Before & After: A Dining Table That’s Worth the Work
This is my latest piece of furniture that I’ve refinished. After doing my last dining room table I was so happy with the results that I chose to forget how much sanding and time had been involved.
I think that for people who see the potential in secondhand objects it can be hard to pass up a project. When I saw this dining table with queen anne legs and a pretty scalloped top I had to restore it.
The shape was beautiful but the scratches on top and badly scuffed sides needed some work. What I didn’t expect was that this top would be very hard to sand down evenly and the staining process gave me more trouble than it ever has before.
Along the way I took lots of process photos on my blog with the failed color attempts. It took a few different tries until it became the color I wanted. From what I’ve learned with my limited wood refinishing experience, the results vary every time. I don’t know what sort of veneer this was but it was very difficult to sand evenly, but in the end I was happy with the results.
The painting was the easy and enjoyable part. I did a coat of graphite, then white and distressed the edges slightly.
With the winter weather coming, I didn’t have a long timeframe to work on this project as the cold temperatures don’t allow the stain and paints to dry properly.
I keep saying that this is the last time I’ll refinish furniture but I think that if I come across the right piece I’ll do it again. I think that a lot of people who enjoy thrift shopping know what I mean!
Thank you, Robyn!