So - we had this old kitchen table, a favorite and the perfect size for our little kitchen, but not very pretty:
The idea was to sand it smooth, apply stain, and put a checkerboard in the middle.
This is a board from a chess set we have at the house. I used it to mark off the squares.
I applied blue stain around the checkerboard, then masked off the checkerboard lines and painted them black. This was done in two steps - first vertical, and then horizontal - with plenty of dry time between so nothing got smudged. I used my artist's paint in the tube and a very small brush to make the lines. Here's the result:
We had a pretty Wedgwood blue in the garage - a can of "Oops!" paint, Caroline calls it, that she picked up really cheap at Home Depot. The color is perfect for our kitchen. As you may have noticed, the blue stain did not work out. Probably because of the age of the table and various things spilled on it over the years, the stain didn't take evenly, even though I sanded it very thoroughly!
All the blue squares done, and some of the white. I spent a lot of time on the squares, with a very small brush, but it was helpful that I had done the black first. (Mother always told us, "Outline the space you are coloring and then fill it in." We were good colorers in elementary school.)
And here's the finished product. I painted around the checkerboard with the same Wedgwood blue, because that stain just wasn't working. And I sanded and stained with a natural wood stain the rim around the table.
I will finish with 3 coats of clear polyurethane, satin. The legs need cleaned up, stained and varnished. I'll do that last.
Now, we're looking for the perfect chairs to go with our table. They have to be small, light and strong. Oh, and cheap also!
This was fun to do, and pretty simple. I would advise anyone who needs to brighten up their space to grab a can of paint and go at it!
Years ago, in the middle of the winter in Pennsylvania, I came across some bright yellow "Oops!" paint and I soon had a sunny bathroom! The parts I couldn't paint got sparkly contact paper.
So I hope you're having a wonderful day, and if it needs some brightening up get a can of paint!
The idea was to sand it smooth, apply stain, and put a checkerboard in the middle.
This is a board from a chess set we have at the house. I used it to mark off the squares.
I applied blue stain around the checkerboard, then masked off the checkerboard lines and painted them black. This was done in two steps - first vertical, and then horizontal - with plenty of dry time between so nothing got smudged. I used my artist's paint in the tube and a very small brush to make the lines. Here's the result:
We had a pretty Wedgwood blue in the garage - a can of "Oops!" paint, Caroline calls it, that she picked up really cheap at Home Depot. The color is perfect for our kitchen. As you may have noticed, the blue stain did not work out. Probably because of the age of the table and various things spilled on it over the years, the stain didn't take evenly, even though I sanded it very thoroughly!
All the blue squares done, and some of the white. I spent a lot of time on the squares, with a very small brush, but it was helpful that I had done the black first. (Mother always told us, "Outline the space you are coloring and then fill it in." We were good colorers in elementary school.)
And here's the finished product. I painted around the checkerboard with the same Wedgwood blue, because that stain just wasn't working. And I sanded and stained with a natural wood stain the rim around the table.
I will finish with 3 coats of clear polyurethane, satin. The legs need cleaned up, stained and varnished. I'll do that last.
Now, we're looking for the perfect chairs to go with our table. They have to be small, light and strong. Oh, and cheap also!
This was fun to do, and pretty simple. I would advise anyone who needs to brighten up their space to grab a can of paint and go at it!
Years ago, in the middle of the winter in Pennsylvania, I came across some bright yellow "Oops!" paint and I soon had a sunny bathroom! The parts I couldn't paint got sparkly contact paper.
So I hope you're having a wonderful day, and if it needs some brightening up get a can of paint!
7 comments:
Oh my gosh! I LOVE this table! Your home is just becoming this sweet happy place. So, have you made the checkers? I painted a smaller table with a checkerboard in the middle for the coffee house. Then, Roy cut a dowel in slices and we made checkers. They were kept in a small fabric bag on a hook under the table. Very cool!
Jude *
Yes, we will be making checkers from a dowel. Caroline was shopping online for chairs and found some nice ones. The style is "navy chairs."
Nice table mom. Too bad the darker blue didn't work out, but this works well too.
Paul
What are navy chairs? Is that color or style?
Caroline tells me it's the style. They have average size seets, no arms, smallish backs - all so they fit well on a ship, I guess. I'll look for a link and a picture for you. They apparently come in all colors and are usually plastic or metal.
Oh, btw, your process photos are terrific!
Jude
So easy on the eyes. Don't you feel great when you've transformed something?! It's really a special table now. I was just picturing painted 'rings' at the 'knee' of each leg. ... maybe narrow black line ... then blue on the 'ball' of that knee ... then another narrow black stripe to edge the blue. Of course I would leave the rest of each leg as it is, natural wood.
Oh, will you be adding a little paint to the chairs? They could each be a little different ... just for fun!
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