Abandoned House Dining Table Rehab!
This one's been a long time coming; those of you who follow me on social media have been slowly watching this process since I started in April!
When I realized I would be needing to furnish a rental (here's why), I immediately thought of the furniture I'd seen at the abandoned house my brother bought.
Even under all the dirt, I could tell some of it was decent quality, and this round dining table fell into that category.
My dad took the base off so that we could get it out of the house door, and then we moved the base and the top into his garage, where they sat while I pondered a plan.
After poking around Pinterest for a while, I decided I wanted to stain the top, but paint the base.
Then it was time to get started!
The table base and legs
The base was easy; my dad unscrewed it all for me, so I was left with four legs and the main trunk piece to sand.
Since I was just painting these, I didn't have to do a crazy amount of sanding, and I got them knocked out in pretty short order.
As usual, I put on a coat of Zinnser primer, and then several coats of Benjamin Moore Advance paint. I don't think there are words to describe how great this paint is...it gives you such a nice smooth finish!
The hardware
Since this table originally came with a leaf, there was some associated hardware and of course, it was rusty. Nothing from that house is in good shape!
Luckily, my dad has a little machine that's good for removing rust...it's basically a motorized metal brush, and he showed me how to get these pieces all cleaned up.
Here's a before and after.
So satisfying!
I also used the same process for the metal feet that screen into the legs of the table.
Here's a sneak peek of what the table feet looked like at the end!
The tabletop
Shew. This thing needed a LOT of sanding. In order to restain a piece of wood, you really have to get all of the old finish off, and that is no small task with a sander.
I started out with an orbital sander, but it soon became clear that we needed something with more power. So my dad got out his belt sander and we went to work.
I had never used a belt sander before and I was surprised at how much work it is to keep that thing from running away. It has so much power!
The belt sander did a good job with the main part of the tabletop, and then I had to use the orbital sander and a manual sander to get the rest of the finish off.
Preparing wood for staining is so much work; I was reminded why I almost always opt to paint instead. Painting is easier!!
We used the underside of the table as a test for stain colors; initially, we tried a walnut color, but then my dad remembered that he had a can of Jacobean stain and YES this was exactly what I wanted.
I applied the stain to both sides, and then we had some wet weather, so my progress got paused. We needed to add polyurethane, but that stuff does not dry properly in humid weather.
My dad kindly took care of this step for me, putting on a coat here and there when there were breaks in the weather and he also reinstalled the sliding mechanism under the table (which allows for a leaf to be inserted).
The leaf
At first, we thought that this table was leafless; I'd been all around the treasure house and seen no leaf.
But then my brother thought to check in the basement. It turns out, the basement was quite flooded, but he did spy the missing table leaf!
It was in a rather dreadful condition: wet, dirty, warped, and it had fuzzy mold on it. SO GROSS.
My dad kindly reglued and clamped the leaf to try to get some of the warping out, and it did help.
But the actual boards of the leaf were still not flat, so we attacked them with the belt sander.
We sanded off tons of wood (you should have seen the piles of sawdust!!), and finally, the surface was fairly flat.
Once the leaf got all stained and polyurethaned, it was quite unrecognizable from its former self.
If you look closely, you can still spot imperfections, but considering where this thing started out, I'm pretty darn happy with it!
The skirt
Last step!
I'd moved into my rental by now, and my dad kindly brought the table over here. I turned the top upside down in my dining room and painted the apron/skirt in the same color as the base.
I also did a little touching up of the base, and when I looked at it from this angle, I remembered that this base used to be full of cobwebs and dirt. What a change!
I screwed the base onto the top, and voila!! A new-to-me table was ready.
The after photos
The table sits in sort of a dark room, which makes after pictures sort of hard. But I did my best!
I really like the combo of the stained top with the gray base.
And I'm very happy with the stain color on the top.
How much would this cost new?
A similar table from Wayfair costs $700.
And this Pottery Barn version, which is not even solid wood, costs $799.
This one from Haverty's is almost $1500!
So...mine was definitely a win in actual dollars. I spent only $30 on supplies, and the table itself cost me nothing.
But my goodness, there were a lot of hours poured into this table between my dad and me.
