Table and Chairs

Last fall I decided I wanted a new dining set for our eat-in.  I searched Pinterest for styles I liked and the following two pictures were my inspiration while shopping for my table and chairs.

I liked the pedestal style and white color of the one on the left, and I liked the different styled chairs in the same color in the picture on the right.

I started my search and found my table within a few weeks. Thank you, Goodwill, for the solid oak pedestal table that rang in at $40! It sat in my kitchen a long time without me working on it because I couldn't find the chairs I wanted. Then, we started talking about moving and I lost motivation for a few months. Therefore, I had to sit and eat at an old rickety light oak table for longer than I ever hoped to. The only benefit was that I never worried about myself or the boys messing it up when we'd craft, color, or paint! Here's a glimpse of the table back at Christmas in our old house.

Once we had definitely decided to house search and move, I decided I wanted to get the table finished for the next house. So, the work began. I brought the table outside for the sanding and priming phases. It needed a good sanding, for sure. I used this tutorial to refinish my table.

The primer I used didn't required completely removing the old varnish and stain, just a completely smooth surface. Because there were so many water spots and raised areas, the table looked like this by the time I got it smooth.

I used a small sponge roller to apply the primer.

 

I bought one can of the primer in a spray can version to do the cracks and crevices and after waiting a day, sanding it by hand with a block sander, I put one more coat of primer on with the roller. 

 

I bought a spray gun to do the final top coats. Those things are a pain, but definitely make the paint job look more uniform. I still chose to roll the top surface of the table to keep the texture to a minimum. I used a Sherwin Williams cabinet and furniture water-based paint. I wanted to avoid an oil-based version if possible and this paint cures really hard. I did the final steps in my garage to avoid any leaves or bugs as a part of my final table finish.

The next part of my little project was finding chairs. This was difficult because chairs can be so expensive. I only paid $40 for my table so it didn't seem right to pay much more for the chairs. At first, I searched for a few antique ones, but kept coming up with ones that were not super stable or were too different in height/width and it didn't look cohesive at all. I didn't want them to match, but I did want them to go together.

I ended up at this place that sells JC Penny furniture after it's out of style or is damaged. The store was about to change directions and start making furniture, so when I walked in, I was a bit bummed to see there wasn't all the mix-matched random furniture lying around. The guy up front asked what I was looking for and I told him I was looking for random dining chairs. He laughed and told me to follow him. He took me to the back warehouse room where there were no less than 50 random chairs all shoved together. He told me about how they were starting to make furniture instead of sell the other retailed items, and this was what was left over. 

I started my search digging through the pile of chairs. I found two I loved and took them home that day after paying a whopping $40 for both!!! Can you believe that? These bad boys usually retail for $100-150 a piece. I was hoping to find two more to match them around town, but after realizing that wasn't going to happen for a good price, I went back to the warehouse and picked out two more. One of the chairs had arms, but I bought it anyway because I figured I could remove the arms. I wasn't in love with any others but decided to pick one anyway so that I could just complete the set. This time, I got them both for $35 because one had a small crack in it. Holla! The crack didn't effect the stability of the chair at all so I went with it and here is what I ended up with for a grand total of $75. Not bad at all. I love the second and fourth ones from the left. 

I got a little worried that the chairs wouldn't fit under the small round table. After trying them out, they seem a little over-sized for the table but I liked how it looked anyway.

I didn't get a picture of the chairs during their redo phase, but I simply unscrewed the cushions, removed the arms from the one chair and used wood putty to fill in any holes. Then, using the spray gun, I coated them with the oil-based primer. This process took forever because I was recommended to wait a day between each coat of primer and top-coat. That's four days of simply spraying chairs. Blah. But it was worth it and I think they turned out beautifully.

The last step was reupholstering the cushions and screwing them back on. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted in the new house in terms of prints and colors, so I didn't scour the Internet for days searching for the perfect home decor fabric. I knew whatever I picked was probably going to be replaced when I started the renovation part of our new kitchen. So, I waltzed in JA's, went straight to the clearance section, and grabbed a fabric I liked best from the bunch. I got 3 yards of home decor fabric for $10. If you know fabric, you know I got a good deal ;) I also picked up enough vinyl for two of the chairs. Graham doesn't eat like a human. He eats like a wild beast who has never seen food...at each meal. I figured vinyl would help the chair wipe down a little easier after the boys ate. I just stapled it on after the fabric.

I finished the table right before we moved and I am so thankful I did. We chose not to use the old dining table in the new house, so this was our only table. I really, really like how it fits in the new kitchen. I can't wait to see how it all looks once we've updated!

 Don't mind the neon orange flowers on the table. Those were Graham's mother day present to me :) They are kind of like Graham. Loud, slightly obnoxious, and beautiful as ever!

I added a layer of Johnson's wax to the top surface of the table for a little more protection, and so far, we've had no scratches. I didn't do a polyurethane or lacquer on top because I was afraid of yellowing.

 I love my little eclectic table and chairs.

My goal this weekend is to get the curtain rods hung in these two rooms and exchange the outlets for white ones. We might take down the ceiling fan if we're feeling a little extra motivation. It may not sound like much, but being outside or going to the pool with our wild monsters sounds so much more fun than working on the house. Balance. We'll find our balance. Or, we 'll just choose the fun things and deal with the house next weekend. Not such a bad option. Have a great Memorial Day weekend, y'all!