Table tennis (also known as ping-pong, a name trademarked by Parker Brothers) is a fun sport the entire family can enjoy. Now you can build your own outdoor table tennis table (or buy a ready-made one) and set it up on your patio to use for a variety of outdoor activities.
Build Your Own Table Tennis Table
A ping-pong table should measure nine feet long and five feet wide, and stand 30 inches off the ground. You can make your own by purchasing three adjustable-height sawhorses, a piece of plywood, and a table tennis set (which includes four paddles, a net, and ping-pong balls).
Adjust each sawhorse to a height of 30 inches. Line up the sawhorses 4.5-feet apart from one another. Then fasten the plywood to the sawhorses, with one sawhorse on each end of the plywood and one in the middle for support. Now you have an instant ping-pong table. Just fasten the net and you're ready to go.
A Handy Multi-Purpose Outdoor Table
Ready-made or newly-built, your new ping-pong table can be used for many purposes. Remove the net, cover the surface with a removable vinyl cloth, and you're ready to serve 12 to 14 people comfortably for outdoor parties and picnics. Or use the large surface as a serving table for family reunions and neighborhood barbecues.
If you enjoy gardening, use the table's surface to pot plants and seedlings. The removable vinyl cloth makes cleanup fast and easy. Your patio, enclosed porch, or sunroom can function as both an entertainment and a gardening center.
Make Your Home-Built Ping-Pong Table Movable and Versatile
If you can't find a 9-foot piece of plywood or nine feet is too large to haul, purchase two pieces of plywood, each measuring 4.5 feet in length and 5 feet wide. Then fasten each piece to two adustable-height sawhorses. For easier moving, fasten lockable caster wheels to the bottom of each sawhorse.
When you're ready to play table tennis, move both pieces together, lock the wheels, set up the net, and you're ready to go. When you're finished playing ping-pong, unlock the wheels, and move each section to a different part of the room.
Each piece can function as a card table, a serving table, a dining table, a garage sale table, storage surfaces, and more.
A Ready-Made Table Offers Versatility as Well
Purchasing a store-bought ping-pong table offers additional versatility for your outdoor needs. If space is a problem, a ready-made table can be folded in half and rolled away for easy storage. And you still can unfold it and set it up to be used as an outdoor dining, serving, or gardening table.
A ready-made ping-pong table also permits you to fold down only one side (while the other side remains standing in a vertical position) for one-person ping-pong playing. You even can use the folded-down side as a serving table for smaller gatherings. Or use the folded-down side to display items at a garage sale while posting signs and other messages on the folded-up side.
A regulation-size ping-pong table may take up a lot of floor space, but it can function as more than just an entertainment piece. Its versatility and size make it a great piece of outdoor furniture that can turn your patio, porch, or sun room into a multi-purpose room for the entire family.
