Vintage Table Makeover

6 Materials
$20
8 Hours
Medium
I am constantly looking for items to compliment my 85 year-old home. Several years ago I purchased a used pub table and chairs. It has served us well but it was time for a change. I wanted something closer to the vintage style of the house.

Auctions, flea markets, and estate sales are a staple at my house and I have completely decorated my house with used items. So I looked for weeks and went back and forth on what I wanted before stumbling upon this gem at a local auction.

I was able to score a table and 5 chairs for $11 (yes, eleven). There was supposed to be 6 chairs in the lot but somehow the lot was split so I ended up with 3 chairs that went with the table and 2 that did not. The next day I stopped by the auction house to pick up an item I forgot to pick up and saw the 6th chair. It obviously went with the set I had purchased but since it was place in a separate lot, I had to pay a whopping $5 for it. So by this time I had $16 in the set; with 2 odd chairs I can use as extra seating.
The table had obvious sun damage. The finish was completely gone and one end significantly less faded than the other.
The finish on the table top was complete gone and there was obvious sun-damage on one end.
The chairs had their own set of issues; missing seats, broken backs, etc.
My husband was able to recreate the back on the captain's chair to match the other chairs and repair the broken back. Since this had to be done, the only choice was to paint the chairs.
I stained the top of the table Gel Stain. I did not wipe it back. I brushed it on, smoothed it out and let it dry, repeated and then sealed with several coats Wipe-On Polyurethane.


Then I chalk pained the legs white and sealed with polycrylic.
After painting and sealing the chairs, I covered the new seats with a canvas drop cloth and stenciled each seat with gray chalk paint.
Here is the finished set. I could not be more pleased.
Happy Fall, y'all!
All done! For now, anyway!
Suggested materials:
  • Minwax Gel Stain Walnut
  • Wipe-on Poly
  • Chalk paint
See all materials
Bonnie Shirley Coates
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
Comments
Join the conversation
Next