Distressed Drop-Leaf Table

 

 

My sister’s “dining room” in her condo is really just a corner of her living room.   It measures 3′ x 4′ and actually was never a “dining room” until this table came along.  A couple of months back, she offered to take my old, round dining room table if it didn’t sell on Craig’s List, and she would smash it into that little corner of her condo.  My table sold almost right away on Craig’s List, so I set out to find a table better suited to fit into her condo space.

I found this drop-leaf table at a local furniture thrift store.  It’s simple in style, but very sturdy solid pine – perfect for refinishing.

I stripped down the top layer of finish and stain with a belt sander.

Once it was down to the bare wood, I added a coat of gray stain.  I gave the legs a quick sand with 80 grit sandpaper and painted them in gray homemade chalk paint.  At this point, I decided I wanted a bit more of a rustic look, so I got out my distressing tools:  a hammer, chain, nails, a chisel, and an old sock.

This part was by far the best step in this whole process.  It’s a major stress relief to slam stuff into a table.  I put the nails in an old sock and bashed it against the top and sides of the tabletop, making nicks and little dents.  I used the head and back of the hammer to bang up some other places – these make blunt gouges and larger, rounder dents.  Slamming the chain into the table creates a line of small, shallow dents.  Finally, lightly hitting the chisel into the wood creates deeper gashes.  I also scratched it up in places with a flat head screwdriver.

I gave it another coat of stain in dark walnut, which really highlighted the distressing.

The legs got two coats of a custom mix of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint – 1 part Kitchen Scale to 2 parts Shutter Gray.

I finished the legs with furniture wax and dark antiquing wax, and the tabletop with four coats of polyurethane.

I’m excited to see it in my sister’s place!