If I was trying to refinish furniture and sell it for a profit, I'm pretty sure the hourly wage on this table would have been pathetic.
But on the other hand, we rescued a table that no one else would have wanted (particularly true in the case of the leaf!)
And I now have a nicer table than I'd be able to buy if I purchased new; this one has very nice metal rolling hardware for the leaf, and the whole thing is solid wood, with no veneer at all.
So overall, I'm really happy with this project. It was a very satisfying redo, and I was so grateful to have my dad's help and expertise.
Next up: I need to rehab those four chairs I snagged from the treasure house. My plan is to paint them the same color as the table base. And of course, I will show you when I'm done. 😉
P.S. In case you want a supply list, I used:
- Zinnser water-based primer
- Benjamin Moore Advance paint, satin sheen, in Westcott Navy
- Minwax stain in Jacobean
It looks great. I love posts like this.
I wondered if you were doing a summer bucket list this year. It will be different, but I always enjoy your lists and they inspire me. Especially since you combine things like painting projects and fun activities.
WOW. Just WOW. Kristen, you are amazing!
While your hourly rate might not be the best vs. a professional flipper, the catharsis of bringing something back to life and having a place to invest one’s energy (be it negative or positive) is invaluable. My husband quickly learned that “Honey, go paint” is a valid response to whatever ails me. 😛
You mentioned painting the lovely chairs. Are you going to highlight the wonderful details on the back somehow? I’m so curious!
@N, you put it very well. Not all benefits are financial and you enumerated them nicely.
@N,
Painting is deeply satisfying and a relatively cheap way to make a big impact. Last week I painted our baseboards and was shocked by the impact that improvement had on the rooms.
The table looks great! Are you going to use a paint sprayer to paint the chairs? I have a set of chairs that I spray painted, and while I was happy with the outcome, I realized afterward that I wished I had gotten a paint sprayer and done them with regular paint.
I have a similar table, which we purchased used. It didn't come with a leaf, but has the hardware for it. Someone refinished the top of the table with a really thick coating which peels off. I'd like to redo it sometime.
You did a great job! I especially like the color combination. Can't wait to see how it looks with the chairs.
Also offsetting the low hourly wage-- the experience and knowledge you gained!
Yep; the more furniture you redo, the better you get at it!
Gorgeous! Awesome work 🙂
It's gorgeous and you remind me why I almost never refinish furniture. I'm a dedicated fan of stained or natural wood and have almost no painted furniture in my house. I'm curious: what does your father do with his tools? Is woodworking a hobby?
Oh yeah; my dad built his whole house from the ground up, he's built tons of furniture, he built the decking around the swimming pool, he restores old cars, and so on. His tools get a lot of use!
I think its all amazing and of course, beautiful. The best part is the time you spent with your Dad learning and doing. You can never put a price on that. (:
Did that white pitcher come from the treasure house too? It's so pretty on the table with peonies in it!
That's actually from Ikea!
It is magnificent. Plus the time spent with your Dad is priceless. May many wonderful meals be eaten at this fine table!
What an amazing job! I just love this table. There is great satisfaction in a project like this one. I haven’t had a project in a long time.
Wow! That looks great! You are so blessed to have your dad to guide and help you. My dad died when I was just 19. He could build anything, and I wish I had realized what he could have taught me. But as a teenager, I didn't appreciate that.
That's awesome. Rescuing the leaf is particularly great. Tables with leaves are the most convenient. We have one my grandfather built when he was 17 years old and in a trade school learning cabinetry, and it has three leaves. We have all of them in now, but as children leave home, we can take leaves out and still have a perfectly sized table for our family.
I'm in awe of your and your dad's skills, patience, and persistence! Congratulations to you both on a job excellently done!
I also wish that both DH and his father could have read this post, as both of them were skilled furniture rehabbers. (Me, not so much.) DH rescued both our dining room table and the oak top of our breakfast nook table from home renovation clients who were about to throw them out. And my FIL's masterpieces were a pair of bookcases he built around two sets of leaded glass bookcase doors DH found in the attic of a rental property, and a lectern he constructed from a small pedestal-base dining room table.
@A. Marie, My parents, too. If they couldn't find a piece they liked, they built it themselves.
