sweet!

Restoration will not give you back natural patina that comes with age, plus you only have 3 chairs, which is not going to be very practical.

Don't keep it if it doesn't work. I have bought things in the past that I regretted down the track. Just let go, sell it and move on. Something fabulous will come up again that you will love even more.

well, I personally don't think you should be worried about ruining it by attempting it yourself... the previous owners ruined it already.
Try sanding the table and chairs down to get that horrible paintjob offa it! Just take it sloooooooow! The pieces seem to have very simple (yet gorgeous) lines, so I don't think it would be too hard. And if it's all solid wood, you can't really completely destroy it. Just give it a shot!
If you're gonna restain the pieces, write down what kind of stain you used and how many layers you applied... that way, if you ever find the fourth chair, you can easily stain it the same color. And save some fabric if you're gonna reupholster them!

If it's too hard, or you're not pleased with the outcome, you can always post it on Craigslist/eBay etc... there are a lot of DIY designlovers out there that would gladly try to salvage this classic piece.

It can't hurt to get a quote... Robert Friedensen is a great re-finisher who works in VA but comes to DC weekly. He also has a carpenter friend who could build a 4th chair.

sanding, no -- take it to a professional stripper

wait ... that didn't come out right ...

Don't Sand!

Gosh, fix if you want but sanding is not how to remove paint.

yes yes yes you should keep it.

Good God, sell it to me if you don't want it!! I'll strip the paint of that thing real quick! (haha.. sorry I just got so excited! I've been looking for one of these babies!)

Not but seriously (if you don't want to sell it to meeee and) if you do plan to keep it and decide to DIY restore it take a look at Centsational Girl's blog for instructions for paint stripping. She does a great job explaining what to use and how to do it and has great photos to follow along with. You will have to do some touch up sanding afterwards before you stain it.. but don't sand to remove the paint!!

Personally, I'd strip the paint and get it refinished. But if you really don't like it in the space (or don't think it suits the space) that won't help much.

Also, you could just sell it to me and all would be good. :)

Swedie - can you share Robert Friedensen's contact info?

I agree with A Labor Of Love. Don't keep it if you don't like it. It's a great set, white paint and all, but if it's not working for you, it's not working.

KEEP. PROFESSIONALLY REFINISH.

(and I never type in all caps!!!)

Some Frem Rojle table and chair sets were sold painted white in the late 1960s and early 70s. The table top usually has a hard wearing melamine finish with these. I used to own one of these great pieces, they are stunning!

Get rid of. Missing a chair. Plus, those chairs are horrible to sit in. Super unstable. I love the "idea" of this set but it's a pain in reality.

Whoever painted that should be jailed for crimes against design.

If it were me, I'd keep it until I could afford to have it restored and be on the lookout for the fourth chair. What is it that doesn't work? Is it the size, the color; something else?

This beautiful dining set deserves some TLC. I agree with those suggesting a little investment in restoring it to its former glory!

@taptaptap -- too funny :)

Don't keep it if you don't like it. Sell it to someone who will love it.

I think once you refinish it you may feel a little better about it. If you don't have a place for it at that point you can turn a profit and sell it to someone too lazy to restore it.

I love this table. I want one so badly. I'm completely jealous of you. That being said, do what works for you. No regrets!

Even if you did strip the paint off, would the color of teak go in your dining room? (Just noticing the dark wood piece in the background.)

I don't know ... I'm inclined to say don't force it if you don't feel it's going to work ...

... if it's already painted, how do you know the teak underneath is beautiful? It was probably in poor enough condition that it was way more economical for them to paint than to refinish. Or it could be melamine underneath. (OK, you should probably be able to tell if that were the case; nevermind.)

Whether you keep it or not should depend on why you don't think it fits your space. Is it just the color? Would it work if it's refinished? For one, I think the shape of the rug doesn't work with the set (if that's in situ; if you just had it there to take pictures and it's not where you'd actually put it, nevermind again.)

If you keep it, certainly have a fourth chair made. But do try to figure out if it will be cost-effective; there is a complete set (with legs painted white but tabletop, seatbacks, and the bit around the table the seats tuck into) with the wood finish floating around on CL for ~$2000 in the NYC area. If it costs you more than that to rehabilitate this set, I think you're better off hoping to encounter another set some day.

