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Have you ever yearned to bring the competitive spirit of a rousing game of beer pong out of the bar and into your own home? According to our buddies who wrote "The Book of Beer Pong," the beer pong table is "probably the most important piece of equipment in the sport." (We'd argue for the beer.) Since they know more about this stuff than we do, however, they let us filch this excerpt from the book on how to build your own beer pong table.

The ideal and classic standard is a traditional table-tennis or ping-pong table measuring 9 feet long, 5 feet wide, and 2-1/2 feet high. If a standard-size table- tennis table is not available, try to use a surface or table with similar dimensions. Or make your own.
The Keg-and-Door Table

What You'll Need:
Two kegs
One door

This is by far the easiest and quickest way to get a table. Simply remove a door from its hinges and place it across a few supporting kegs. If kegs or a door are not easily available, you can substitute an oversize windowpane on sawhorses, a mattress on six bar stools, or a metal road plate on two orange traffic barrels (not advised).

Keep reading to find out how to make a custom table out of plywood.

The Custom Table
Want to make something a bit more substantial? Try this easy method, using materials that can be found at any local hardware store.

What You'll Need:
Six 24-inch two-by-fours (end rails)
Four 30-inch two-by-fours (end rails)
Four 84-inch two-by-fours (side rails)
One piece of plywood, 48-by-84-inches and 1/2-inch thick
One box of 3-inch screws
One box of 2-inch finish nails
Drill
Wood Putty
Paint
Polyurethane
Bottle caps and adhesive (optional)

Step 1. Assemble the end rails. Each end rail consists of two 30-inch two-by-fours and three 24-inch two-by-fours. Assemble the pieces as shown below and attach using screws. Pre-drill the holes for the screws so that the screw head is recessed into the two by fours. You will need to make two end rails in total.

Step 2. Assemble the side rails. Take the remaining 84-inch two-by-fours and attach them to the end rails using the screws as shown below. Be sure to pre-drill again to make sure the heads are recessed. The finished product should resemble a rectangular wooden frame. Use two standard 15.5-gallon "half-barrel" kegs or four 5-gallon "sixth-barrel" kegs. Both are 23 3/8 inches high.

Step 3. Place the plywood top onto the finished base. Rest the 48-by-84-inch plywood onto the base making sure it is centered all around. Nail in place using the finish nails.

Step 4. Painting. Once the table is complete, use the wood putty to fill in all the exposed holes on the base and top surface. Coat the entire table with your favorite paint color. Have fun with colors and design.

Step 5. Polyurethane. Once the paint dries, spread a light coat of polyurethane across the top surface to protect the table from the inevitable spills that will occur during game play.

Optional. Bottle caps. To take this table to the next level, you can apply bottle caps to the top surface. The best way to attach the caps is to coat the top surface with a thin layer of epoxy or use Liquid Nails to attach each cap individually. Arrange the bottle caps in any pattern you like. Once the caps are in place and the adhesive dries, cover the caps with polyurethane to protect them from rust.

Text and Images courtesy of Chronicle Books.