Double Duty Dining Table
This dining table has been through two big transformations. When I was first getting into my “do it yourself” era; I picked this table up at an online yard sale page. That was six years ago. A sweet lady was getting rid of the table and six chairs. I didn't love the chairs it came with so I needed up selling them. By the time I sold the chairs, I had practically recouped my money for the table. I got a great deal. She had used the table in her basement coming in from the pool. It was a place mostly just for the grandkids to come in and eat snacks after swimming. The cherry wood table top was in great condition. A few scratches and water marks but nothing some Restore A Finish couldn't fix.
I really didn't want to sand down the top and stain it again. Restore A Finish is this awesome product I like to use. I used fine steel wool to brush it on and scrub some of the problem areas. Then you just wipe it off with a clean lent free rag. It really brought this table top back to life. Most local hardware stores sell it in a variety of colors to match your wood.
As you can see, the green base and legs of the table were not working for my style. In the first round of this makeover I primed with my Kilz spray primer around the skirt of the top and the legs. Once that had dried for 90 minutes, I used Almond colored Krylon spray paint. This made it a cream color. After that had cured for 24 hours I then glazed the base and legs. I used minimax jacobean stain as my glaze. Glaze just means you wipe a finish it on it to give it a aged dirty look. Keep in mind this was six years ago and was really big at the time. I then put it all together and loved they way it looked. I even bought some crystal knobs at Hobby Lobby for the two front drawers.
I searched all the yard sale pages and found six chairs that were all different styles. I really liked the eclectic look. I also spray painted, glazed, and reupholstered them. It was really funky but I was going through a phase of figuring out my decorative style. I really liked color I guess?? It was a great table and we used it two more years. I then realized all that color had to go. I sold off all the chairs I had searched so hard to find. I then took the table back apart and primed and spray painted it again. This time, I knew my style a lot better and went with white. I loved the style of the table and knew there was no need to spend money on a totally different table. Just a little paint would fix it up and make it work in our townhouse. Once it was all white, I had to find chairs to match again.
IKEA had the perfect white chairs for a great price. The bonus was the matching barstools. I love the X back design. They fit so well with my newly painted table and I just love how it looks.
Now that we are building a new house, I think this table will get its third makeover in almost seven years. I still really like the shape and lines. I also still love all the white chairs and table base. However, the table top is about due for its makeover. I will probably break down and finally sand it all off. I think I want to white wash the top and weather it. I have never done anything like that before so it will be interesting to see how it turns out. I still have seven months before that happens when the new house will be done. So be on the look out shortly after that for this tables third makeover.
