A neighbor offered me this double pedestal oak table and chairs for free. How could I say no? It is enormous and very heavy. It looked like it would be a quick and easy furniture makeover. If you have a table and chairs in less-than-perfect condition, I highly recommend a DIY project instead of giving it away and buying something new. This old furniture is well made and will last long if properly cared for. In addition, you can redo it to fit your decor.
Free Pedestal Oak Table And Chairs
This is the double pedestal oak table and chairs when I picked them up. Yes, the table was slid in upside down, but once you see the poor condition of the tabletop, you will see that it didn't matter.
It's Furniture Fixer Upper Tour Day! Be sure to visit my friends' projects at the bottom of this post.
Oak Chairs Need An Update
This oak dining table only had five chairs, but they were all in good shape—very heavy and sturdy. Maybe you like natural wood and would prefer to refinish this furniture. I wasn't prepared for all that work, so I'll paint this table and chairs.
Visit the My Repurposed Life Amazon Store to shop my favorite items.
Damaged Tabletop
You can get a glimpse of the tabletop in this picture. Note the damage on the rung of the chair. I did some sanding on it to lessen the damage. I also sanded the table top quite a bit to remove scratches.
A Good Furniture Makeover Begins With Cleaning
Whenever you work on anything that's been in a kitchen, I think it's best to give it a good cleaning with some TSP to ensure there are no signs of grease and grime. Paint will not stick to greasy, dirty wood. In addition, you don't know if someone may have waxed the table base and chairs with some furniture wax such as Pledge. If your furniture is extremely grimy, my article How To Prep Furniture may be helpful.
I sprayed on the TSP with a bottle for the cleaning, then wiped everything down well with an old rag. I prefer to wear latex gloves when I use cleaning products.
A Finish Max Paint Sprayer Paints Pedestal Oak Table
Because a large project like this will need a lot of paint, I used my own recipe for DIY chalky paint primer with Plaster of Paris. I will be spraying the paint using a Homeright Finish Max paint sprayer. Mix it in a cup, then strain it with a mesh paint strainer, diluting it slightly to thin the paint. All paint is different, so it's difficult to say precisely how much water is needed. The plaster thickens the primer, so you want to return it to its original consistency before using it in the paint sprayer.
The chairs got their first light coat of paint while resting upside down on tarps. Then, I turned each of them upright. Can you imagine painting all of these chairs by hand with a brush? The paint sprayer makes this daunting task so much easier.
Even the table would have been a challenge to paint with a brush. This photo shows how things look after a couple of light coats of the DIY chalky paint primer. I love using my own recipe of homemade primer in the same color that I'm going to use because it covers so much better. I intended to leave the set this light gray.
How To Paint Dining Chairs
Even after trying to cover every bit of the chairs, I found that resting them upside down on a makeshift table worked best to get in all the nooks and crannies.
Painting a Pedestal Oak Table
You can either stand on your head or turn your furniture upside down. I prefer to shift the furniture.
You can see it's best to paint horizontal surfaces such as table tops vertically. I find it gives much better coverage. In this position, the paint is sprayed onto the tabletop rather than "falling" onto it with the table in a horizontal position.
Time To Choose The Right Finish
I shared this image on Facebook to get opinions on which finish I should use. The chair on the left is straight diy primer in Stargazer (Behr). Then, in the middle, the chair is waxed with Heirloom Traditions Paint black wax. The chair on the right has a black "wash" on it. That means I watered down some black paint, brushed it on, and wiped it back.
But here's the truth: the thought of waxing and buffing five chairs was more than I wanted to think about. In the end, brushing on and wiping off the black paint wasn't much easier.
What Can I Use Instead of Glaze?
This is me doing the wash on the pedestal oak table base. I used a cheap chip brush to paint the black wash, working on small sections simultaneously. Small sections such as half of the pedestal, wipe, the other half of the pedestal, wipe. This photo gives a good view of the before and after of the black wash.
Oh, how I wish I had the Smoked Glaze when I did this project. See how easy it is to use in my post How to Glaze Painted Furniture. It seriously would have made this project much more manageable.
When the rag got so saturated with black paint, I had to switch to a clean rag. But using the soaked rag on parts of the chairs worked well.
Do I Need To Seal The Pedestal Oak Table?
I gave everything a nice coat of Minwax Polycrylic in semi-gloss using a nice purdy paint brush. It's been around for several years, but the bristles still do the job.
I snapped a quick picture when I was finished with the black wash.
