Custom “Our Life Rocks” RV Table

Our RV is our home base for a lot of adventures, so we wanted the inside to feel a little more like us. The original table did the job, but it was simply too large for the space and made the area feel more cramped than it needed to be. Rather than buying another generic RV table, we decided to make our own. The result is a smaller, custom-built wood table featuring our Our Life Rocks logo, two stainless-steel cup holders, and a pedestal base that works with the RV’s existing space. The engraved logo turns what could have been a simple replacement tabletop into something completely unique to our RV.

One thing you quickly learn about RVs is that manufacturers don't always make the best use of the space they have. Our original table was a perfect example. It was functional, but it was larger than we really needed and took up valuable room in an already compact living area.

So naturally, instead of just buying a smaller table, we decided to make one.

We started with a round wood tabletop sized to give us the surface area we needed without dominating the space. Since we were already building something custom, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to incorporate the Our Life Rocks logo we created for our travels and adventures.

The logo itself started with AI-assisted artwork and was then brought into Adobe Illustrator, where we cleaned it up, adjusted the line work, and prepared it specifically for laser engraving. Because an image that looks great on a screen doesn't necessarily translate perfectly to wood, we tweaked the details, contrast, and line work until we had something that would engrave cleanly while still retaining the character of the original design.

After engraving the logo into the tabletop, we wanted it to really stand out against the natural wood. Instead of trying to paint every tiny detail by hand, we sprayed the entire engraved area with black spray paint. Once it dried, we sanded the surface back down. The sanding removed the paint from the top of the wood while leaving the black paint down inside the engraved areas.

That simple process made the artwork pop.

We added two stainless-steel recessed cup holders and a pedestal-style table base, both purchased from Amazon. Finally, the entire tabletop received three coats of polyurethane, protecting the wood and engraving from spills, scratches, and all the abuse a table is likely to encounter while bouncing around the country in an RV.

What started as a practical solution to an oversized table ended up becoming one of our favorite personalized additions to the RV. It's smaller, fits the space better, and — most importantly — it's ours.

• Round solid-wood tabletop
• Custom Our Life Rocks artwork
• AI-generated artwork used as the starting point for the design
• Adobe Illustrator for preparing and refining the engraving artwork
• Laser engraver
• Black spray paint
• Sandpaper / orbital sander
• Two recessed stainless-steel cup holders
• Pedestal-style RV table leg/base
• Mounting hardware
• Polyurethane clear finish — three coats

We first determined the size of the tabletop based on the available space in the RV, intentionally making it smaller than the factory table to provide a little more room to move around.

The Our Life Rocks artwork was created with the help of AI and then imported into Adobe Illustrator. We refined the artwork, cleaned up the lines, and optimized the design for laser engraving before engraving the large circular logo directly into the center of the wood.

Next came the trick that really made the engraving stand out. We sprayed the engraved area with black paint, allowing the paint to settle into all of the recessed portions of the design. After it dried, we sanded the entire tabletop. This removed the paint from the flat wood surface while leaving it behind inside the engraving, creating the crisp black-on-natural-wood appearance.

We then cut the openings for the two stainless-steel cup holders and installed the pedestal mounting hardware underneath the tabletop. Once everything was fitted and we were happy with the surface, we applied three coats of polyurethane to seal and protect the finished table.

Designing for the laser mattered. The original artwork contained a lot of detail, so refining it in Illustrator before engraving helped keep the faces, dogs, lettering, mountains, trees, and other small elements recognizable once transferred to wood.

Paint filling was much easier than hand painting. Spraying the engraving and then sanding the surface back down allowed the engraved areas to retain the black paint without having to painstakingly fill every line individually.

Wood grain is part of the design. Rather than covering the tabletop with stain or opaque color, we kept the natural character of the wood visible. The knots and grain running through the black engraving give every part of the artwork a slightly different appearance.

Three coats of polyurethane provide the working finish. Since this isn't just decorative artwork and will actually serve as our RV table, the protective finish was important. It should make cleanup easier while protecting both the wood and the painted engraving.

The smaller size makes a big difference. The whole reason for the project was to reclaim some space inside the RV. The new table still gives us plenty of usable surface area while making the surrounding space feel much less crowded.

And as a bonus, every time we sit down at it, we're looking at a table that represents us, our dogs, our travels, and Our Life Rocks rather than another piece of generic RV furniture.