Want to groom your dog yourself?
There’s a secret tool that will INSTANTLY make grooming easier.
Drum-roll, please…
It’s a dog grooming table!
No wonder EVERY groomer has these!
On the right grooming table, your dog won’t lay down, jump around, or try to stall grooming by charming you into rubbing the belly.
And you won’t believe how easy it is to make one yourself!
In this post, I will highlight some of our favorite DIY dog grooming table projects that you can make in hours!
1. Elegant Folding Grooming Table
While the grooming table design on the Florida 4-H website is originally for grooming rabbits, it will work perfectly if you have a smaller dog!
The guide recommends making the boxed top of the table 2 feet x 2 feet in size, but you can adjust it if you like.
Post attaching the trims, saw 1x2s to make the legs of the table. 28 – 32 inches is the right height, and you won’t have to bend to groom your dog.
Sanding it off will give it a fantastic finish!
It’s both pretty and functional! You can read the detailed guide at Florida 4-H.
2. Custom Grooming Table
Lang Wood gives us the lowdown on how to make dog grooming table on the DailyPuppy blog.
Collapsible legs are easier to buy than to make, and he says you can get those for less than $20.
After having the legs cut to 24 inches, you must purchase ¾” plywood and cut it to 26” x 40”. If your dog is big, you can cut it do 26” x 48”.
Screw the plywood to the legs, and secure a carpeting/rubber mat to the top. Getting a grooming arm will make grooming a lot easier!
You can read Lang’s guide here!
3. Foldable Grooming Table Extension
If you have an old table that’s not in use, but it’s not big enough for your dog, you can do what YouTuber Stedhomer did and build a foldable grooming extension for it.
He uses ¾” plywood for the top, and a bunch of 1x3s to make the frame. Hinges are screwed to the right spots, and the floor pad ensures that the dog doesn’t slip.
But the best part about the video is when Stedhomer works his magic on the legs to make them fit his table perfectly!
4. Repurposed Workmate Grooming Table
It’s amazing how many DIYers like to repurpose things in their shop!
The Dexter’s Dog Day blog highlights how you can make a grooming table with a Black & Decker Workmate. The process is super straightforward:
Post screwing the oak plywood onto the Workmate, you must dry-fit the anti-slip rubber surface before you glue it down.
While the blogger purchases a grooming arm, you can make one yourself (more on this later!).
Learn how cheap building this grooming table was over at Dexter’s Dog Day.
5. Simple Grooming Table with Copper Pipe Arm
Instructables user SteveG155’s simple DIY grooming table cost him about £20 to make.
He bought a used table from eBay and used a copper wall plate elbow, compression elbow, copper pipe, and saddle pipe clips to make the grooming table’s arm.
He then stapled cheap tiles rubber-side up on the top of the table to ensure that the dog doesn’t slip.
Aside from dog grooming, here’s a blogpost where you can learn about dog affiliate marketing where you can earn some extra income.
Read how SteveG155 made the cost-effective grooming table over at Instructables.
6. Saw Horse Grooming Table
You likely have sawhorses in your shop already – which is why I find Michael Smith’s design ingenious.
He cuts ½” plywood sheet into a 48”x17” rectangle, and screws in 1x3s on the corners the dog doesn’t tumble off the table.
The Masonite bottom ensures that your dog doesn’t slide off the table, and the cleats on the bottom ensure that the tabletop stays in place.
7. Striking LED Grooming Table
DIYing an LED grooming table will illuminate your dog better and make grooming easier.
While these tables are popular for bar countertops and entertaining, making one yourself for your dog is easy.
Raising the edges of an older wooden table with stripes of wood is all you need to do. Painting it white and connecting LED strips is the fun part!
Check out more on this awesome table for further inspiration!
8. Metal Grooming Table (Complete with Storage Space and Arm)
If I told you a DIYer made this table for $17 flat, you’d think I’m lying.
But YouTuber Pet World pulled it off – and you can, too!
The first thing you need to do is find two large plastic containers for designing the table around.
Saw square pipes and weld them to make the top frame and legs. Weld pipes between the legs, ensuring that you size them correctly so the containers can slip in.
For the top, Pet World uses pieces of plastic, but you can use wood if your dog is heavy. The arm is just as easy to make with the square tubes, and adding the right restraint will make grooming a breeze!
9. Small-Yet-Sturdy Table with Rubber Grip
Anne from All Dogs Are Smart built a sturdy grooming table for her dog Ira using just leftover DIY supplies.
She uses a piece of plywood for the top and glues rubber flooring on the top in favor of plastic because it rips easily and cracks when it’s cold.
While Anne repurposes old fold-down legs for the frame, she explains that you can also stack the plywood top on 2x4s or 4x4s.
Honorable Mention: DIY Arm Attachment
DIY Dave doesn’t make a full grooming table, but his nifty DIY grooming arm will work with all the tables on this list.
He assembled it for less than $10!
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I call dog grooming tables a “secret tool” because it’s one thing I think all dog owners need in their homes.
Short trimming sessions in-between visits to the groomer go a long way in keeping your dog healthy and happy!
However, you may also find yourself in need of a grooming table urgently – in which case you can check out some of the best-rated grooming tables on Amazon.
But regardless of if you choose to get a store-bought table or make one yourself, the important thing to remember is that grooming your dog yourself will deepen your bond with your dog.
You may even end up changing your dog’s relationship with grooming if you do it yourself!