Let me just start by saying this project took way too long.
In the hustle of moving back in July 2013 my parents had this pastel colored play table by Kid Craft. I believe it was the store's floor model and it's been sitting in their garage for the last few years collecting dust. We knew it would be great to hold on to so we could use it for Kensi. It is a cute little table and looks like something from Pottery Barn Kids. I’m not a fan of the colors or the chair design, but it was free and with a little TLC I can make it our own.
I really love the Two Toned Teak Play Chair from The Land of Nod. When I mean love, I love the combination of the stain and paint, along with the design of the chair. So, the Two Toned Teak Play Chair is my inspiration for our play table makeover.
Mike was so sweet and surprised me with an electric sander a couple months after we moved into the house since we had no tools of our own and we had to slowly build our stash. While Mike had a few days off awhile back I went at the table with the sander and completely dustied {is that a word??} up our garage. There was so much paint on those chairs and table, it was insane. After spending several hours taking off the paint {I should have stripped it} we went and bought a Dremel. Oh. My. Word. This is such a blessing! If you don’t have one and plan on refinishing different furniture pieces, invest in one. You have to have a very gentle touch because it will take off more than intended if you’re not careful. But this made this project so much easier!
After finally sanding down each chair and the table, this is was I had.
So much better already! The wood used on the seat and the decorative back is just cheap plywood so these will be the pieces that get painted. But the legs and the rest of the back are actually white pine, which makes it perfect for staining. It amazes me every time the possibilities of a piece of furniture once you bring it back to its bare bones.
The first coat of stain showed me every spot I didn't sand well enough. If there's any paint left on the wood, the stain will not take. It's more work, but this is when you need to sand everything down again. Because there was so much paint especially in the corners and it was nearly impossible to remove it, I used a nail file and it did the trick. At this point I knew I was on the verge of insanity. A nail file? Really?
On to our colors...I love dark dark, almost black stains, but with Mike’s help we went with Dark Walnut instead of Kona {my go to dark color}. As for paint, we chose white to keep it neutral, especially since this table will float around the house. It also allows us to decorate with pops of color throughout the room. My sister Trish recommended using trim paint because it has a harder coating. After talking to the paint dude at the store, trim paint is a semi-gloss finish. We used Glidden's Antique White color {same color as her dresser}, but had them make it with Behr because it is a much better quality of paint.
Photo updated in 2015
I’m very pleased with how it turned out minus the craft paper on the top, a little art project was taking place. We plan on using this set in the play room and most likely will float it around to the kitchen when needed. What a transformation!
XOXO
Post a Comment