Dining Room Table Reveal!

Well, I am officially a newlywed! (more on that later...)

Project time!

I picked this table and four chairs set up off of our local "Facebook Yard Sale" site for $40.00 a few months ago. 

That is more than I would normally want to spend on the initial purchase of a project, knowing that it would need a lot of work to make into the beautiful table I wanted it to be, but I knew it really had potential. I had a rustic farmhouse feel in mind and I was inspired by this table at Little Bits of Bliss. 

First thing I had to do was get the old black paint off and see what kind of wood I had to work with. I used paint stripper. They aren't kidding when they said "Be careful". This stuff is intense!

After scraping most of the paint off, I took my favorite little tool out - a mouse sander. It is the best thing since sliced bread, no really!

Once it was completely sanded down, I bought some stain and went to it. I chose to use Minwax Satin Stain and Finish in Mission Oak since I was going to have to use some Poly on it anyways. I originally did two coats.

(Please excuse the poor picture quality)

.... Fast forward 2 months...

I got sidetracked from this project because we moved into our new house, got married, I graduated college, and a few more things. When I came back to it a few months later, the stain had really had a chance to set in before I messed with it. I loved the color but it was too perfect. In steps the sander. I used 180 and 220 fine grit sandpaper to rough it up a little. I loved it. 

As far as the frame and chairs go... the original plan was to paint the chairs (except the seats which would be stained) a nice black and the table legs a nice white. When I tried the white, I hated it. It was too bright! I wanted something more rustic and soft. Ivory saved the day.  Along the way, I messed up two of my seats. I forgot to cover the unfinished seat I had just sanded before I spray painted the chair black. The result? Black spray paint stuck in the grain of my seats. It would not budge! Don't make that mistake. It  threw my whole plan off. I decided to just do all the chairs ivory to match the table. I chose to use Krylon Dual Paint and Primer in Ivory Gloss. I tried satin but I wasn't a fan. It didn't just a little shine. It took about 15 cans. I know, that seems like a lot! But they go fast.

After assembling it with the original hardware, I was pleased with the result!

I have since added tan cushions to the seats. The seats are my least favorite part of the set (all because of the black spray paint fiasco!). While I love this table, I plan on using this as my "kitchen table" (you know when I have a big enough kitchen to put a table in it), and I want to build a real farmhouse table with real wood planks for my dining room table. For now, this is the kitchen/dining room table.

Stay tuned for my next project! I have a few in the works... a pallet walkway, an "EAT" sign for the kitchen, wine crate bookshelf, a vanity makeover. I have a problem doing just one project at a time, according to my husband! 

Until next time, Ashlee.

P.S Wedding pictures will be uploaded soon!