How to Build a Murphy Table: Cabinet, Hinges and Fold-Down Leg

What you are building

A Murphy table takes its name from the Murphy bed, which William Lawrence Murphy patented in the early 20th century: a bed hinged at one end that stores vertically against the wall. The table version works the same way. A shallow cabinet hangs on the wall; its top is hinged at the cabinet's lower edge and swings down to a horizontal dining surface; a leg folds out from the underside to carry the front edge. Closed, the top stands upright inside the cabinet and the wall looks like a flat panel or a picture frame. What a Murphy table is, and what Amazon sells under the name, is explained in the Murphy table guide.

The job suits someone who already builds furniture: you need to cut panels square, set hinges in line and drive screws into studs. If you would rather buy, a ready-made drop-leaf table does the same job with maker data – see the end of this page.

Tools and material

• Stud finder, tape measure, level, pencil, drill and driver
• Panels for the cabinet box and a solid board as mounting rail across the back
• A top: plywood, hardwood or a sealed panel
• One continuous piano hinge or several strong butt hinges for the top
• Locking folding-leg hinges, for example the TopDirect locking hinge, 4 pack^*
• A leg (or two) of solid wood
• A latch or catch that holds the closed top
• Screws long enough to reach well into the studs through the mounting rail

Step by step

1. Find the studs and plan the width

   Locate the studs and mark their centers. Wood studs are 16 or 24 inches on center, depending on stud size and load (IRC Table R602.3(5)) – measure, do not assume. Plan the cabinet width so its mounting rail crosses at least two studs. The width of the top follows from the cabinet: the top has to fit inside it when closed.

2. Fix the table height

   Decide where the open top surface should sit. For meals and seated work, about 29 to 30 inches is usual, and the 2010 ADA Standards set 28 to 34 inches for dining surfaces. The hinge line on the cabinet's lower edge sets that height together with the top thickness, so draw the open position on paper or on the wall before you build. The mounting height guide shows how to work from the top edge down.

3. Size the cabinet depth

   Lay the top on a bench, fold the leg flat against its underside with the leg hinges mounted, and measure the total thickness of the stack, including the knuckles of the top hinge. Add clearance so nothing rubs when you close it. That is the inside depth of the cabinet. There is no standard figure – it follows from your parts.

4. Build and mount the cabinet

   Build a box from your panels with a solid mounting rail across the back. Hold it level on the wall and screw the rail into every stud it crosses. The cabinet carries the top and part of every load on it, so do not hang it on hollow-wall anchors: TOGGLER's technical sheet notes that industry standards recommend only one quarter of an anchor's ultimate test load as working load. The CPSC's Anchor It! campaign says anchoring furniture with drawers, doors and shelves to the wall prevents tip-over injuries – a Murphy table cabinet is that kind of furniture. If a stud is missing where you need it, see the installation guide for a ledger board across the studs.

5. Hinge the top to the cabinet

   Fix the top to the lower edge of the cabinet with a continuous piano hinge or several strong butt hinges in line. Swing it down: the top should come to rest horizontal without binding against the cabinet sides. The guide to fold-down table hinges compares hinge types and what their listings state.

6. Fit the fold-down leg

   Screw locking folding-leg hinges to the underside of the top near the front edge and fix the leg to them. Cut the leg so the open top sits level on your floor. Place it so knees have room: the ADA Standards treat the space between 9 and 27 inches above the floor as knee clearance and ask for at least 30 inches of width. Check that the hinges lock before you put weight on the top.

7. Add a latch and check the fold

   Fit a latch or catch that holds the closed top inside the cabinet, so it cannot swing down on its own. Then open and close the table several times, check that the leg locks every time and that the top is level, and only then put plates on it.

Typical mistakes

• Building the cabinet first and measuring the stack later. The folded leg and hinges often need more depth than expected.
• Mounting between studs. On drywall alone, the cabinet hangs on anchors that carry only a fraction of their headline figure; screw the rail into studs.
• No latch. A closed top that can swing open by itself is a hazard.
• A leg that does not lock. An unlocked leg folds under load and drops the top.
• Trusting a hinge listing figure. Seller figures for hinges or brackets are not a rating for your table.

Safety

A falling top can injure. If you are unsure about your wall, the screws or the hinge sizes, ask a carpenter. Walls can hide cables and pipes – check before you drill. If you rent, ask your landlord for written permission first.

Rather buy than build?

The COSTWAY drop-leaf table has no cabinet, but it gives a dining spot for two that folds flat, with size and load on the maker's page. Costway does not name a wall for its 66 lb, so screw it into studs or a ledger. If you would rather build a simpler table without a cabinet, the guide to a DIY wall-mounted folding table uses folding brackets, and the comparison brackets or a ready-made table helps you decide.