Free dining table redo

I love being able to spend a few hours (not including drying or time between coats) on something and have a seemingly new piece of furniture on my hands.  Meet our table. It hasn't always looked so dashing.. :)

I'm disappointed because I can't find a before pic ANYWHERE of our table.... I did this before we had our digital camera and before I really started taking too many pictures of everything we do...
But, here is as close as I can find for a before.....

No, it isn't exact, but it is all I can find. (sigh) The table was about this shade with the legs and top the same color.

My mother in law wanted a smaller, round table when we moved into our house. She wanted rid of this larger, rectangle table which happened to fit PERFECTLY in our living room/dining room. I'll RARELY pass up anything that is free, so to our house it came. (ok, truth be told. I won't pass up something free, even if isn't nice like this table already was)

Eventually, I stripped the top and sanded it down. I made sure to sand the edges good so the stain might soak in a little more. I stained it a nice deeper color and varnished the top.

 

I had already removed the legs, so I spray painted them satin black. I also painted the underside of the table. I did this part after I had stripped it, but before I stained it... just in case. I tend to be messy.

The table top, which isn't being all too photogenic today, did some really interesting things. At first, the perfectionist in me was irritated at the darker lines that went perpendicular to the grain. Then, I realized how much better it was with them. I like that it isn't "prefect" and shows a lot of shades of the stain. It also shows the wear of my husband and his two sisters sitting here for meals growing up. I LOVE a piece with some history.

The weird "crop circle at the bottom is the reflection of the chandelier, by the way :) not some extra "character".

The chairs were also a redo, but I'll save them for another day. I KNOW I have some before pics of them around here somewhere. 

I am really happy with how it turned out. It changed the whole table for only the cost of the stain, finish, and paint. And, since I only used a little of each, I was able to help my stockpile get some inventory!

 

I'm a bit disappointed with my pics... but there is 5 inches of snow outside reflecting away. It's a bit bright in here today :).

This post is linked at MissMustardSeed's Furniture Feature.
Domestically Speaking