The B-Old and Beautiful

Is it ODD that I’m starting my post with an AFTER photo?

I can see how you might think so!

If the table looks familiar, you’ve already met.

I shared this table months ago, stating that I would refinish her and use her for a kitchen island at the cottage…you can see that that did not happen.

My garage is my workshop, and storage facility, and keeper of things not yet found…

I do my messy painting, sanding, Easy-Off “stripping”, (I blush), and general mess-making in the garage. The neighbors have seen it all, they don’t understand any of it, but they still like us!

Please don’t ask me, because I don’t remember where we, or Jon, found this table. I loved that it was pine, blackened with age, and I thought the hardware was copper, which would be so pretty with the pine.

At that time, I photographed the table, made a post about what it “could be,” then waited for more than a month before I actually got around to working on it. By that time, it was so embarrassing, I thought, I can’t even stay on my own schedule!

Never speak of what you’re going to do…. until after you do it.

This is my new motto.

Did I mention that the original plan was to use the table at the lake cottage?

Our cottage kitchen is the size of a small patio, 9’x9′, to be exact. Try as I might, I couldn’t fit the table in, from any angle. Plan B was to put her in the living room/main room next to the kitchen, with a black towel rack on the end facing the kitchen. Maybe casters to raise her up a bit?

Both of those decisions fell flat.

So, back to making her pretty.

I knew that no matter what I did, or where I would put her, use her, I had to refinish the pine first.

I removed the drawer pulls and set them aside. I always tape the tiny screws inside the handles, so I don’t lose them.

I decided to try the Easy-Off method of stripping, I knew it worked, I had used it on a small Singer Sewing machine drawer, just to practice. Practice? Yes, how long would the spray have to stay on the finish, how thick/heavy should the spray be, how long would it take to be effective? Got the answers I needed, now on to a larger piece, the pine table.

It was a hot day, so I pulled the table out of the garage and onto the driveway. I put a tarp under the table and began to spray an even, heavy coat of Easy-Off on the tabletop and table sides. I did the legs after the top was finished. I covered everything with Plastic Wrap, and let the sun warm the spray for an hour. After an hour, the top was black from melted varnish, and I waited another 15 minutes before removing the plastic wrap.

Before I took the plastic wrap off, I pulled the table onto the lawn, so I could use the garden hose to spray it down. The varnish had completely melted, or dissolved, and came off easily with the force of the water. Spots with varnish still remaining, were scrubbed with an old scrub brush. Entirely clean, I was so thrilled!

Next, the legs of the table. They’re completely straight, so easy to scrub or sand if needed.

I boiled the hardware in a pot of boiling water for about 20 minutes. Scrubbed with an old toothbrush, (hope it wasn’t my husband’s!), and this worked. Again, if anything remained, I scrubbed with a stiffer brush, or used sandpaper on the wood.

At this point, the table sat in the sun, on the lawn, until completely dry.

As it dried in the sun, the “finish” of the wood grew lighter and lighter.

I am thrilled with how it turned out, sad I don’t have a kitchen island, but sometimes Plan B stands for Plan Beautiful, my friends!

One more after photo…

This was a quick, fun, and worthwhile project, a little DIY with big returns!

I hope you give this a try….

actually, what I really want to say is

You should try this, and if you do, please send me a quick, Guess What! in the comments!

Let’s talk again soon!

XO,