In May, my grandparents and I had a garage sale. Luke and I had been thinking about getting rid of our kitchen table during the garage sale. So, we just took it over during the sale and decided that if it didn't sell we would bring it back and put it back in the kitchen (short-term).
You can kinda see the table in the above picture. There wasn't anything terribly wrong with it, but we've had it since we were married. We bought it new for our first apartment. It's gone through four moves and one toddler. There were knicks and stained cushions. We could have revamped it, but it was just way too small for the space. We hated that if we had two people over, then we didn't have enough room. It was just time for a change. We sold that bad boy for $100 and I was planning on taking that money and putting it towards this beauty.
Well, we never pulled the trigger. I've been waiting patiently for the West Elm table to go on sale, but no bueño. And you know that I'm not paying full price. Well, I hardly ever pay full price. So, we never bought it. Instead, we decided to move the formal dining room table (a Goodwill find for $10) in for the time being.
Luke and I both really like that table in there, but were definitely open to moving it back depending on what else we found. Well, I found us a table. I've been taking a hiatus from thrifting, but indulged the other day and I'm so glad I did.
The legs first caught my attention. They are just gorgeous. Then, I looked at the price tag... $15?! Say what? I scooped the price tag off (does that work for your store?) of the table fast! The table legs sold me, but I knew it needed work.
I knew the color wasn't going to work with our flooring and it doesn't.
Secondly, it was so cheap because there is a pretty big burn on top.
The burn doesn't look that big there, but it's about the size of a large plate.
So, we will for sure be stripping, sanding and re-staining this bad boy. I'm thinking a medium walnut color would look good.
For right now, it's sitting in the kitchen with our old chairs. We are trying to finish off a couple of other projects before adding any new ones to the list.
But, I've never stripped anything... any advice or products to use/not use?
Julia@Cuckoo4Design
Love the new table
Ashley Mayes
Thanks! Hopefully with the right seating it will fit the look that we are going for!
Megan
I love the new table. The new stain color, you are planning on, will look great! The only product I have used to strip the varnish off is called Citristrip and it worked for stripping my stairs. But make sure you don't skimp on applying, like I did, lesson learned. I would ,also, suggest that you make sure you clean it with Mineral Spirits after, to make sure all the varnished was removed because sanding varnish is no fun! Good luck, can not wait to see the finished table...
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Megan! I'll have to check out Citristrip (and go heavy!). I would have never thought to clean it with Mineral Spirits. Thanks!
Charlotte W
What a cool find! As far as stripping goes, I have never had much luck with stripping. In our first house we had a crazy idea to try to strip all the paint off the thick molding in the living room and it just turned into a huge mess. It usually leaves a sticky residue and seems like it just makes for more sanding. I would recommend just sanding it down and skipping the stripping.
Ashley Mayes
Wow, I can't believe you tried to strip it off thick molding. That would be crazy hard! I wonder if I could sand first and then try stripping if the sanding doesn't take care of it? As you can tell, I need to do some research.
Marybeth
Ooh! I love it. I think I love it more than the West Elm one!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Marybeth! I definitely love the price better than the West Elm one! =)
Carrie
Awesome find! Those legs are gorgeous.
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Carrie! The legs definitely sold me!
Trisha D.
I'm so glad I stopped over from #thriftscorethursday because I totally thought it was gold (instead of wood) and that top, cannot wait to see it in all it's stained glory!
Ashley Mayes
I have to warn you, we are the slowest DIY people on earth. It will probably be around Christmas time before it's sporting the new stain! =)
Ginger
I love the legs on this!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Ginger!