Small Space, Entertaining Idea!
The original intention of this post was to share our new kitchen/dining room table, but I have a feeling the twins will probably steal the show here.
Here's our table in it's original state. Not in pieces, but in this light/unfinished state.
We snagged this unique piece at a place called Esplanade Furniture in Chico back in November while we were having Thanksgiving with my family. It's your average small furniture store with most everything you'd expect accept that in the very back is a ton of unfinished furniture! Perfect for a DIYer like myself.
Mr. G and I have been living in sin for about six months in the a great little two bedroom duplex, but without a place to have a proper meal! It's not such a big deal when it's just the two of us, but I am my mother's daughter and I like to entertain. Hauling Mr. G's kitchen table from the garage to the living room every couple of weeks wasn't working for me! My uncle spotted this drop leaf table and we knew it would be perfect for our large living room.
I got to work one Sunday in January right in the middle of our living room because I couldn't stand looking at it anymore. The unfinished table with it's leftover Christmas paper table cloth, just taunting me! I was told it was too cold to stain outside so we moved the coffee table and rug into the other room, laid out lot of protection for the hardwood floors and got to work! I used my trusty Minwax stain in Dark Walnut with some cheap-y rags and paint brushes. I really mean it when I say cheap-y too, the brushes cost less than $2 a piece because I find it's easiest to just toss them at the end of the day.
After letting the stain dry over night I painted the legs and the sides of the table in the same white paint we used to paint the kitchen and the bathroom when we moved in. Swiss coffee for those of you taking notes. Two coats and then I let it dry overnight before taking a little sandpaper to them! I started out with a fine sandpaper because that was what was on hand, but it wasn't doing the trick. I ran over to Home Depot and picked up something more corse (either 80 or 60 - I can't remember). After wiping off all the dust with a clean rag, I took a rag that I had been using for stain touch and rubbed it all over my white legs to give it an even more antique/distressed look. It was kind of on a whim, but I love the way it turned out!
The new table's first meal was a success and I'm looking forward to many more!