Here's a genius idea from Ikea's Livet Hemma design inspirations blog (which is written in Swedish): A DIY Dining Table with a painted "runner." The top is made from ten boards, and the middle two are painted to create the stripe. The top rests on a pair of inexpensive IKEA trestle legs.
Above: Pay a visit to your local lumberyard to purchase pine boards that are 3.75 inches wide, and cut them to a length of 6.5 feet.
Above: Paint two boards the color of your choice and place them together in the middle.
Above: Secure the boards by nailing in boards crosswise; place one on each side of the trestle legs to ensure stability, since the top isn't actually fastened to the trestles, but resting on top of it. Once the project is complete, seal the surface with a clear coat to protect it.
Above: For the dark gray paint, we like Benjamin Moore's Witching Hour; image via House Beautiful.
Above: IKEA's Vika Lerberg trestle legs in white are $10 each.
This post is a rerun; the original ran on October 13, 2011.