Refinished Drop-Leaf Table
Submitted by Because I Think I Can
Abby is Gorgeous!
I picked up Abby off of Craigslist for an awesome deal. When I first picked her up, my plan was to use her as a craft table for my kids.
Abby “Before”
This is Abby’s before picture. The more I looked at Abby and tried to decide what to do with her, the more I noticed her beauty. She is an antique table, and I saw similar tables, unfinished, at antique stores for $300.oo I decided I wanted Abby to be beautiful… and not a craft table anymore.
Well, Abby didn’t make things easy for me.
I first sanded her like crazy. She had a varnish on her that needed to be roughed up, and her top was in pretty rough shape.
After priming her legs, I painted them with a creamy white that I had used on Anna’s furniture in the past.
Then came my first experience with staining.
It was not a good experience.
The first coat took okay, but not as solid as I had hoped for. The second coat completely bubbled, and was sticky and tacky.
So I had my first experience with stripping. That’s not fun either.
I stripped and sanded again, and gave it another try. Again, the first coat of stain was okay. The second… began to bubble. This probably sounds silly, but after being an esthetician for 8 years, I knew what was going on. When nail polish does this, it means the first coat did not dry enough for the second to be applied, plus it was raining and cold out… I didn’t want to admit it, but I would have to wait… I sanded down the second coat and waited for a sunny day. It took weeks. In the meantime I distressed and glazed her legs. …Finally I could drag it outside and try again. All the other times I had applied he stain with a paint brush, this time I used a rag. I enjoyed this much more… Here is how it turned out…
Abby “After”
Isn’t she gorgeous?! She turned out very different than I had imagined, but I love her rustic outcome. And because I love her so much, I am selling her. She deserves so much better than the abuse she would receive from my kids. The link on Craigslist will be at the bottom… but for now, enjoy her model shots!
WOW that top turned out so stunningly! it’s gorgeous!
Thank you Cassie! It turned out much different than I expected, but i Love it too! 🙂
Leanne
This is beautiful. Good Luck!
Thank you Shirley!
This looks awesome! So professional looking! I love it:0)
thank you Melissa! That’s a huge compliment, considering it was only my third big refinishing project ever! 🙂
Leanne
This turned out so beautiful! I didn’t expect much from the before picture but I must say, you really wowed me. Great job!
LOL Penny! That’s not the first time I’ve heard that! I’m glad I wowed you! 🙂
Leanne
Pretty!
Looks Amazing, I love it!
Thanks!!
Leanne
Hi! Your table is beautiful, but I can’t find the link to Craigslist that you mention, and everything I try just takes me to the “Just Because I Can” website, which has no extra information! Is the table for sale?
Thanks Kate… yes, this was an older posting, things have changed in the meantime – we decided to keep it, we loved it too much! To see an updated post, please visit here: https://becauseithinkican.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/meet-a-table-named-abby/
Leanne
I love the table. It looks like it has some history and I love that! Good job.
That is one stunning table. Thank you for sharing. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
LOVE! I wish I could find one just like her in London!
I’m trying to do this project with my drop leaf. How did you go about finishing the hinge inside of the leaves? I’m afraid if I start to apply the varnish that it will dry and get stuck, not allowing the leaves to move.
Frances, one thing that you could do is cover the hinges with painters tape. That will keep the varnish off.
Lovely table! What kind of glaze did you use on the legs? I am refinishing a table myself and the white legs turned a pinkish color after applying a polyacrylic finish (which I thought you were supposed to use on white paint!). Guess I was wrong. Any advice?
Did you sell this table? I’m asking because I’m in the middle of refinishing an antique drop leaf table too and was trying to figure out about how much to sell it for.
By the way, I forgot to say. You did an amazing job.