer or thin slices of wood all the way around. It'll make it look classy as hell.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

[IMG]http://www.ecosofa.com/shop/images/b-furniture-wood-trim-colors.gif[/IMG]

Like these going around the edges...

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

That chocolate looks black but that would look great with a ton of polyurethane on top of it.

A mahogany or cherry would look great if it were a Redskins ping pong table.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

dude, slim budget? ive done this and it works great, get yourself two pieces of about .5 inch thick particle board about 4 feet by 5 feet, 3 door hinges, about 50 feet of rubber stripping and about 30 feet of cheap molding, the paint you want and some poly eurathane, put the molding around the one 4 foot side and both 5 foot sides of the particle board, then hinge together the two boards at so the dimensions of the table when flat are 4x10 (hinge the boards on the top side of the table, next put the rubber stripping over the crease in the boards and all along the molding along the sides, (tip, buy thin ply wood and cut yourself out a triangle that you can fit the six cups in and cut out 6 circles the size of the bottom of a dixie or solo cup whichever you prefer, so that the cups have a nice place to sit, and tack those onto either side with some finishing nails so your cups have a nice place to sit) next paint it how you want to paint it and put about 3-5 coats of CLEAR poly eurathane on top and there ya go, a portable, easy to store beer pong table add legs with locking hinges if you want to really be fancy

the reason for the rubber stripping is to prevent beer from flowing freely onto the floor, obviously beer pong is a messy game but this really helps

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

come on guys, pine cherry oak? that stuffs expensive think broke college kid budget

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

But typically it's a bunch of guys chipping together that buy each other out when the table has to go home with one of them. If you can get like 4-5 guys to throw in about 30-40 bucks a piece, you can build one out of oak (my favorite for beer pong tables). The trim is VERY cheap, especially if you go with stick-on veneer. For about $100-$150 you can have the nicest looking pong table around. Also, if you construct something that beautiful, you can use it for more than pong.

My buddies bought me out of ours after college, I'll put up some pics of it when I get a chance. You're definitely right about 3-5 coats of sealer, too much is almost enough when it comes to beer pong.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

Seriously, what the h-e-double hockey sticks are people talking about up in here? It's like we're trying to go all west coast customs on a friggin beer pong table.

Simple. Easy. No frills.

Buy a 4 foot by 8 foot piece of Pressure Treated Plywood. Pressure treated plywood is designed for outdoor exposure, used in decks, swingsets, tree houses, and anything else that can stand up to rain, termites, and is resistant to warping, rotting, and splitting. $27 at any Home Depot store.

[url]http://homedepot.bighammersoftware.com/ProductInfo.aspx?cid=834250&pid=86118bc8-5213-479b-93ba-7ffcb932860a[/url]

Buy an oil-based primer, coat with that first, and then paint it however you want. Or just go straight with stain and Thompson's Water Seal.

This will give you a beer pong table that works and holds up to the water. I can't tell you much about pimping it out, but this will be simple and cheap.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

As a 4 time County/ 3 time state beer pong Champion I can give my expertise. Just get a long piece of plywood and put it on a table so it can be removed and cleaned easily. Its gonna have beer spilled all over it anyway. But it sounds like you arent going to do it ghetto style which is the only way Ive ever done it. Damn I miss that game. If only beer didnt bring out the asshole in me I would come out of retirement. Good luck, and happy gaming.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

End result will be a flat surface with no legs. Basically a pressure treated board.

We used to take this and just put it on top of our kitchen table to play on. Then when we weren't using it (yeah right, that happened often) we placed it on end up against the wall.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

[quote=Schneed10;207240]Seriously, what the h-e-double hockey sticks are people talking about up in here? It's like we're trying to go all west coast customs on a friggin beer pong table.

Simple. Easy. No frills.

Buy a 4 foot by 8 foot piece of Pressure Treated Plywood. Pressure treated plywood is designed for outdoor exposure, used in decks, swingsets, tree houses, and anything else that can stand up to rain, termites, and is resistant to warping, rotting, and splitting. $27 at any Home Depot store.

[URL]http://homedepot.bighammersoftware.com/ProductInfo.aspx?cid=834250&pid=86118bc8-5213-479b-93ba-7ffcb932860a[/URL]

Buy an oil-based primer, coat with that first, and then paint it however you want. Or just go straight with stain and Thompson's Water Seal.

This will give you a beer pong table that works and holds up to the water. I can't tell you much about pimping it out, but this will be simple and cheap.[/quote]

Cheap asses. :doh:

;)

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;207247]Cheap asses. :doh:

;)[/quote]

We spent more time playing/drinking and less time building. Not to mention more money on beer and less money on wood.

;)

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

[quote=Schneed10;207240]Seriously, what the h-e-double hockey sticks are people talking about up in here? [B][I]It's like we're trying to go all west coast customs on a friggin beer pong table.[/I][/B][/quote]

"I'm going to install an LCD TV and 15" subs...IN YO' BEER PONG TABLE."

