Last week, we upgraded our secondhand kitchen table to a bigger, more modern dining table from Plank+Beam. Since it was our first time buying furniture from this website, I wanted to share our honest experience so that you have the inside scoop. Spoiler alert: we LOVE our new table.
Our old table
We already have a table in our dining area, but it’s always been sort of a placeholder. When we first moved out of our parents’ houses and into our home when we were newlyweds, we had no furniture. I remember saying to Pete, “We have nowhere to sit!” So, we slowly began buying furniture pieces that we loved (see this post about our favorite furniture buy) and filled in the gaps with hand-me-downs from our families. We got our kitchen table for only $60 on Craigslist, and it’s met our needs over the years. Besides being a little small (it’s only 4-feet long), it’s sturdy, matched our style pretty well, and was inexpensive at the time.
Recently, I got the idea in my head that it was time to upgrade our table. I shopped around at different websites like Crate&Barrel and Pottery Barn for inspiration, yet couldn’t bring myself to stomach the huge price tags that came with their tables. Eventually, I came across a website called Plank+Beam. I’d never heard of if before, but their furniture looked so beautiful and claimed to be made of solid wood. With prices that were 1/3 of the other stores I looked at, I was cautiously interested. How would the quality of the table be in person? Was it worth going through the hassle of returning furniture if I didn’t like it?
The new Plank+Beam table
We decided to roll the dice and bought the 60″ modern dining table in the blonde wirebrush finish. Since we bought it during a holiday promotional event, it was an extra 25% off and only cost $352 total with free shipping (the original price was $470). The table arrived six days later and we got right to work assembling it!
During the unboxing, I was immediately impressed by the quality of the table. The pieces were in fact 100% solid wood, and they were heavy! Plus, the blonde finish looked exactly like it did in the pictures on their website. So far so good.
Part of the affordability of Plank+Beam furniture is that you do your own assembly. It comes with an instruction booklet (although it only contained images and arrows and no written instructions 😂) and a hardware packet with all the required screws and hex keys. We only had to use our own Phillips head screwdriver and level. The table came neatly packaged in one large cardboard box, and each piece had a small sticker with a number on it to help identify them.
After about two hours of assembly, we had our new dining table! Some of the pieces took a little configuring to get the predrilled holes to line up just right, but overall things were straightforward and followed the instruction packet. They even included foam pads to stick on the feet of the table to protect our floors. I had read some reviews online that the finish on the table may wear off with regular cleaning, so as an extra layer of protection (literally), I sealed the table with three coats of this matte polyurethane. This took 72 hours to fully cure, and then we were in business!
FAQs
After reading a lot of reviews on Amazon and the Plank+Beam website, I wanted to address some of the not-so-positive comments that I read. Keep in mind that this is only my opinion based on the one furniture piece that I bought, and your experience might be different!
Q: What is the quality of the wood like?
A: I was so impressed with the wood quality! While I’m not sure what kind of wood Plank+Beam uses to make their furniture, I can tell you that it’s 100% solid wood, heavy, and makes for sturdy furniture. No particle board or plywood here.
Q: Is the wood finish rough?
A: A little bit. The wood has a pronounced grain that is slightly raised, so it doesn’t feel buttery smooth. One person said they weren’t happy with the feel and chose to sand down the table top and refinish it. To each their own, but it’s not necessary if you ask me. Ours was smoother after we sealed it with polyurethane, which again is optional. Expect some texture, I think it adds character!
Q: Do I need special tools or DIY experience to assemble my furniture?
A: All you need is a Phillips head screwdriver! The hardware and hex keys are included. The instruction manual showed a picture of using a rubber mallet to assemble one piece that had wooden pegs, so we got our mallet out but never needed it. We did put a level on the table legs when we were attaching them to the table for good measure. I think anyone could assemble furniture with the right amount of patience and time.
Q: Does the finish on the wood come off?
A: I saw several reviews that mentioned the finish or wood stain coming off with regular cleaning. This was my biggest concern when we bought our table, so I chose to prevent this by applying three coats of polyurethane on the whole table with a foam roller.
Q: Would I buy furniture from Plank+Beam again?
A: Yes, in fact I’m already considering buying the matching dining bench to go with our table! Their furniture is great quality and has a designer look for less vibe.
