Farmhouse Table from Consignment Store Find-- with Tutorial

You may remember my Ballard Designs Messina faux zinc table knock off. We used it for our dining table for two years and it was great. However, it could only accommodate 6 people and we ended up getting upwards of 12 people on the holidays. I started thinking about getting a bigger table, but something with leaves so it wouldn't take up too much space on a regular basis, but would be expandable when we had a crowd. Also, I was loving the farmhouse table look and wanted to go in that direction.

I found a great table at a consignment shop a few months ago. It was solid oak and had 4 leaves! The lines were perfect, but the finish? Not so much.

I was actually thinking of something more like this:

Houzz Cottage Extension Dining Table

So I came up with a plan to turn my consignment shop find into my vision of a farmhouse table. And here's the result! 

 

 

 

I achieved this look by stripping, sanding, and white washing the top. The legs and apron were then painted with Annie Sloan Old White washed with Paris Gray and lightly distressed. It was a fun project and I'm so happy with the results!

If you're interested in trying something like this, here's what how I did it:

Materials:

Citristrip or another stripper
Mineral spirits
Cheap paintbrush for stripper
Plastic scraper
Empty aluminum can from the recycling bin
Plastic cup and spoon
Chemical resistant gloves (the regular kind will melt which I found out the hard way...)
Steel wool
Sandpaper or electric sander
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White and Paris Gray
Good paint brushes for paint
Rags or paper towels
Clear wax

Tip: If your table has leaves, insert them before starting. That way your whole surface will be uniform.

Step 1: Strip the table top

• Using the cheap brush and wearing gloves, apply a thick layer of stripper. Now go and have an iced latte for about 45 minutes. 
• Next, take the scraper and test a small area of the finish. If it doesn't scrape off easily, go have another latte. If it comes off, use the scraper, always going in the direction of the wood grain, and scrape off all the finish which will now be in the form of a disgusting-looking brown goo. The goo goes in the empty can. 
• When you have finished scraping, go over any stubborn spots with steel wool dipped in stripper. 
• Then take a paper towel or rag and pour some mineral spirits on it. Use this to carefully wipe down every inch of the table surface. Let dry.
• Use the sander to remove any remaining traces of stain. Keep going until the table top is light enough for your liking.

Step 2: Finish the table top

•  Put about a cup of water into a plastic cup. Then add a spoonful or two of Annie Sloan Old White to make your white wash. Mix well.
• Now, working in sections and going in the direction of the wood grain, apply the white wash and then immediately wipe with paper towels. Less is more. You can always do another coat if it's not white enough for you. Let dry.
• Go over the table top with your sander. This will really bring out the depth of the surface.
• Finally, finish with 2 coats of clear wax. (Note: you could also use satin finish wipe on poly if you prefer).

Step 3: Paint and distress the apron and legs.

• Clean all surfaces with a damp paper towel to remove all dust.
• Using Old White full strength, paint two coats on the table apron and legs.
• Put some Paris Gray in a plastic cup and then add water to thin it. It should be about 1 part paint to 1 part water.
• Apply the gray wash to the apron and legs and wipe off as you go. Let it really settle into any crevices or details to emphasize them. Let dry.
•  Using sand paper, distress to your liking. I used a light distressing on this piece--just hitting the high points and knocking down the edges.
• Finish with a coat of clear wax.

 Done!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and feel inspired to tackle a find of your own.

Ikea Kitchen Island Hack

Hello all!

I'm going to start sharing some DIY projects I completed along with the complete tutorials. First off, my Ikea Kitchen Stenstorp Island Hack.

So here's what I started with:

This is a great piece as is - roomy stainless steel lined shelves, solid oak top, and room to pull up two counter-height stools.

And here's how it Looked in my kitchen:




Nice, right? But there was one thing that really bugged me. Anyone walking by the kitchen (which you have to do to get to the rest of the house) could see all the junk I had crammed on the shelves. It actually does not look too bad in this picture. I took this before I really started to fill things up ... I also wanted it to look a little more permanent and custom. So I came up with a plan to hack it:

Not a big change, right? But I think it looks more finished and it hides all the stuff on the shelves. Here's the back view. You can see how much stuff it holds. I use it for my small appliances and dog food.





The hack itself was very simple. I used some of the beadboard That was left over from when we did the walls. I cut it to size and attached it to the existing frame with my nail gun and some liquid nails. To finish it off I added a small piece of molding along the bottom edge. Both the beadboard and the molding fit in between the legs so it looks like it was always meant to be there. Finally I caulked the edges and the nail holes. I also ended up staining the top to match the countertops - See tutorial here.



We use the island all the time. Besides storage, it provides extra prep space, a place to lay out a buffet, and it's my favorite spot to eat breakfast.