Of course, I wasn't about to carry this huge thing inside to stage it, so this was the best I could do. I listed it on Craigslist.
A very nice couple from another town came to pick it up, and Paula was so nice to send me pictures of it in her dining room. I love her style, don't you? Did you see the level in the corner by the cabinet? LOVE it! 🙂
So, as I said at the top of this article, don't put off your DIY projects. Yes, they are a lot of work, but you will be so happy you did it.
Let's see what my friends have been up to:
Confessions of a Serial DIY'er Update a Coffee Table With a Transfer
My Repurposed Life Table and Chairs Makeover (You are here, thank you!)
Salvaged Inspirations Thrift Store Painted Octagon Tables
Petticoat Junktion Layered Paint Furniture Makeover
A Ray of Sunlight Vintage Vanity Turned Into Nightstands
Gail Wilson is the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. She is obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believes that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again, including herself!
Gail reinvented herself during a midlife crisis and has found purpose again. She hopes you will find new ideas for old things and pick up a few tools along the way.
kathy Owen
I love it! All your hard work paid off. I hate painting chairs!
Natalie Dayton
Love love love the new look!! And what a chore to paint a dining table and chairs! Good for you for getting through it! haha
Christy James
This turned out SO GOOD, Gail! What an amazing difference paint and a little glaze can do, and it looks fantastic in the new owner's dining room! XOXO
Gail Wilson
Christy,
Thank you. If I were to do it again, I would have a better plan. Practice makes perfect, eh?
gail
Denise Zdziennicki
Painting chairs is a lot of work and you did such a beautiful job Gail. This set looks perfect in Paula's space! XOXO
Gail Wilson
You are so right Denise, it was a lot of work. Thanks for stopping by.
gail
Jackie C
That doesnāt look like oak.
Turned out nice.
Gail Wilson
Jackie,
I'm not an expert on wood species, I assumed that all of these tables were oak. š
Thanks for stopping by!
gail
Maria
Lol, Gail Wilson,, I am on the app Nextdoor and I saw your post because I was searching to see if it would be worth picking up a set exactly like yours that someone is giving away. Guessing it would probably take me a year or two to get your results, will let someone else get it, hope they enjoy it just the way it is for now. You did a fantastic job. I know this is a bit late. Hope your shoulder is feeling better.
Gail Wilson
Maria,
How fun that you found me! My shoulder pain comes and goes, but overall it's so much better day to day. Thank you for stopping by to check out the table and chairs. Gotta love free finds!
gail
Max Jones
I really like how you showed the changes that you were able to do to pedestal tables, and I think that this really widens our options for our search! My wife and I have been looking for pedestal tables for our home, and being able to have your tips on how we could change the color to something we want makes it that much easier to find something we like. I'm going to have to share your article with my wife, and be sure that if we do choose pedestal tables that we are going to stain or paint, that we take your suggestion to clean them very well so they're free of grit and grime! Thanks!
Susan
Wow that came out gorgeous! I say paint away if it make it useable again! Love it in her house too š
Gail Wilson
Thanks Susan.... If I see one in the next two years, it will be too soon for me! So much work for this old gal!
gail
Nancy Walden
You gave me some things to think about! My next project is to re-do my dining room table and chairs. The table is french country so its not as heavy as your oak one. I'n planning to stain the top darker and paint the table skirt and legs. I can't decide if I want to stain or paint the ladder-back chairs. They have a fabric seat so I can't use the same stain/paint combo. I'll reupholster the chairs I haven't decided on the paint color. I recently painted my hutch in pure white ASCP and used black wax as the finish. It's a lovely aged gray. Now to pick out a paint that complements the gray and the black Bombay chest that is on the other wall!
Gail Wilson
Sounds like you've been busy Nancy. I'm sure whatever you choose will be perfect with the lovely aged gray (probably one of my favorite looks personally)
Have fun!
gail
Irene Fuhrmann
Hi Gail,
I'm new to the world of refinishing furniture and have learned so much from your blog.
I love the black wash that you gave to this dining set. If I wanted more of a rustic, white wash look, what would color you paint the base, and what stain to give it the rustic whitewash look? Thank you and your work is bith beautiful and inspiring.
Gail Wilson
Irene,
I'm not sure what look you're going for, but it sounds sort of like you want the look of the stuff I did in my glazing 101 post. https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/glazing-101/
You can get the look with dark umber paint, or dk walnut stain. The watered down paint is a little easier to work with.
