I really don’t enjoy refinishing furniture, but sometimes you just can’t paint a piece
BEFORE
My sister gave me this table last summer. You can see that the top was in pretty rough shape.
It was in good shape structurally.
It also had nice legs!
Both leaves (leafs) worked perfectly.
I sanded and sanded and sanded on the top, trying to get out some of the deep gouges.
I used stripper on the legs.
I removed the leaves (leafs) of the table to make sure that I got them stripped and re-stained sufficiently.
I found three chairs at my local DAV (thrift store) for $5.00 each.
I removed the seats and cleaned the chairs with some soap and water. After letting the chairs dry, I wiped them down with some stain, and recovered the seats.
The covers of the feet were pretty rusted, as were the wheels. I asked a friend to sand blast them to get the rust off, I then spray painted them with a primer and then with a hammered finish paint.
After staining the table, I brushed on several coats of polyurethane from Minwax to protect the finish.
I worked really hard on this table, and I was sad to see it go….
I sold it on Craig’s List yesterday to a really nice lady.
She assured me that she would love it and take great care of it.
I was tempted to take the easy way out and paint this table. I am glad that I didn’t, however I do wish I had stained it with a walnut stain instead of the mahogany.
gail
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pat says
April 24, 2013 at 4:14 amYou did a beautiful job! I’m wondering what the wood is? I have a mahogany antique table and hesitate to refinish (although it needs it) with the same methods I’ve used for pine and oak, basically what you did.
gail@myrepurposedlife.net says
April 24, 2013 at 10:39 amThank you Pat–I have no idea what kind of wood it was. 🙁
If it has a leaf, you could try that first…. baby steps?
gail
tale of many cities says
February 27, 2011 at 1:00 pmthis makeover was simply.. stunning!!
The DIY Show Off says
January 22, 2010 at 3:13 pmWow – you did a fantastic job! It’s gorgeous!
Thanks for joining the Show & Tell!!!
Roeshel
Ann says
January 15, 2010 at 4:29 pmIts really great to finally see a piece redone in the natural wood. Its a treasure! Well done!!
Bethany says
January 2, 2010 at 1:11 amWow! You are way more patient than I am! It looks great…I love making something old into something new!
Miss Mustard Seed says
January 1, 2010 at 7:45 pmGorgeous table! I am a “leg girl” when it comes to furniture and those look great. The chairs you found to match are also perfect for the table. I know that was hard work and well worth it.
Donna @ dh designs says
January 1, 2010 at 5:00 pmBeautiful – well worth the hard work. It must be so hard to see these pieces go – they almost become members of the family!
BTW – your blog comes up all jumbled with the sidebar on the left and your post well below that – could be me but thought you may want to know.
Cha Cha says
December 31, 2009 at 9:21 pmUnlove to loved. Amazing, you did a great job. I know it would have been easier to paint but you did the right thing. HAPPY NEW YEAR
Whimsical Creations says
December 31, 2009 at 2:53 amWOW, that turned out beautiful!!
Thankfully Thrifty says
December 31, 2009 at 1:46 amWow! Who would have thought such a worn table would look so new?! Way to go!
Kate @ Twenty-Six 2 Life says
December 31, 2009 at 12:06 amThis is gorgeous! You did a GREAT job! I’m sure painting would have been easier, but you wouldn’t have ended up with such a high quality piece. Awesome work. Bravo.
Katie says
December 30, 2009 at 11:06 pmWow, it turned out beautifully I can see why this set would be so hard to let go. You did a great job and should feel very proud of yourself! I am sure it will now have many years of life and enjoyment by the new owner.
Shannon says
December 31, 2009 at 3:36 amThe table turned out gorgeous! I bet that was a lot of work, because it looks like it was brand new after you finished it. Happy New YEAR!
beth says
December 31, 2009 at 1:35 amThanks for stopping by my blog and commenting on our little table project. 🙂
Sorry you had to get rid of your table and chairs after working so hard on them, but I’m glad that you found someone that is going to use them and love them. They look great!!
Have a Happy New Year! Beth.
The Yorgason's says
December 30, 2009 at 7:53 pmOh my goodness! That looking amazing! Can I please tell you what! You are so talented. I have about five things that I need to do and I can’t even get the desire to do them. Every time I look at your blog and see all of the beautiful things I want to get them done. I might go finish painting our babies crib, (He is one). Great job!
jillybee says
December 30, 2009 at 6:06 pmWhat a beautiful job you did on this table and chairs. Done stuff like this before, and I do know the hours you put into it.
So glad you did stain instead of paint the furniture. Some pieces are just not meant to be painted, as much as I love to paint furniture.
Here visiting from Between Naps on the Porch
Enjoy your New Years Day,
Jilly
Aaron@CheapThrillsDecorating says
December 30, 2009 at 4:30 pmgreat job! staining can be such a pain, but the results are well worth it.
Julie @ followyourheartwoodworking says
December 30, 2009 at 4:16 pmWOW, great job again Gail! That is just beautiful.
Katherine @ Grass Stains says
December 30, 2009 at 3:30 pmI, too, would have been tempted to paint it, but sometimes I guess it’s best to leave the wood in its natural state and just enhance its natural beauty! Great job, and even better that you were able to sell it to someone who will enjoy it for years and years!
michelle@somedaycrafts says
December 30, 2009 at 3:21 pmWhat a gift! Beautiful redo!
Pam says
December 30, 2009 at 2:17 pmBeautiful….
All My Yesterdays says
December 30, 2009 at 1:59 pmBeautiful job! I would have bought it! But I understand your feelings at seeing it go. So much *love* put into making things new again….
Thanks for showing us (O:
YORK VILLAGE SHOPS says
December 30, 2009 at 12:50 pmThat is absolutely, positively beautiful! I love the finish you used~this really is a gorgeous piece of work.
Katy
Kelly Howard says
December 30, 2009 at 11:03 amWOW!!! Just gorgeous finish! The lady who bought these are BLESSED!