A bit of background.... I tend to be very practical. Sometimes to a fault. (I'm also very detail orientated, so my blog posts tend to have lots of info and tips)
We tend to move often and get rid of a lot of stuff in each move. So, we got rid of our dining table and were living in an apartment before finding our current house. We had a simple, small table. But, when we moved into our house we couldn't have friends over because the table was too small. Thus, my practical side wanted a new table. But, it takes me forever to decide on what I want. Knowing myself, it was going to take too long to figure out my perfect dining table and we needed something in the short term.
So I asked friends if anyone had a large table they were getting rid. Thus... for free... we ended up with this table..... It was really beat up and the top was a very pale pine color, but it came with a leaf and could sit at least 6, which was much better than the 4 seater we had. Here's what it looked like without the leaf.
I wanted it to match our decor so I did what any smart person does and ask someone who knows about design. Tricia told me the top needed to be a dark ash color and the base needed to be black. Great!!! I can do that. The top is flat with a slightly curved edge so sanding it would be easy.
You never want to sand something that has groves because you will go insane before the project is done. But, you have to sand down the top to remove any imperfections (like gouges and stains). Always do this with the leaf in the table! Otherwise you will have uneven heights and could possibly take off the sharp top edge of the leaves, causing the table to have a grove in it where the leaves touch!! Note: I checked to make sure it was solid wood so there was no worry about how far down I sanded it.
I have a little electric palm sander. Just wear a mask and do it outside so you don't have a cloud of dust to clean up. Use a medium grit sandpaper, like 100 and sand it. Always go with the grain of the wood so you don't have swirl marks from the sander. Don't move it in circles! In this case that meant going back and forth across the table. It took me about 3 passes. Wipe your had across the table and dust it to see if you need sand more. It will turn white as the varnish comes off. Then take a fine grit, 200, sand paper and go over it several more times. This makes the top very smooth. Make sure you do the curved edge too.
Spread the table apart and wipe with a slightly damp rag, including the edge of the leaves. Look for any swirl marks in the damp wood and resand if needed. Let the table dry and put it into your garage for the next part. (Yes, you have to kick the cars out for a few days ) That was all I did for the first day. With 3 kids I was pretty sure someone needed something by now.
For the next part you can do the bottom first or the top. It doesn't matter as long as one is dry before you do the other.
There is a bit of money to invest in an excellent paint and stain. (But at the end I'll tell you how I did it for free) If you have kids and they kick the table, run toys into it or on top of it, you will be mad if the table chips. Spend a few extra dollars on decent products! You will have plenty left over for other projects. I've done 3 tables with this set of products and used less than half of each.
1 8oz can Minwax stain. You can get it from any hardware store. It is an 8 oz yellow can. The cost is usually about $4.50. I chose Early American and Provincial and English Chestnut because I didn't know which would give me the color I wanted.
I flipped over one leaf to the underside and applied all 3 stains. Apply 3 coats and let it dry. Then take it into where it will live (in this case our dining room) and see what you think of the color. You can also combine colors by doing a different stain with each coat. In the end I chose Provincial. The oak of the table had a natural red color and the Provincial did a good job of toning that down.
Making sure the table top is spread apart or even better, put the leaves on a separate stand. Make sure all tops are clean and dry. Wear gloves!! Gently swirl the can (with the lid ON) to mix the stain. Don't shake it or else you will get bubbles. Take an old rag with NO lint, ball it up and dip it into the stain. Just dip a corner to get you started. You will soon figure out how much of the rag to dip in. Wipe it with the grain across the table. Be careful of drips! The first pass will be a bit scary and ugly. It's OK!!! Don't put on too much. There shouldn't be any puddles. When you are finished the part you started with should almost be dry. Make sure you applied it over the edge too. Go back to the beginning and do anther pass. Now the color will even out and you'll have a bit more confidence. Note that each pass will require less stain and will take longer to dry. Usually you need 3-4 coats to get an even color. Between coats put your rag on a paper plate to dry on the garage floor with a bag under it to prevent staining the garage. Stain is flammable so don't leave the rag balled up and keep the plate away from everything else. Reuse the same rag for each coat of stain. If you see a swirl mark from your sanding, don't worry, most will tone down with each coat of stain as the surrounding wood gets darker. If not, you can say 'I did this table, see my mark!!' Trust me... people will be impressed!!
At this point I stopped for the day. It is important to let the last coat of stain dry completely per the can instructions.
Make sure the table is clean and dry before the next step.
1 QT of Minwax water based Polycrylic. The cost is about $17. Yes it is pricy, but will last a very long time! I've had the same can for over 2 years. I prefer the satin, but it also comes in other shines. Note... the glossier the finish the more durable the finish.
