Renovating a stained/varnished table.

This was and still is one of my favourite projects. One - because it's gorgeous, two - because it's in constant use and three - because it was one of the few times I actually spent what I would consider to be a lot of money on a piece. 

When I say a lot of money, maybe not so much by other people's standards. It's an eight seater dining table, but I only purchased four chairs as there are just the three of us. The table itself cost £75 and the chairs were thrown in for an extra thirty by a local second hand dealer called Steptoe's. If you're in the Exeter area and you live for junk, pop down and pay them a visit on Marsh Barton Industrial Estate. They specialise in house clearance and reclamation from the local tip, so you find a delightfully eclectic hodgepodge of absolute treasure. From stained glass panels to antique commodes, Steptoe's has it all. I keep popping in and pining after a particular Art Deco mantelpiece, but alas, I have no fire with which to adorn one and I can't think of a good enough reason to have one anywhere else. If you can think of a good enough reason, please feel free to leave a comment and tell me how I can get away with it ;-)

Already I had £105 invested in this particular venture and the costs would just increase when paint, varnish, handles and sandpaper were thrown in, but I figured that this one was worth it since it would be such a prominent (and hopefully permanent) feature in the kitchen. 

That's me cutting sandpaper at the table, ready for Poppy to jump in with the big guns :-) The lighter section of table top has already been sanded back in this picture and looks far better for it. 

The table itself was a bit of a wreck. As you can see, dark brown matt stain was complemented nicely by rather large scratches down each one of the legs. It looked as though the table's last home had been inhabited by a cat without a scratch post, so it just sharpened its claws on any available and likely looking surface.

As you can guess, the sanding had to be pretty heavy handed to take out the deep welts left in the surface of the legs and tabletop by the somewhat over zealous feline, but I wasn't after a perfectly smooth finish, so it just needed to be level enough not to offer splinters to any unsuspecting limb. Personally, my tastes lean towards a slightly rustic look. I like scarred wood with dints and divots. I think it all adds character and makes the furniture look more real somehow. My favourite has to be old woodworm trails. Mmmm, they're loooovely :-) 

This set was never designed to be flawless, but rather more shabby, with the intention of allowing a soft paint finish to age and deteriorate over a short period of time and yield into a distressed look through hard use. Poppy spent a good hour with the sander in hand and I had to stop her from obsessing about taking out all of the imperfections - she seems to think that they reflect badly on her work. They don't, I like them! 

Here we have some residual cat scratches in the surface of the table which really bothered Poppy, but I liked them, so they stayed! 

With the surfaces clean, clear and ready for a finish, we pulled out a trusty can of Ronseal Diamond Hard Matt Varnish for the top of the table. I really rate this product. I've managed to clean permanent pen off the surface without causing harm to the finish - boo yah! This stuff goes on easily, dries quickly and washes out of your tools with warm water. That's my kind of product. It doesn't offer a truly matt finish, but it's certainly not a glossy one.

For the legs, I used a white oil based undercoat, just an own brand one from Wickes. Oil base was chosen because it would not allow the acrylic top coats to adhere too efficiently, so they would slowly wear away over time revealing a white finish and wood underneath. Two coats of the undercoat with a decent dry time in between, followed by two coats of Craig and Rose 1829 acrylic in Morris Blue. 

The two small drawers either side of the tabletop were finished with new cut glass handles from B&Q. They never really see the light of day as they sit beneath my eyeline, but I know that they're there and I think they're a nice touch. I also lined the drawers with some pretty paper from the local florist, but that was just me being fanciful.

 

This table has been in use for over a year now, is distressing nicely along the legs, but maintains a good sound surface on the top. I have yet to find a substance which can't be removed from the Diamond Hard. I've even left accidental splodges of gloss on there when working on other projects, but if you give it some beans, all stains will come off.

I love this table. It makes me smile. It's usually covered in clutter and tools and nonsense, but when it's clear it's a beautiful addition to the room.