Kitchen Table Before and After

Hi all! I am so excited to share my beautiful and new to me kitchen table! When I spotted this table at the thrift store she wasn't too pretty but I knew she had it in her to be a thing of beauty. She had good bones, her flaws were cosmetic not structural. She stood tall and she stood proud and for only 12 bucks it was worth a try! Yep that's right $12! And it was just the perfect size for my kitchen booth! What more could a girl ask for?

You know how it is when you've been on the hunt and FINALLY, it arrives? Yeah that was me with this table. I was all over it like white on rice!  I wanted that straight edge top, not those decorative, beveled edges and boy it was hard to find. I also did NOT want the claw feet but I settled.

Here's how she looked at first glance.

The first thing I did was get out my handy dandy palm sander and I went to work. I sanded every part I could get to with my sander. Then by hand in the little nooks and crannies. Once I got off  the funky painted mess on top I could see some really cool wood grain going on. Sad thing was it was a veneer so I had to tread lightly.

Top before sanding with some kind of funky paint job going on.

Top after sanding. LOOK at that lovely wood grain!

For the top I sanded with 2 grits of sandpaper. I then stained the top. I wanted it dark however (I think due to the veneer) it would only take one coat of wood stain. After staining I put on 3 coats of polyurethane. This is our everyday meal/homework table so I wanted a good seal on it.

For the base I sanded with 2 grits of sandpaper. My husband then did the primer and the painting for me. Lucky girl huh? After the paint dried I sanded again with my palm sander to knock off some paint and give it that worn, shabby country feel. To antique I then went over the entire panted area with wood stain and wiped off the excess. Let it dry and it was good to go!

I absolutely LOVE how it came out and I LOVE how it looks in my kitchen! Every time I walk by it catches my attention and I can't take my eyes off of it! It is not perfect in any way but the "flaws" and imperfections are what I love the most!

So when you see that beat up looking piece that catches your eye give it a chance. You never know if you never try! You just may end up loving it!