There once was a pine trestle table. A young couple bought it and was so proud of their first “real” piece of furniture for their place together. It was the kitchen table for years, and was the center of many cups of coffee, family meals, homework and craft projects. Eventually the table was looking a little tired, so it was stored in the basement and used as a project table for the kids. They colored on it, and carved their initials in it.
The kids grew up and moved out, and had families of their own, the table was forgotten and used as a place to stack boxes. The couple started cleaning out their house and downsizing, getting ready to move again one day themselves. They just wanted to give the table away, hoping someone still had a use for it.
That’s when I picked it up. Time to give this table some new life.
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The table started with a really good sanding (those initials were hard to get out!). If it’s a solid table like this, I go to town with 80 grit sandpaper and my pad sander. I’ve been trying a new technique to raise the grain a bit with a wire brush. After sanding I just scrubbed the table with the wire brush which gives a bit of texture and a rustic touch. I’ll do a full tutorial on that soon…
I then stained the table top with Minwax Early American. I started sealing it with General Finishes High Performance Top Coat (in Satin) when I decided it was a little too yellow. So I let the first coat dry and went back over the table with Van Dyke Brown Glaze Effects. It warmed up the color and gave it more of a brown undertone I wanted. I then proceeded sealing it with 2 more coats of High Performance Top Coat.
If you’d like to see a more in depth tutorial of my wood staining process, check it out here!
I wanted the base to be pretty classic and neutral, so I painted it in Lamp Black Milk Paint. And distressed all the edges. That way when feet rest on those legs it won’t scratch off all the paint.
This humble pine table has now been brought back to it’s full potential and is ready for a new family to live with! Don’t you love a good redemption story?
Parts of this story were true and parts were filled in with my imagination of where this table has been and where it’s headed next.
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Blessings!
Jenni