I'd test out a few smaller projects first to see what you think. Sometimes it's harder to get a large project to look good when you do it yourself. I find that if I have a place I'm not quite fond of, my eye will always go to that place. Whereas when your friends or family look at it, they are looking at the overall appearance not focusing on that spot you weren't pleased with. I hope that makes sense.
have fun, good luck!
gail
Teckla
Glad Paula shared the picture of her dining room. It looks great and really showcases the table. That looked like a lot of heavy, hard work to me and you did a great job despite your shoulder condition. It's been a long time since I've done refinishing. Back then I never thought of using paint the way you all do these days. I'm learning so much from your site and others as well.The "itch" is growing stronger and stronger. Now I'm on the lookout for small pieces that I can work on. I do have a sewing machine in one of those square tables with the spindly legs that I picked up from FreeCycle a few months ago. The top is in pretty rough shape, so I think painting it will be the way to go--getting all kinds of ideas from you and Serena over at Thrift Diving. Just waiting now for the weather to warm up a little more so I can work in the garage comfortably. Thanks for sharing. The love shows!
Carol S
Hi Gail,
I have a similar set in my dining room waiting for a paint job. (Love those turtle feet!) I totally agree that paint brings the design and look to a new level of style. Mine has a lot of bubbles where hot items were set and left too long. I'm thinking my only option is to do a crackle varnish or similar textured (but flat) finish to disguise the bubbles. Seems like the oak top design is a veneer and I'm afraid that sanding it down will cause the veneer to come apart and peel. Erg - don't even want to go there! Too many bubbles,and some too large, to do the slit/glue fix. Did you have bubbles on your table top? How did the table top react to the sanding?
Thanks for your help,
Carol
Gail Wilson
Carol,
No, I didn't have bubbles on this one... but I have tried to deal with them before with little success. I think my problem before was using a dark paint. I think if I had painted it a lighter color, they wouldn't have shown so much. You can see that table here.... https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/large-farm-craft-table/
Good luck!
Debbie @ Refresh Restyle
Love the new color!! It all looks great in the new home!
Elizabeth Archer
Wow! I was "feeling" it with you and your shoulder on this project. I have really bad carpal tunnel in my right hand and I sweat over projects that end up being more work than I thought they'd be! You did an amazing job on this! I tend to use lots of bright colors in my painting, so those colors would not have been my choice. Your choice was perfect- it looks like it was made for the new owners dining room!!
Gail Wilson
Bright colors are fun, but they don't sell around these parts. I'm doing a naval project and I'm hoping it will sell.
I'm sorry you have that condition, it makes it tough for us to do what we love.
take care!
gail
girlfromwva
such a nice finish to the set; and so glad the new owner shared the pic with you. (hope your shoulder is doing ok.)
Gail Wilson
Thanks! The shoulder will never be right, but it's not near as bad as it was a few years ago. It's nice to put a "pretty" picture on the blog, so yes, I was very happy she sent a photo!
gail
Dawn Stagg
Oh Gail... About 6 months ago, I found a smaller round oak pedestal table w/ 4 chairs at a salvation army that someone failed at refinishing for $19. I wanted so bad. Been wanting one for years! I walked away from it because of all the sanding it would have taken to get it back down to bare wood. I never thought of painting it.(kinda dumb huh?)
In my head, those type of tables shouldn't be painted, but wow...!!! I love how yours turned out! Always regret when I don't bring things like that home... I wanted it for my kitchen table. I guess I'm a bit concerned how durable painting is on something used every day.
Gail Wilson
Dawn,
As I'm looking around the house, most of my painted items that get a good work out are stained on top. With the exception of my fireplace hearth. It's been years, and it's holding up pretty well. I like polycrylic for sealing and protecting painted furniture pieces.
too bad you passed on that table and chairs....
thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
gail
Terri
Have you tried mixing the acrylic in with your paint? I watched a contractor mix equal parts of both to finish cabinets. I may try that on a test set. I'd like to paint my kitchen cabinets.
He claims it gives a high gloss look (unless using satin finish) and reduces brush strokes.
Gail Wilson
Terri
No... I rarely use acrylic. Although I guess the hot pink I used on Lulu's toy box was acrylic....
Let me know if you try it.
gail
Julie@followyourheartwoodworking
I think she means polycrylic?
Gail Wilson
Ohhh, Julie-you're right. That makes more sense. I have never mixed a poly product with paint.
gail
Paula
Looks great, Gail! That was nice of Paula to send a picture to you to show you how much she likes this piece.