Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Kitchen Table

So I finished this project a week or so ago and just haven't got around to posting the pics. I figured I should since I've had multiple people asked how it turned out. It's not quite what I was going for, but it's better than what it started out as. Here's what it looked like to start with.

The picture is very deceptive. It doesn't show where the finish has been worn through from scrubbing baby filth off of it. It doesn't show the huge crack that runs half way up one side. It doesn't show all the nicks and dents from my kids beating it with their silverware (do all kids do this, or am I just particularly blessed?)
We just didn't have the funds to buy a new table, and I was tired of getting splinters where the finish had worn off. So I decided to refinish it. First of all, have you ever sanded for days and days and days? I would not recommend it. Especially if your project has rounded legs. But if you ever have to do it there is this wonderful thing made by Black n Decker called the "Mouse". It became my best friend over those few days. It's easier to maneuver than a belt sander but is still electric. I digress. Moving on.
To make a long story short I sanded, stained and then refinished the table. Because I picked a dark stain I had to put 1.2 million coats on (that's what is seemed like anyways. I think it was only five.) I painted the chairs, then sanded the edges to antique it a little bit. The color was a little bright so I put a coat of stain over the chairs to mute them a little. It actually worked and I love the look it gave them. Then I had an accident. I got side-tracked and set a paper towel with polyurethane on the seat of one of the chairs. And let it dry. So when I pulled it off, it took chunks of paint with it. There was no way I was starting over, so I just sanded it down and made the other chairs match. Not what I was going for but oh-well. All in all it looks decent and only cost about $35.

4 comments:

Melissa said...

Awesome! It looks fantastic! And yes... I do know what it's like to sand and sand and sand for days on end ;) You did a great job!

Brandon & Megan said...

hey that looks good!!!

Jason and Kristi Ann said...

Your table looks great! We redid a crib when we had our first (still have it) and I agree...it is a lot of work!
Food substitutions: applesauce for butter or margarine, water for milk (sometimes I use her rice drink but it doesn't work for pudding), EnerG makes an egg replacer that I've purchased at Fred Meyer to substitute for eggs. Those are the most common that come to my mind right away. What tricks have you learned?

Ruth said...

Adena, your table looks awesome! You have some serious skills.