Awesome job! I’ve been waiting anxiously for this post as I have a table & chairs I need to tackle.
Lovely. Great job! I love painted furniture. I have a good bit of it.
What a great job you jointly did!
And I love how the abandoned house has now become the treasure house.
My sister-in-law gave it that name!
Beautiful job Kristen! I wonder how the chairs would look if you stained the seat, and/or part of the back?
Just beautiful! I appreciate the how you share the nitty-gritty details of your furniture rescues; it helps broaden my idea of what may be worth rescuing (I don't think I'd have seen past the mold!).
That table is gorgeous! All of your and your dad's hard work paid off. The chairs would look great stained the same tone with grey cushions to match the base of the table, or the seat painted grey. Can't wait to see what you end up doing with them. Love that such a beautiful piece didn't end up in a landfill somewhere.
I love it! It looks wonderful. You must smile every time you sit down to it. The fact that you and your dad worked on it makes it a new family heirloom to pass down, in my opinion.
My husband's grandfather was a carpenter so DH's dad knew a lot of carpentry, and he managed to pass some of his knowledge to DH even though he died when DH was 19. DH built a few minor things for us but his crowning achievement was refurbishing his grandmother's big old solid cedar wardrobe that had stood under a leaky roof for years, with water soaking down the front when it rained. The two full-length cedar doors were mostly ruined, so he pulled out all of the wood he could use from them and built new doors of mirrored panels set in cedar framework. Then he sanded the wardrobe until the surface is literally as smooth as silk. It was lovely when he got done. It took months working on it around his job, but he finished it, and it has been in our bedroom all these years since.
I agree about belt sanders. They require strength to control them. One doesn't realize how much strength these tools require when watching This Old House, where the burly guys run big power tools like they are operating an electric toothbrush.
Yes, exactly. When I've watched my dad use the belt sander, it has looked easy. I tried it and I was like WHOA THIS THING IS RUNNING AWAY. Ha.
I love your husband's wardrobe project story. I bet it's beautiful!
Totally impressed! But I got tired just reading about all that work.
I hear you! It is a lot of work. But I always have my eye on the prize and that keeps me going. 🙂
Absolutely stunning job on that table.
Normally, I'm very much a person who likes wood to be finished rather than painted, but I think you are very smart to paint the chairs.
Can you even imagine trying to get all the stain out of all those nooks and crannies?? Not for me.
You have such an eye for the potential of projects. In addition to the handy/crafty gene, I'm missing the eye to see how things can look with some effort. It looks so great, and hourly wage aside, you learned a new skill, spent time with your dad, and saved something from the landfill.
What a beautiful table! When we moved recently, we took the opportunity (when all my books were in boxes) to sand and restain my bureau and three bookcases. We'd had them for years, bought them unfinished and (the shame of it) never bothered to finish them. Well, it was so satisfying to sand off pen marks from the little-kid years (and one mystery stain, probably from an old piece of food left there by a toddler--yuck!) and make them "new". I think you and your dad did a fantastic job!
Yes, it is so satisfying to clean up furniture and get rid of stains and dings!
So pretty! And under the circumstances, I'm glad it all worked out. I would be so proud of that table. Good luck on the chairs. I'm not so sure I would be able to tackle those!
Dads are awesome!
Looks fabulous, Kristen!
Great job!
Beautiful job on the table. I've done a few projects and they are so much work. I'm always impressed with how well yours turn out.
Lovely! And time spent with your dad, priceless! Now you have a new to you table with great memories attached! And what a nice story to tell when company complements you on the table. Not to mention the zen therapy of sanding and painting.
I have almost the exact same table at my house. (Ours table top is one solid piece.)
We chalk painted our table in a charcoal color.
Good work. Your table looks amazing.
Not only do you have a beautiful table that will last for many years to come, just think of the memories this experience has created.