You need a basic painting brush. Don't get one so wide it won't fit into the can. Don't use a foam brush because it creates bubbles. Most will pop, but if your climate is exceptionally dry you run the risk of having bubbles as it drys too fast.
The Polycrylic is very watery. Just dip your brush in and brush it with the grain. Be careful of drips! It is self-leveling. This means your brush strokes will disappear. I've even used it vertically on cabinets and it doesn't drip. Just don't use too much. Again, buy the time you brush the entire surface.. .go slow don't rush... where you started should almost be dry. If you do have a puddle you can brush through it if it is still wet. But, if not, let it dry. Your finish will be fine!
Now, since this is a kitchen table it gets a lot of wear! So I put on 3 coats. Each coat will take longer and longer to dry. Read the instructions on the can!
Let this dry! Again this was a stopping point for the day.
Next was the bottom. I put a piece of cardboard on a furniture moving dolly. (This is basically a board with wheels. I love it. It moves things around with ease!) Flip the table upside down and protect the top.
1 can (32 oz) Rust-oleum Painters Touch. This is a fantastic paint. It is very durable. Especially for a kitchen table! The cost is approximately $8. I used Semi-gloss because of it's durability. I prefer satin, but I wanted the extra durability and it is under the table. And as you can see below, it really wasn't too shiny.
Make sure the table is clean of all oils so your new paint will stick. If your table has a high gloss paint on it, you need to break through that gloss with sandpaper. You don't need a sander. Just do it by hand. Your goal is to scratch the paint. Use 80 or 100 grit. Sand all parts of the table. I recommend this even if you don't have a high gloss paint on it. For all your time and effort you don't want any chance your paint will peel off. This step doesn't take much time.
Wipe it down with a damp rag to remove all dust.
Using any brush you want, paint the base. This paint is very durable, but it does take 3 coats. The first coat will go on like water and be very thin. You need to realize this is building the base for the other 2 coats to go on top. The thickness doesn't matter. Thin is good!! Let it dry according to the can. The next coat will be thicker. With the 3rd coat the table should have a nice rich paint color with great coverage. Feel free to touch up any spots. Let it dry.
My husband was thrilled with the results. It is a beautiful table and I did it all by myself!!! Here is a photo with our little chairs from our old table. With 2 kids the table held up beautifully. From Play Doh, to wine spills to crayons. There wasn't a mark on it 12 months later.....
Can you guess what happened 12 months later when I found my dream table? Yes, we sold it at our garage sale. Here it is sitting outside. There isn't a price tag on it because it sold and I snapped a couple of photos before the happy buyers put it into their truck. Notice the nice dark ash colored top and how the grain really came out with the stain! I loved it!!
So, let's do the math:
$Free. Cost of table
$4.50 x 3 cans of stain (because I couldn't figure out which I wanted)
$17 for Polycrylic top coat
$ 8 for can black paint
Total: $39.50 plus tax and my time
Table sold for $60 at our yard sale. Plus I have plenty of each of my supplies left for many many more projects.
Now I have $20 in my pocket, all the knowledge I learned from this project and the supplies to do the next project. PLUS... I'm really proud of myself for this project I tackled!
Wait till you see what I did with my new-found bravery and my supplies!!! I'll be putting those up in the coming weeks!!
The top one is an antique library table. The top is ruined, but wait till I show you what I'm going to do with it! It will be a future blog post.
This is a TV cabinet. There was nothing wrong with it The people just didn't want it anymore. It holds our treasures from our travels as well as blankets for curling up on our couch. The large flat drawers hold big sheets of paper for the kids to do crafts. It is a very useful piece of furniture! 
-Ever notice those strip malls that constantly have businesses move in and out? Drive by one when a business is leaving and go around back. Drive by the dumpster. What do you think these spa's and restaurants do with everything in the space when they leave? Or when a new place moves in, they remodel and throw out all of the old decorations. About 6 months ago a place next-door to our gym was leaving. It was a spa. I happen to drive behind the building and there next to the dumpster was this.... Yes a huge ironwork. It was fun getting it into my car, but I wasn't going to leave it behind. I made sure the photo had the double doors in it so you can see how huge it is. (And yes, I have huge trees in my house as well)
-Does your neighborhood have a community yard sale? Go around with flyers and give them to each person having the yard sale who has stuff you might want. It's OK to be picky. The flyers can advertise that for free you will take all of the items they have left to the local charity or the transfer station. (For us, we are allowed 2 trips per month to our local transfer station.) You would be surprised to find out that many people just throw everything away. They have worked so hard on the yard sale they don't want to haul it away. You can take the clothes to a charity and the larger items to the transfer station. (aka the dump) You will put in some sweat, but your neighbors will appreciate it and you can ask them if they mind if you take a few things to keep. This nice little pillar was such a find. It looks great now with a can of free spray paint from our local environmental center. (Normally a large potted plant sits on it.)
