Bon Appetit! A Kitchen table make-over…

I went to an auction not too long ago and brought home a one-of-a-kind pub table. You know the kind, the one where the leaves are stowed away under the table and you slide them out from each side. It’s a unique design because you have 2 table leaves neatly tucked away but at your ready when you need them.

I have a love-hate relationship with table leaves. They are a genius idea but Where do you store them?  I mean really – it only seems logical that they be stored in a closet and especially makes sense to store them in the Dining Room but have you ever seen a closet in a Dining Room?  Our nearest closet to the dining room is the coat closet where, yes, they have spent some time.  Currently they are stowed away under the guest bed.  (Please leave me a comment. I must know if others store them under their guest bed too.)

This DIY make-over was a no-hiccup, easy process. The table is solid wood which makes it a dream project for me.  My favorite DIYs are solid wood pieces that I can sand down to see the original grain and then work my way back to a new finish whether it’s paint or staining, etc.

Here’s the table before:

My vision was to keep the table top as naked, natural wood with a simple lightly distressed black base.  I wanted to stencil something on the top.  I chose Bon Appetit – fitting for a kitchen table.  Originally I was going to center it but my sister suggested I do something creative like place it in a corner.  Great suggestion!  It adds just the right touch.

Here’s the table after:

Here’s my quick-no-hiccup process:

Step 1.  A little sanding with my handy electric orbital sander, Lucille.  I was able to sand down to the naked wood in about an hour.  Main focus is on the table top while the base of table just lightly sanded since I plan to paint it black.

Peddler Tip:  Know your sander – Orbital sanders have a square pad and vibrate in tiny circles (orbits).  Random-orbit sanders have a round pad and vibrate in tiny circles but also spin in circles at the same time.

Step 2.  Paint base with flat black paint.  Let dry.  Then sand high points for light distressing.
Step 3.  Stencil ‘Bon Appetit’.  Sand it out because I put it in the wrong place. Stencil ‘Bon Appetit’ again (in the right place).
Step 4.  Apply Polyurethane (Clear, Satin finish) to table top.  Kitchen tables are high traffic areas so I did 4 coats of poly to ensure it was well protected and durable.
Step 5.  Apply protective coating on base of table.  I used matte finish polyurethane – also 4 coats.  You could use furniture wax too but the table is going in the kitchen which could get warm while cooking (especially think during the holidays!) – furniture wax can melt and eventually will need to be re-applied and buffed.

Peddler FYI – Polyurethane comes in a matte finish but it is not widely sold.  The closest store I could find a matte finish was in Georgia, US (and I’m in NC, US).  I ordered 12 quarts of Minwax polyuerthane matte finish online from Home Depot.  You can really tell the difference than if I’d gone with a Satin polyurethane.  Satin has a slight sheen while Matte is completely flat with no sheen. The matte finish gives a relaxed feel to the distressed look.

Happy DIYing.

I want to thank you for following my blog.  If you are within the Raleigh, NC area The Urban Peddler will be at the NC State Fairgrounds (Flea Market) on Saturday, 29 March.  This ‘Bon Appetit’ table will be one of the many Peddler DIY and Peddler Finds for sale.  I hope to see you there.

-the urban peddler-