So very nice. My mother refinished many old pieces, the pie table, swan neck rocker, oak round dinner table with many leaves, antique pie safe and others. You are a pianist, she played violin in an orchestra. You care for and make sure your family is well fed and housed while pinching pennies, do your blog, go to school, she was a realtor, taught Sunday school, took care of an aging father, pleased a picky husband, and wrangled many children. Refinishing furniture requires precision. I paint pictures, and it gets lots of oohhs and aahhs but its really just blobs of paint. I remember walking into a room and eyeing a Mary Cassatt painting of a woman with a very decorative French lace collar, as I got closer I could see there were no precise stitches painted but an artfully placed blob of paint. With furniture you can't do that.
Beautiful. Such a nice reward for a lot of hard work!!
What everyone else said!
Looks incredible!! As I mentioned before in a previous post’s comment section: I started to follow you with your furniture painting posts (and budget brownie recipe ). It looks great and your hard work show.
The table is so beautiful! And what a great coming-together project of your brother's generosity, your dad's help, tools and know-how, and your skills and sweat equity.
Time with your Dad=priceless.
That table is beautiful and uniquely yours. On that note I am going to suggest you incorporate stained and painted wood on the chairs to match the table. You can paint the hard parts.
But whatever you do with the chairs I know they will be beautiful.
My favorite post is about some treasures you found in the house. The one regarding the paper weights. I keep going back to that post.
Amazing! I'm thinking of the happy moments you and your family will have around your beautiful table. Yay you! I painted a dresser last year and let it cure for about a month before we put it into use. Is that something you did with the table, and are the curing times different for wood refinishing vs painting?
Polyurethane is QUITE hard in short order. I suppose maybe if it was flooring, we'd have had to wait a bit? But it's been fine for use as a table.
I do like to let paint dry for a little while before I put anything heavy on it; for instance, I like to let a painted bookshelf harden for a couple of days. But I don't think I have ever waited a whole month!
I luuuuuurrrrrrvvvve the table! What a transformation! I'm a before/after junky and this is probably one of the nicest I've seen! You are such an inspiration!
I love seeing other people's before and afters too! So fun.
Looooooove the table!
Kristen, the table is beautiful! I am thoroughly impressed by your creative perseverance in reaching what I thought was an impossible dream with that table. Kudos!!
Aww, thank you!
Gorgeous table and work on it! I’d say that another huge blessing was all the time that you and your Dad were able to spend together!❤️
Yes, yes!
Just by photo, your table looks of better quality compared to Pottery Barn. In the future if you move or just change your design style, find another free table you like or who knows, I am sure you will be able to sell your table. You're good at that.
If I remember right, the Pottery Barn table is not solid wood; there's some veneer on it. So yep, my abandoned-house table is more sturdy. It just needed a lot of help!
Great job, Kristen! Holy cow, that's impressive. What a gorgeous table. And I'm so thankful for your dad and the work you two get to do together 🙂
Absoutely beautiful!! Well done!
This is lovely! Your dad sounds like such a kind man. I’ll bet every time you look at this table you will feel good. Pats on the back to you!
He is. I won the dad lottery. 🙂
I read your posting aloud to my husband who always asks why I read "The Frugal Girl" and he said "She is very thorough and not afraid to tackle a complicated job" And my husband builds things-- an entire room, backyard fence, gutted and rebuilt the living room "split-level balcony" and constructed the three HUGE bookcases of my dreams from scratch. Anyway he says YOU should have a show of your own on HGTV!! And I agree, Have you ever pitched a pilot idea? NO ONE on that channel does what you do!!!
Aww, well, tell him thank you for the compliment! I think he and my dad would get along well. 🙂 My dad is probably the one who should have an HGTV show!
@Kristen,
Father/daughter show! No one would miss an episode. I know I wouldn’t.
Looks awesome!!!!
What an amazing job and on top of that, you have PRICELESS memories to add to the memory bank with your dad. 🙂
Considering the hourly rate (even minimum wage) plus the supplies ($30), how much will it be? Time is so precious!
It turned out beautiful.
WOWSA! It makes sense though that your table is now so lovely, Kristen. You see the hidden beauty in objects, in nature, in people. Thanks for sharing the beautiful result. 🙂
We redid ALL the floors in our house because the previous owner had let her cats use the entire house as a litter box. (She had carpets installed over the hardwood floors but we noticed them in a small corner where the rug came up when we toured the house - which was the selling point for us because we knew we could get rid of the cat smell with a whole lot of elbow grease). We tore out all the carpet, refinished the floors, cut out chunks of wall that were saturated, replaced all the floor molding, and painted everything. When the air conditioner dies we are going to replace all the ductwork to get rid of the last little bit of cat smell.
