Dining Room Table Makeover Reveal

   Without further ado...  and because I always hate scrolling to the end of a post to see the final product...

Here she is:

i. love. it.

Can you believe the top?  Originally I wasn't a huge fan of all the inlays, but when I finished staining, I fell in love.  There are actually three kinds of wood in the top of the table.  We coated the top with a satin sheened polyurethane, and I'm so glad we didn't choose glossy.  It has a KIND of natural feel about it, and I love that. 

So here are some before and after pics

Yellow-y tinted poly... 

Lovely natural stained top and distressed heirloom white



Oh... There was this point in the middle of staining where this thought process entered my mind.
"Hmmm...  I REALLY hope this is how I'm supposed to do this.  Maybe I should have read the directions.  No.... surely no self respecting DIY-er reads the directions..."  (My husband informs me this is certainly NOT the case).

Before

After

I love it.  What do you think?  




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Sneak Peak at the Table Progress

I'd be lying if I told you this table wasn't kicking me in the rear.  As usual, it's a little bit bigger of a job than I thought it would be, but it will be worth it. 

     I rocked the power tools today.  First I started sanding the top yucky finish off the table top.  I burned through about seven hundred thousand sanding pads. 

     Note layers of dust on the piano bench in the background.  Also note that one of my short people ran an appendage through it so as to kindly spread dust even further throughout the house help me clean up.

     
      I finally got to use one of my Christmas presents for the first time, too!  love...

 So I'm in the process of attacking the rounded edges of the table, and tomorrow the stain goes on.  Although I have to say I'm liking the bare wood.  It's very Restoration Hardware chic, but not my style...

      Here's a little peek at one knee...

     We're getting there!  I'm hoping for a final product tomorrow, fingers crossed...






 

Dining Room Table Makeover Part 1

    So just a note that this is my first post.  I have no archives to search yet.  And my best friends and my husband are my only followers I'm okay with that.  And I finally started this after reading Miss Mustard Seed's blog.  She has an amazing story and you should check it out.  Now down to business.

 I've been wanting this table for a while.  Not this "type" of table, but this very table.  Before we ever met, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted, and I kept my eye out for what seemed like a zillion years.  I finally found this beauty at the ReStore buried under a bunch of junk:

     Price tag?  $80.   After waiting til just the right time, and the best bargaining of my LIFE, I got her for $40.  Yep.  She's a beaut.  I know.  Just look at those legs.  hot momma!  seriously.

     I should also just mention that this is the HEAVIEST table I've ever owned.  Thus, this job took place in the dining room, and it was hard to get a good picture of the whole thing at once.  But you can rest assured that the back end looks just like the front end.  (not something you want said about you, right?  :)

  First, we sanded her down just to get the shine off.  Then we gave her a coat of Aqua Bond.  (This stuff is amazing.  It adheres to ANYTHING and I L-O-V-E it.)  Although it is pricey, but it is worth it... but it is pricey.  Like $60 per gallon.... yark...  (you could just use kilz or just sand it really well and not prime at all. )

      I'm starting to get excited.  I've been able to see this in my mind for weeks, and now it's starting to emerge for real, and I can barely contain myself.

    Let me introduce you to three of my best friends.  Floetrol (I'll get to that in a minute), my handy paint pail (you can tell she's been around the block a few times, but I don't like to judge) and of course, paint.  I'm not a HUGE Behr fan, but on this project it really worked well.

    

I broke out the gallon of heirloom white that I had matched to the spray paint can at Home Depot.  Here's a secret that I learned from Kate:  Floetrol.

It is amazing.  I added it to the paint, and seriously, it was like painting with butter.  I will never paint furniture without it again.

Check out the lack of brush marks here:

 Unbelievable.  It totally looks spray painted, right?  Floetrol, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways....

All I have left to do now is distress this lovely lady, OH and a secret AWESOMENESS is happening to the tabletop so STAY TUNED!