New Patio Table Top to Replace Broken Glass Top

     We've lost two patio tables due to umbrellas left in place during a storm. After the second one shattered, I decided to create a new top that was immune to wind. Following are my successes and failures.

     I purchased a 1/2" x 4' x 8' sheet of PVC (at Home Depot). With my coupon it cost me $95, which is less expensive than buying a new table. I had kept the old table frame after removing the broken glass.

     I laid the sheet down on a tarp, put the upside-down table frame on top of it, and using a spacer, drew my cut lines about an inch larger than the frame on all sides. I then used a dinner plate to trace the round corners. I used a skill saw for the straight lines and a jig saw for the round corners. I used a hole saw to cut a hole in the center for an umbrella. I then used a router to round off the top corner all around, plus the hole in the center.

     I centered the top to the frame, and used 2-hole pipe clamps to secure the frame to the table. I used screws short enough to prevent the screws from breaking through the table top. My screws were a tad to long, so I used washers to decrease the depth.    

    Painting: sand with 220 grit sandpaper, 2 coats of bonding, 2 coats of paint

Now my biggest mistake! I painted the top Antique Teal, which is our theme color in the yard. I was unaware that a darker color would absorb so much heat that the PVC sheet would warp, which it did! I had a previous experience painting a 1/4" PVC sheet brown, and that warped. I thought the teal color wouldn't be as dark, and it would take a lot of pressure to warp a 1/2" sheet. Well, it did! The surface got too hot to hold my hand against it.

    I didn't want to buy another sheet and start over, so I came up with a solution that made it "good enough."

    I sanded the top again, and applied 3 coats of pale yellow paint, which matches my garage, then 3 coats of spar urethane. After it dried and sat in the sun, I felt it, and the heat was gone. Lesson: do not paint PVC sheet of any thickness a dark or even medium color. It will warp in the sun.

    To fix the warping as much as possible, I made supports that I wedged between the table top and the frame. The supports have a semi-circle cut into the bottom to lock it onto the frame. I also used 1/4" PVC shims to go between the support and the table. I also used 7/16" panhead screws to screw the circumference of the top to the frame. The top isn't perfect, but it is much better than it was.

This is the underside of the table. Shown are the pipe clamps and the wood supports with shims.

     These are the 7/16" panhead screws I used, and how I screwed them to the table top through the frame. (drill pilot holes first)

     Complete with new rubber feet...

     The final result...