Here's the details on everything I used:
Island: Ikea Stenstorp ($ 399)
Counter stools: Ikea Ingolf ($ 59)
Beadboard, molding, liquid nails: Home Depot (under $ 20 total)
Placemats: Simple Pleasures, Charlestown RI ($ 5 each)
Fish plates: Johnson Bros. (Purchased on eBay)
White plates: Pottery Barn (at least 25 years old)
Candle holder: Target from a few years ago
Flatware: Yamazaki Gone Fishin '(available on Amazon and Bed, Bath, & Beyond)

Thanks for stopping by!

The Renovation Report: Coastal Colors & Flooring

After a very long hiatus, I'm back! The renovation on the beach house is almost complete, so I'll start posting pics and tutorials documenting the entire process. I found that while I was actually in the midst of the renovations, I had no time to post about it. Now that things have settled down, I'd like to get back to it.

Just to recap--this was a complete renovation of a 1600 square foot 3 bedroom 2 bathroom vacation home in South County Rhode Island. The house had been built around 1980 and had never (apparently) been updated. It was complete with the original kitchen with disintegrating cabinets and nonworking appliances, chocolate brown bathtub, original wall-to-wall carpeting, and wallpaper--lots and lots of wallpaper. Step one was getting rid of all the carpeting (including the wall-to-wall in one of the bathrooms) and wallpaper. The next step was choosing the new backgrounds: paint and flooring.

For paint colors, I focused on gray-green-blue colors. Because the house has an open plan, I wanted the colors to flow nicely while still defining individual spaces. The trim was painted white throughout. All of the paint is Benjamin Moore.

1 Palladian Blue (Entry & Mudroom) 2 Gray Owl (Kitchen) 3 Horizon (Great Room) 4 Sea Foam (Downstairs Bedroom & Bath) 5 Super White (Trim) 6 Woodlawn Blue (Master Bedroom) 7 Wickham Gray (Upstairs Bath) 8 November Rain (Upstairs Bedroom)

On to flooring. After considering many different options, I decided to go with a laminate flooring throughout (except the bathrooms and the entryway). Keeping the open plan in mind, I wanted continuity with the flooring. It's also a beach house. I didn't want to have to worry about wood floors getting ruined by sand. I wanted my family and friends (and pets) to be able to kick back and live in the house without anything being too precious or delicate.

The flooring I chose is called Reclaimed Chestnut by Bruce Flooring. It's a a very thick laminate (12mm) and my contractor was amazed at how sturdy it was. He said he tried to bang up a piece of it with a hammer and then a screw driver, and there wasn't a scratch. It's now been installed for almost two years and it looks brand new. In terms of appearance, I wanted something with gray tones to go along with the rest of the color scheme. When I saw it all together, I was thrilled! Here's a sneak peek of the kitchen to give you an idea.

I'll be back soon with before and afters of the entire project.

Craig's List Dining Table & Chairs: Completed Makeover

I realized that I never got around to showing you the finished makeover of my $100 Craig's List dining table and chairs. Here's what I started with:

And here's how it looks now!

Pretty amazing change, right? In previous posts I showed you how I created the faux zinc paint finish for the table top and how I painted and distressed the apron and legs, but I never got around to showing you the chairs.

The chairs were fairly simple. I started by removing the seats. To do this I turned each chair over and removed the four bolts and washers that were holding the seat to the chair.

Wow! Don't you love the original fabric! :-)

Next, I painted the chair frames using the same DIY chalk finish paint I used on the table base. The color is Benjamin Moore "Sleigh Bells".

I used two coats, lightly sanding between coats. After both coats were dry, I used a sanding sponge to distress the frames.

I used indoor-outdoor fabric from Jo-Ann to reupholster the seats. For 6 chairs, you'll need 2 yards of fabric (regardless of width). For 4 chairs, you'll need 1 1/3 yards. I cut the fabric into 24" squares and stapled the new fabric right over the old. You need to pull the fabric taut, but not so tight that it will distort the fabric. Finally, I reattached the seats to the frames using the existing bolts and washers.

Here's how it looks all put together. Yes, those are the subfloors--we're in the middle of a major renovation, so try to ignore the rest of the room!

Not bad for a $100 Craig's List purchase!

                 




© Salt Marsh Cottage 2014

Beach House Kitchen

On to the next challenge--the kitchen. This is a tough one. The current kitchen is...awful. Dark, old, falling apart. There's really nothing good to say about it.

It actually looks worse in person than it does in these photos. When I first saw it, I thought I would paint the cabinets and try to live with it. However, once I took a close look at the cabinets, I realized it wouldn't be worth it. They're in rough shape and the quality wasn't that great to begin. 

Here's more of what I had in mind:

The plan:

It all has to go--new cabinets, appliances, lighting, back splash.

Keep the same basic layout to save on costs.

Add an island.

Make it light and bright.

Continue the same laminate from the family room.

Shaker style off white cabinets and updated hardware.

Lots of bead board.

Farmhouse sink.

Butcher block counters.

Kitchen cabinets, cabinet hardware, sink, island, bar stools: Ikea

Pendant: Pottery Barn Kids

Wall paint: BM Sea Foam

Floor: Bruce Reclaimed Chestnut Laminate

© Salt Marsh Cottage 2014