TURN BACK NOW! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!
Just kidding.
Kind of.
It's totally worth it. Look how beautiful it turned out to be:
I learned through trial and error, so let me save you from the error part and tell you how it is:
If your table it super-detailed (as in it has different wood slabs with the grains going in all different directions and lots of rounded edges and extra frill) this is certainly not going to be fun, so make sure you think long and hard about whether you want to make this big decision. :)
This may take you a few days, especially if you have a wee one running around somewhere. So choose a place to work that is warm, well-ventilated, and can get dirty.
SUPPLIES:
Sandpaper-- I used a heavy stripping grit and a medium grit. Get LOTS of it. Trust me.
Sander-- should be self-explanatory. DO NOT take on this project without one. Your arm will fall off!
Stripper-- It's a chemical used to break down the layers of lacquer and stain already existing on the table. It comes in a tin can and is usually kept near the sandpaper and/or wood stain. 1 can was enough for my large table.
Plastic scraper--These should be near the stripper. Make sure it's plastic. Metal will damage the wood.
Gloves-- either disposable and/or a good pair of work gloves
Mask--protection from the fumes and/or sawdust
Staining pads-- I made it work with just a pack of four, but it would be easier to get more.
Stain-- A little bit goes a long way. I used just the medium-sized MinWax can and still had some leftover for a few other small projects.
Paint-- I used wall paint, but I'm sure that acrylic would work just fine if you wanted to use that. Since it is going to be coated in polyurethane, it would be pretty protected.
Foam round brush-- I found these in a cheap pack at Walmart.
Stencil-- I found mine at Michael's. They're kind of spend, but Michael's always gives away 40% off coupons or a lot of times you can find some pretty good ones on clearance.
Polyurethane-- I was able to make it on just one medium-sized can on this as well.
You're all set!
This is what I started out with:
It was a beautiful table to start off with. I loved the beautiful cherry color, but it was so beat up.
My parents gave it to me. (Let's be honest, they're the only reason I even have furniture!) It was bought from the "scratch and dent" area from RC Willey, so it was already a little beat up when they got it.
These marks, however, were from my precious doggy Xena. Sometimes when we left her alone she would help herself to whatever was on the table by climbing up there and scratching things like crazy in the process. It was very hard for me to sand those marks down, because my Xena passed away about 4 years ago and it was difficult to get rid of. Luckily, (for me) some of the marks were still visible after I sanded down as far as I dared. So I've still got a little bit of Xena claw marks on the corners.
The first thing you will want to do is strip off the current laquer. I initially thought I could just sand it down (silly me) but it would have taken me days. I even had my sister Wendi's help. I'm so glad I went back to the store and found the stripper. Wear some gloves! Apply the stripper a paintbrush and it only takes it a few minutes to soften up the laquer on the table. It's pretty strong chemicals, so leave the room or garage for a few minutes while it works. Then use the plastic scraper to scrape off the goo in the direction of the wood grain. I didn't get any pictures of this part, sorry. But it's a good idea to have a bucket or something to drop the gunk into. My table seemed to have quite a few layers of protective coating, so I had to do about 3 passes around the whole table. This part was pretty time consuming with my big table.
This is my table after stripping. (I was halfway through staining before I realized I should take a picture)
Then go crazy with your stain! the staining pads make it super easy to apply. Make sure you apply in the direction of the wood grain. Wait for it to dry overnight.
Next, the fun part!
Get out your stencil (or if you're really brave you can free-hand) and some paint. I just used some extra wall paint we had in the garage. Make your own pattern and make sure to measure it out correctly so that it will be nice and even. My sister Wendi was also awesome enough to help me out with this part, and she helped me come up with the pattern. When applying the paint over the stencil, make sure that you don't get too much paint on the brush initially. It will bleed out underneath the stencil and mess up your design. I actually liked the way it looked better when it was applied lightly. It gave it sort of an antique look.
After you've finished all of your stenciling, let the paint set for at least 4 hours.
Now get out that polyurethane! Apply a thin coat using a large paintbrush, making sure to go in the direction of the wood grain. After each coat, you need to sand it down using a fine sandpaper to prevent it to end up being sticky. This took a LONG time for me, again because my table has so many different cuts of wood going in different directions and it's so large. I did three coats, but probably should have done more like four or five to give it a nice thick coat of protection. I DO have a two-year-old, after all, who loves to use utensils as drumsticks. So far, it has stayed well protected. I hope I can keep it that way! ;)
This is the finished table with both leaves in:
This is it moved back into the house with just one leaf:
Aaand no leaf.
I'm so happy with the way my table turned out! It took a LONG time and a LOT of work, but I have a completely unique, customized, beautiful table that will last me forever.