-Mad Mike

He has to be the only mofo' to ever install a monitor UNDERNEATH the car.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

[quote=Schneed10;207249]We spent more time playing/drinking and less time building. Not to mention more money on beer and less money on wood.

;)[/quote]

The construction took us a good week, but we built a legendary table. If Jesus played beer pong, he would have used our table.

That being said, the extra cases of beer we could have bought with that money would have made Jesus proud anyway.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

[QUOTE=TheMalcolmConnection;207251]"I'm going to install an LCD TV and 15" subs...IN YO' BEER PONG TABLE."

-Mad Mike

He has to be the only mofo' to ever install a monitor UNDERNEATH the car.[/QUOTE]

Hilarious!

BTW, did he really put a monitor underneath a car?

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

Yup, my bro told me he put some small ones in the rims one time.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

Thanks for the help guys, I will keep you all updated on progress, and hopefully post up pics.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

I am not sure how I can paint it well, and I was thinking about using computer graphics, you think that can be done?

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

anyone else play 10 cup rather than 6?

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

[quote=SeasonTicketHolder;207374]anyone else play 10 cup rather than 6?[/quote]
depends if we have enough beer, but we try to.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

go with cheap plywood(1/2 inch) and some cheap 1x2's as underneathe framing. Then buy some counter top laminate and Formica that shiznit up. Will stop warping and be easy to clean. Shouldn't cost more than 50 or 60 bucks. The hing idea is brilliant too.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

[quote=FRPLG;207406]go with cheap plywood(1/2 inch) and some cheap 1x2's as underneathe framing. Then buy some counter top laminate and Formica that shiznit up. Will stop warping and be easy to clean. Shouldn't cost more than 50 or 60 bucks. The hing idea is brilliant too.[/quote]

Is laminate the same as the poly stuff and what is Formica?

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

laminate is the stuff that many counter tops are made of. You can buy the sheets at lowes and home depot and glue it to plywood like a counter basically. Formica is simply a brand name for those types of couter-tops that has now become like the name for the entire product market. Sorta like Corn Flakes become a regular old noun instead of the trade-marked proper oun that it started as many years ago.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

[QUOTE=hooskins;207322]I am not sure how I can paint it well, and I was thinking about using computer graphics, you think that can be done?[/QUOTE]
if you are going to use computer graphics, i would print them off, trace them to the wood, paint it on, and then seal it that way. it'll stand up better. and I believe they have clear laminate...though don't quote me on that.

i usually play 6 cup, but we have a variation called Crazy Pong, where each cup is different shape, size, etc...we ran into a day where we didn't have any solo cups, and just happened to have 2 sets of 6 different cups. it made for an interesting game.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

They DO have a clear laminate. BD is right though, it'll look better if you paint it that way.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

Go to Lowes buy 3/4 inch plywood that is finished on one side (that means it smooth). For free have them cut it down the middle so you will have a 2 ' wide by 8' lnog. Get 1" x 2" 8' long aand nail down the edge. Buy two folding saw hourse and it will be complete. You can store it under a bed. They may have half sheets of plywood already cut and the saw hourses you can find on sale pretty cheap. Seal the plywood with a good coat of paint.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

Thanks for all the help guys, I went to Lowes today and picked up my materials. We got one piece of plywood that was sanded on one side and pressure treated. We also got trim around the board. We got our school colors for the paint, and enough poly-eurathane for 3-5 coats. I think we are either gonna stencil the graphics or other stuff. Haven't finished the blueprints, but will start on the table tomorrow or something. I will keep you guys posted and updated, hopefully with pics as well.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

My beer pong table idea went the way of studying overseas and going to grad school.

My dad got a 6' plastic folding table from Home Depot, so I might just end up painting that one. I just wanted one to use at tailgates, so I needed it to fold, and I can live with only 6'.
However, if I were building one that I would keep in one place in my house all the time I would have to make it 8' and it probably wouldn't fold, but it would be on wheels.

So basically, I've brought nothing to the conversation.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

Hey guys we finished our table and we broke in in this weekend. It is orange on blue, UVA colors. It is setup like a basketball court, with the key, free throw line, centercircle. All handpainted and stenciled which give a very authentic look. I got the trim for the table as TMC suggested, and it added alot. Did the 5 coats of polyeurythane as well to seal it up. Altogether, the price tag was 120 dollars between three people. A bit pricey, the hand painting made it more expensive, but it was worth it. We took some pictures, so I will put them up soon. Thanks for the help again guys.

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

one question? why does everyone need games as an excuse to drink all the sudden, did i miss something?

Re: Need help making a beer pong table
 

no no no, games aren't an excuse to drink...games help one drink more. for example, you go to a party, and you'll have enough beer to get yourself home in one piece. Games like beer pong help you drink way too much, and either take a taxi home, or pass out where you stand. they enhance the night, as opposed to give one an excuse to drink...