We've been working on a project around here.
Shocked. I'm sure.
(Not really if you know my man.)
Our current dining room table has many special memories attached to it. It was the dining table that my parents had when I was growing up. Lots of laughter and good food have been shared on it. While it has definitely served its purpose, it does have one fault. It only seats 6 comfortably. Since we have 5 people in our family, that means that special occasions can only include 1 more person if we use that table. What's a party with only one guest?!
Not too special (or realistic).
So I mentioned to my handy man (aka husband) that I would really like to have a dining table that could seat 8-10. Since he already showed his skill with the coffee table, I knew he could do it.
Take a look:
I wanted that old farmhouse feel. Nothing fancy. Something that we could use with the kids and not worry about the finish. He painted it black, (oh yeah, and BUILT it!!!) and then handed the project over to me:
First I roughed the edges. By hand ... whoa. Way too much time and work. So I tried this:
Oh yeah, much better. Now I know why they call them POWER tools. I felt so powerful using it! After about an hour, I told my man that it would have been much easier to just let the kids sit at it for a week. All those 'distressed' marks would have shown up naturally. 
Amazing how much work it takes to make something new look old! After sanding, distressing, and sanding again, I cleaned it with a damp cloth.
Then I applied a dark stain to the distressed places:
I was very pleased with the outcome. I'm telling you, my sorry picture doesn't do it justice. It looks black in real-life with little bits of stained wood showing through here and there.Now I need to find chairs. Hmm... any ideas?
You both did an awesome job on the table! I love it! You should be proud.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! This is awesome! People would pay a lot of money for an "old" table like that! I would suggest Craigs List for the chairs. If you don't know about it, it's like an online garage sale within your area. They always have dining room sets and chairs for little money. You could do wonders with something from there! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful.... WOW. Your hubby is quite talented. I am clueless about the chairs, but I am SURE you will come up with something, girlfriend. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the table. I must go back over mine with a stain. I love how big yours is. What a great hubby!
ReplyDeleteI bet it looks great. My Sister did a similar thing with her's and I was so jealous when I saw it. I also wish I had a hubby who could build anything. Oh and I love your center piece. Great job!
ReplyDeleteWow - can I please pretty please borrow your man for a few days. I will get him back all in good shape. Better yet, you come and we'll have a blast.
ReplyDeleteAlso, too weird, but I posted a big long comment under your lurker post? It's not there, but I did gush about you and how I love visiting and commenting....hmmm...don't think I said anything inappropriate? :)
I love the black table, it turned out great! Makes me wish I'd sanded a few spots on my night stand. Great job:)
ReplyDeleteI'm in complete awe! It looks fantastic! And I second the recommendation to look on craigslist for some chairs. Even if they're not the right color, you could spruce them right up.
ReplyDeleteThe table looks great! We recently purchased mismatched chairs for our dining room table (some from a thrift store, one from a yard sale and 3 from an auction). The cost for all the chairs was only $47.50. We painted all of them black and then gave them a more primitive look by sanding (like what you did with your table). Even though the chairs don't match in shape/style, they still look great since all are painted black.
ReplyDeleteI had my hubby make me one about 2 years ago as our family outgrew our old one since we have 5 children. I loved the old farmhouse tables but surely couldn't afford them.. I did the same thing, but didn't paint it black I stained it a deep walnut, and painted the legs and frame black. I also went to big lots and found some neat chairs that I painted a deep red then painted black, and sanded them down and put a finish on them. They turned out very distressed looking.. that would be nice with your table
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