Kitchen Table Makeover

My husband had built the table out of real old hardwood boards, which gave it some rustic charm. The table has been a feature piece of the kitchen since he built it two years ago. The hardwood boards on our table were the original color with such amazing antique markings, and dings. But we were ready for a change in the colour of the table.

• I started by commissioning my husband to strip the boards of their color. He took our nifty belt sander to it, and the color came off quite easy. Thankfully…

• After the color was removed, we took some medium grit sandpaper to smooth off any rough edges of the wood. I’m not a fan of slivers in my hands.

• We found it hard to find a stain that we liked so we mixed up our own custom stain. We mixed together Varathane Gel stain (special walnut) and Saman black wood stain. We added a few drops of the Saman wood stain to blacken the special walnut stain. This mixture worked out to be just what we needed. Plus, these are the stains we had from another project awhile back, so the project didn’t cost me anything this time around. That makes Jodi HAPPY!!!!

• I applied the stain in the direction of the grain of the wood. I applied 2 coats.

After the stain was completely dry I applied my first coat of Varathane wood finish with a cloth.

I waited roughly an hour between coats of Varathane. I applied 4 individual layers of the sealant. I will mention before my last coat of Varathane, I gave the boards a light sand with a 600 grit sandpaper. This ensures that my final surface is smooth as can be. After my last coat of Varathane was dry I gave the boards a final light sanding to completely smooth out the surface. Using a fine grit sandpaper is more like polishing, and less like sanding as you normally know it.

This is the close up of the wood surface after I was completely done. I love all the nicks, dents, and antique markings of this table. I wonder what building this wood came from originally?  There must be a great story.

I am so happy with the final results. This project didn’t take that long to accomplish, and the work that was put in was so worth it!

Another Great DIY job on a budget. I’ll show you the final reveal of the table and my kitchen tomorrow.