A couple of weeks ago I sanded and painted the old dining room table top and last Sunday I stenciled and recovered the chairs. I had already refinished the chairs a few years ago.
The top of the table was shot...someone had spilled something on it that ate through the finish and soaked into the wood...my guess is nail polish remover. I tried to sand it out but it was a lost cause. Seeing as the table was a tiny bit warped and had a lot of small dents I decided the next best thing was to paint it white and sand the edges to look worn. If I don't like how it turns out I can look for a 'new' old table.
I really wasn't sure if I would like it and I didn't want to paint the base because it is in good condition.
I LOVE IT!
And I still love my fresh grapefruit centerpiece!
(Over in the left corner is an old aqua ice cream maker I scored on for cheap and boxes of cork tiles for the kitchen floor, to the right the chest that does not belong there!)
There is still a lot to do in the dining room.
I have a large antique two toned wood buffet back in Minnesota that will be travelling with me next winter. It will be placed on the far wall under the Maplewood sign (I'll probably look for a western print instead of the sign but it's such a huge wall and so bare I just had to hang something there).
I'm going for a Rustic Western Shabby Chic look, is there such a thing???
To the left of the buffet will be my mom's china cabinet, from the early 70's and has that glity gold finish. It has a nice shape and I'll paint it white and shabby it up.
On the right side of the buffet (where the dark chest of drawers is and shouldn't be) will be my antique medicine cabinet which is white but a little rust is showing...I think it will all go together nicely.
And for a little whimsy I stenciled The 2 Bit Ranch, one word on each chair and each word in a different spot on the chair.
I used a canvas drop cloth from Lowe's for the seats.
For you younger bloggers out there, "2 bits" was a way to say .25 cents years ago (back when a quarter was worth something) my dad used to say it all the time.
This area was ranch country and there still are cattle here but not like years ago.
The ranches were called Empire Ranch, which grew to one million acres by 1906! There was Ranch Del Lago, X-9 Ranch, Beach Ranch, Leon Ranch, Shaw's Ranch and La Posta Quemada Ranch. This house is not a southwestern design but we can sure make it look like an old ranch house on the outside.
Eventually we'll put down wood floors (hopefully plywood cut into wide planks)
I think I'd like to try my hand at a painted canvas floor cloth under the table, I've always wanted to do that.
For now and the next year or two I have the least expensive carpet I could find at Home Depot. I bought an 11' x 12' piece of brown indoor outdoor carpet, I cut an 8" x 8" square for underneath the table and used the rest as runners. It will do until we put down the wood plank floors.
Next winter my plan is to completely paint everything, ceilings and walls, then I can spill and drip and not worry. This winter my main goal was to get that old carpet out! Next winter Mr. Wild will redo the master bath (the 2nd bathroom needs it too but that will have to wait one more winter). Then he also has some work to do on the back porch.
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I found this vintage wood sign at 22nd Street Antiques in Tucson. It's large and heavy! It measures 36" x 27" and is hand painted on both sides. They tell me it came from a camp in Ohio.
I couldn't resist it!
I think it's one of my all time favorite finds!
The color scheme I want to go with in this room,
warm gold, brown and creamy whites.
The woven wool runner is from Oaxaca Mexico and will be the runner on the buffet.
And here is the only before picture of the table. You all know what an old dark oak table looks like anyway.
This is after 2 coats of Behr's Table Linen.
I made my own chalk paint using the Plaster of Paris.
As you can see the ugly old carpet is still in place.
I tore out all of it and removed a ton of staples and carpet tacking but left this piece to use as a drop cloth. I was so glad when that last piece of carpet finally went into the trash!!!
After the sanding
I mix a small amount of Plaster of Paris with water in a container. The Plaster of Paris doesn't really dissolve but you can feel it sort of incorporate with the water. I then put what I think will be enough paint for my project into another container and add a little of the Plaster of Paris mixture while stirring until I get the right consistency.
No, I never measure, not even when I'm cooking and Mr. Wild gets so frustrated with me because I never keep a record.
But there are lot of blogs that have more detailed directions.
I've been using Minwax Finishing Wax for years and it leaves an awesome finish on painted wood. I set the can in the sun for just a little while to soften it a bit.
I rub it on the painted surface with a clean cloth and make sure everything is well covered. Let it dry a few minutes and then buff it with a clean soft cloth. It somehow soaks into the paint and gives it a good hard finish that can be scrubbed and won't stain. I love this stuff and I use it on almost everything I paint.
As for the stenciling I chose a a rich brown paint by Martha Stewart called Vanilla Bean. I couldn't find her Textile Medium so I bought Delta brand.
I followed the directions on the Textile Medium bottle.
I cut a larger piece of canvas (washed and dried of course) I then wrapped it around the seat and placed a strip of 3M Blue Painters Tape where I wanted the letters to be placed.
After I finished the stenciling I let it dry, then heat set it with a hot iron and a pressing cloth between the iron and the stenciled letters for about 20 seconds.
After I covered each seat I sprayed a coat of 3M Scotchguard to protect them from dirt.
There is a great tutorial by Deborah from Green Willow Pond on recovering a seat
HERE.
The under side of mine do NOT look as neat as hers do!!!!
And that's it until next winter for the dining room!
Soooo much to do and time is going way too fast...it's almost the end of March already!!!
And too soon it will be time to head north...hummmmm...not sure about that!
I'm feeling pretty comfy here!
Thanks for stopping by!
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