Don't keep unless you love and it fits the space. If you are going to keep have it professionally restored.

If you do strip it you'll need to strip it down to the bare wood to get all the paint off. I did this recently with 2 pieces and can tell you it's not a hard job, and there's tons of tutorials..the main thing is that it's messy so have a good space to work in.
You'll need to seal/restain it after the fact, which is also easy. I would give it a shot if you think the white is what is off putting. If you just don't like how it looks then sell it as is, no point in wasting the effort!

Do it up and if you still decide you don't think it really works for you then when you sell it you will know you gave it your best shot and you will have the advantage of making more money on the sale.

I agree with sigh... strip it yourself and get it professionally refinished.

if you don't want it, i'll take it!

If you love it, keep it. Who cares that there are only three chairs?

Easy to strip paint off of wood yourself. Follow instructions - you don't just sand paint off. But getting it professionally refinished is a good way to go if you're really concerned about it looking perfect.

Great find Sarah!

AT: Have you ever considered having an auction section within the AT community for just this kind of scenario?

I would say figure out why its not working for you first, before you do anything (ie. sell it, refinish it, etc). If then you figure out that is the finish or the seats, then things can be done to correct that (refinish it, repaint it, reupholster the seats). If it turns out that the its the style that doesn't work for you, then you should probably let it go.

I hated my dining table for YEARS! I wanted to get rid of it so bad...then I wanted to paint it...then I wanted to get rid of it again. So after living with it for many years, I figured out...I HATE THE CHAIRS...it wasn't the table causing me all this decorating anxiety, it was the chairs that went with it. So it took me a long time to ask myself why I hated the piece and as it turned out I really didn't hate it at all. I should have really reflected on the question why I hated the piece much sooner.

Never feel you "owe" your furniture anything - as you can see from previous comments, plenty of people would want this table. Sell (hopefully at a profit) and find something you love.

No. Don't keep it. Give it to me.

If I were you, I'd keep it. It would probably take me a number of years before I got around to refinishing it, either myself or with a professional. But maybe by that time I would have gotten very lucky and found a 4th chair!

I want to weep... what a travesty.

What were the former owners thinking???!

I'd love to hear back if you were ever able to restore it to any semblance of its proper self.

If you're looking for a little inspiration, here's a fantastic, rustic take on refinishing the same piece!

http://www.nightwoodny.com/html_pages/gallery_pages/tables_html/tab_sattelite.html

oops the link was cut off!
http://www.nightwoodny.com/html_pages/gallery_pages/tables_html/tab_sattelite.html

http://www.nightwoodny.com/images/tables/tables_satellite_dining_set.jpg

No! Give it to ME!!

Who paints teak? Honestly. Contact furniture restoration experts in your area for how to proceed. They would let you know if it's worth it to take the paint off. Even if you have to haul a chair over for them to look at I would. They might also know who would be willing to pay good money for it if it was worth something and you still didn't want it.

I love the table, but I don't think it is substantial enough for a dining room. Maybe you could use it as a kitchen table, kid's room table, or desk.

Give it another coat of paint in either white or another color. This will even it out the paint issues, match the surroundings better, and freshen it up. (New fabric seat covers would look good too.)

If you don't keep it, send it my way to Grand Rapids Michigan! I'm sure the price for restoring the table and buying a new chair is a lot less than the set new would cost, KEEP!

Yes refinish (so what if it isn't perfect) but more than that, reupholster and it will fit better with your space. I can't see how big your space is but if it is a smaller space then keep it.

I realize this is an older thread but I'm going to post anyhow. I've got the fold out version of this table. I grew up with it and I was trying to get rid of it. I offered it to my brother, he said "no" and all my friends are already covered.

The I saw the stamp on the bottom and started to google it. I didn't realize these things were worth as much as they are. Mine has a loose chair and water mark on the table but it's still got to be worth over $2K.

I hope you were able to restore it and sell it for a fair price. That things has to be worth over $500 even if a chair was missing.