My husband did the main part of the floors with a giant drum sander and I was in charge of the edges with the belt sander. I almost flew into a wall the first time I turned it on. They are crazy powerful! But the results are so satisfying!! My floors make me smile daily. I love hardwood.
I refinished an 100 year old table my Dad’s childhood next door neighbor had gotten as a wedding present in 1909. It was so dark and grimy, but I sanded it down and refinished it to such a lovely light wood shade. My kids use it for a school room table these days and I don’t worry about it getting messed up because I can refinish it again when they are though.
I love these posts!!
What did you use to get the rust off the metal ware? Whatever it was it worked great. Help me out here as I have several rusted items I need to use to get the nasty rust off of the items. Thanks. I just love the table it is so beautiful!!
Regarding the "low hourly wage" and the time involved in this project: even leaving out those hours of closeness with your Dad (priceless), and satisfaction of the awesome result you achieved, I believe that you would have spent a bundle taking classes to learn those skills, hands-on as you got to here. Add in the savings to the environment and you’re well ahead.
Not to mention the cost savings of your Dad's extra fully stocked tool chest!
What a fun before-and-after tour of this table, your parents' garage and your new place. As always, your photography shines.
Love this post! Wow! Love everything! The final result is beautiful! I love the way even the Harwood is redone! You and your dad make a great team! Can't wait to see the chairs redone ! Love your posts.
I absolutely love it! I have been rehabbing other peoples throwaways for years now. Keep posting your updates!
The satisfied feeling you get every time you look at it makes it all worthwhile!
Oh my goodness it is beautiful!!! You did an amazing job, and I love that you worked on it with your dad. What a great job saving something from a junk pile and bringing back it's purpose!
Your table is just stunning. Well done! You must be so pleased. 🙂
Stunning, I'm still a work in progress, but you did a great job on this.
Just dropping to say what a beautiful table! You did an amazing job!
That rust-removing tool is COOL! I can definitely see where that would be very satisfying.
Thanks for bringing us along for the ride with your beautiful table!
This is unbelievably impressive!!! It’s a beautiful table that will last decades, it’s BIG - you got a leaf - in an abandoned house?!?! And best of all, this was a family effort: from your brother’s purchased place to your dad’s truck to your home and you and your dad put a lot of effort into it! I love a good story behind a piece of furniture! Your decisions for colours are lovely. That machine your father has is worth its weight in gold! Great job, everybody!
It looks fantastic!! A lot of work, but so satisfying and worth it. It’s a great size with the leaf out, and you can make it bigger when you need to. Well done!
The table looks SO GOOD! Yay You!!
What a fantastic transformation. When you picked it up did you know what was on the way?
Holy moly! I do NOT have the patience to do something like this, but I'm in awe of people who do. I love love love a good before and after, and the leaf on this was particularly satisfying. Just beautiful!
Amazing job! I am obsessed with solid wood furniture. I have three 30+ year old solid oak tables from the house I grew up in and I will never let them go. They just don't make furniture the way they used to. So cool you were able to salvage this!
Oh the table turned out beautifully! And your table looks much more beautiful than the more expensive options - the work you put into it was well worth it!
Oh my gosh, seeing the transformation you brought about for this table is SO satisfying! I really think it came out gorgeous!! Hope you and your family have many meals and good times around this table together.
Simply Gorgeous!
I LOVE the color combined with the stained top. Great job!
Thank you!
That looks amazing. What a wonderful, frugal and fullfilling hobby you are developing!!
Kristen, I really admire your attitude to life that I've witnessed on your blog for over 13 years now. Wether it is the weather, or a table nobody would love, or left-overs, you take something unappealing, put a positive spin on it and turn it into something useful or delicious or beautiful. The world needs more people like you!
It’s definitely a keeper, great job!
Holy Cow!!!!! the table is GORGEOUS!!!
The refurbished table is beautiful! You are so talented at bringing life to otherwise unusable items. Kudos to you!!!!!