Musical tables update, and another update!!

 

Remember this table?  I found it at a local thrift store and knew it would be perfect for camper daughter and her family.  After refinishing it in a dark espresso stain, it was perfect.  UNTIL, that is, they started looking at other homes and saw several round tables they liked and wanted to try out in their own small kitchen.  

They asked me to be on the lookout for a round table, and so I was - and I did find them one!  

This is still the only picture I have of that table, but it is now refinished in this beautiful espresso/provincial/dark walnut finish, and in their home.

Well, the old, big, expandable table is now going to Logger daughter's house.  I'm traveling there this weekend with the newly refinished table.  It turned out beautifully!  I think so, anyway.:-)

After first sanding- well, after lots and lots of "first sanding".

It was impossible to remove all the dark espresso stain from the grain.

This is the new finish - minwax aged oak, which left it just a bit too gray, so a second coat of minwax early american stain was applied and immediately rubbed off.  Then, over about 3 days, at least 7 coats of minwax rub on polyurethane in a satin finish were applied.  Sanding took place between each coat. 

The base of the table retained the original espresso/dark walnut finish.  I lightly sanded the edges to distress it even more than it was and sprayed on 3 coats of spar urethane for a durable, cleanable finish.

I made an additional bench and enlarged the seat depth on the original bench.  Although the material is different - and the grain and appearance of the wood is different - the color of both the legs and the bench top are a match to the table.

Can't wait to get this table delivered!

Merry Christmas, Logger Family.  I hope you enjoy many happy times around this table (and that it makes a fine bonfire when it's time to chuck it!)

Here are some pictures of the table in it's new home (just overlook that 1970's linoleum floor - it's soon to be replaced with a beautiful hardwood!).

  

And then there were chairs!

Look what I found!  

5 matching chairs that are in wonderful condition - except for the grungy seats!  

Camper daughter wanted 4 matching chairs for the new round table that I just refinished for them.  

(oops, looks like I only have a picture of the refinished table top!)

I guess I'll need to get a photo and include it when the chairs are finished!

We've been searching thrift stores for some reasonably priced chairs - and coming up empty-handed.I was out walking the other day and passed a pile of stuff stacked in a driveway. It was obviously on its way to a dump. In that pile of junk were these 5 chairs!!! I knocked on the door of the home and checked to make sure these were destined for the trash, asked kindly if she'd like me to take them off her hands and, voila, 5 sturdy matching chairs. Now the hard work begins. I've already removed the seats and did a first sand. It wasn't enough - I need to sand them even more. Some of the lacquer finish still remains and they aren't taking the stain evenly. I may resort to a gel stain that might go on and cover even with any remaining lacquer.  

I also remembered that I'd seen a chair just like these at one of the thrift stores we'd visited. I made a trip back and found the poor thing - its seat was even grungier than the others, and there were two missing slats in the chair back. I bought it for $5 and figured I'd try to repair it so that I would have 6 chairs to give the kids.  

See the chair in the front with the two light/raw wood slats?  Looks the same, doesn't it?  Well, read further and you'll learn that although it looks like the others, it's really just a "poor cousin" to the other  5 identical chairs.

After sanding all the chairs, I realized that the thrift store chair was not a true sibling of the others - more like a smaller cousin! Everything is about 1/4" smaller! And, I think it was made with a cheaper wood (poor cousin, too). But, finished, I think that it will pass muster unless someone decides to do an in-depth study of all of the chairs!

I hope to have the chairs stained within the next week. We'll see if HOPE and ACTION can come together!  

Oh, and this will be an early Christmas present so don't be talking to camper daughter about these!