I sometimes wonder if I'm a special kind of crazy. I did this project in my only down time (evenings) and during naps (not down time, chore time - I postponed chores, which sent my type-A personality into a tailspin). Just this evening I read a devotional on outlining your talents... can my special kind of crazy be my talent? :) I think I say yes, if I get to have such a pretty (and CHEAP!) new dining room set!
For a while now, I've asked Austin for a new kitchen table. We have only bought brand-new furniture from IKEA/Target/Amazon because we can't stand the idea of paying thousands for furniture - EVERYTHING else has come from Craigslist, or other resale sites. While we know furniture is a worthy investment, it definitely puts a dent in the pocketbook, which is rough when you just paid off a car and a bathroom. Ouch.
We have had this kitchen table and chairs for a long time: it survived Austin and his roommate in college (his mom no longer needed it so he inherited it - a VERY nice table for a guy in college!) and we kept it through our early (3.5) years of marriage - until Sunday. We had a garage sale Saturday, sold off a few things, and sold our old table through Craigslist the next day. Since our dining room is Ethan's play room, this table is too large for the breakfast nook.
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| I think the flowers really sold the table! |
I found a set of 6 chairs, which were black, through OfferUp. Austin picked them up and warned me that they might need work, but I didn't realize that meant I'd have to totally re-paint them!
I sanded down some scratches and spray painted them - I used 3 cans and 3 layers on each chair. I then took a piece of sandpaper (150, if you want to know the grit) to attempt to copy the classic Pottery Barn black finish. I rubbed the sandpaper on the edges - careful not to scratch the finish elsewhere - to give it that worn look.
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| I'm so artsy! |
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| BEFORE: I added wood filler where a cat or dog dug into a seat |
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| Layer 1 |
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Layer 2 + sanded edges. Hard to see here, but the edges of the top and the front of the seat
have been sanded. |
As for the table: we picked it up Sunday, and I doubted my ability to sand and refinish the table from the minute I realized it wasn't an easy patch job. I skulked about it and eventually was persuaded by my parents to attempt the refinishing. We started the sanding process on Monday night with the sander Austin's Grammie gave us (it's a Black & Decker Mouse. We used 100-120 grit), and I finished it on Tuesday with a more heavy-duty one my dad has. Without the electric sanders, it would've been a much harder job!
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| Top shot! Scratches are worse than they look in this picture |
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| Another "before" angle |
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| This sanding just took a few minutes, but we were getting used to the Mouse |
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| Austin pitched in for the sanding! |
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| Where we paused Monday night |
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| Finished sanding! And my dad's awesome sander. |
I cleaned it off with tack cloths (also provided by my dad!) to get all the sawdust off the table, and I swept it off the floor as well. I really didn't want any sawdust to get disturbed and end up on my table. I immediately applied one coat of the stain to the table top, and I wiped as I went (though the instructions said I could leave it on for 15 minutes each time) because it knew it was going to be uneven if I didn't. I let it dry as long as the instructions called for (8 hours, I believe). At this point, you can add more layers of stain every 8 hours, until you like the color. I liked it a lot after the first layer, and Austin agreed, so I started the polyurethane coating today. We kept the garage door cracked for ventilation and to aid in the drying process.
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| The table - stain only |
I painted on one coat of the polyurethane during Ethan's nap on Wednesday, and when Austin got home, I lightly sanded it the table (220 grit, per the instructions) and applied another coat. Two to three coats are suggested, but I thought my second coat was generous enough that a third would be overkill.
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| Finished & drying! You can see a little bit of a shine. |
COSTS:
Table: $60
Chairs: $75
Spray Paint: $10
Wood filler: (already had)
Sandpaper: $15
Stain: $5
Polyurethane: $7
Total cost to us: $172
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| I'm in love! |
MAJOR shout out to my 'rents. We used their truck to get the table, we used their sander, they watched our kid. If you want to see service, look at them! THREE of their kids are living with them (Meghan is totally one of us) and they still offer to serve us because I'm crazy and take on big projects on a whim. I also took their advice on refinishing the table, which looks awesome.
I can't wait for Ethan to splatter some yogurt on this bad boy tomorrow morning.
xo
