Old Is New Again

When we added banquette seating to our breakfast nook our existing rectangle farm table no longer work for the space.  I  needed a round table but didn't want to pay $200 or more for some poor quality wobbly table from a chain store.  I searched craigslist (what did we do before craigslist?) for a round pedestal table.  I didn't want to spend more than $60 because I figured that was about what I might get for the table this was to replace.  At that price point I expected to find a re-finish project which was fine so it needed to be solid wood.  I found an antique solid oak 42" pedestal table and the man was asking $80.  I talked him down to $60.  I ended up selling my old table for $85 so I kind of made money on this project as I spent less than $20 on supplies to refinish the round table.  Gotta love when that happens!

Here is what the table looked like when I bought it.  Well worn, but solid bones and oozing potential.

The breakfast nook is pretty light and airy with white and neutrals so I wanted to use the table as an opportunity to add a splash of color.  I primed and then painted the base using Rustoleum 2x coat in Oregano.

Then I sanded the table top down to clean bare wood.  I decided to use this as an opportunity to use an idea I saw on Pinterest and I stenciled a pretty design directly onto the bare wood in white acrylic craft paint.

I let the paint dry overnight and then applied a dark walnut gel stain over the wood and stenciled design with a foam brush.  I covered one half then wiped the stain off with a clean rag before covering the other half and repeating.

Once the stain was dry, per dry time on the stain can, I applied 3 coats of water based polycrylic in a clear semi-gloss.

This was a cheap, quick and easy project that has given a quiet corner some impact.

Thank you for visiting my post.  I hope you will be inspired to source garage sales and classifieds for some sturdy quality piece of furniture and put your personal stamp on it instead of spending too much on inferior chain store products.