Ugly Duckling to Swan: A Second Hand Table Becomes a Real Gem!

CK
by CK
$150
2 Days
Medium
We had a truly great glass top table....but it could only seat 4. So I put on my hunting glasses to find a table that would seat 6...and more if it had leaves. I hit my mark :-)
See the before and afters. We're loving it!
Eric, my hubby, also had to repair the apron in one corner. This table is oak, but it's not an antique. Judging from it's construction and that it had plastic parts, I'm guessing it was from about the 70's or 80's. It's all about the shape/size for me :-)
After! We're loving the fresh, new look.
The chairs were also second hand. They were originally from a restaurant so are very sturdy. I painted them and added the pretty French document print to the seats. We were using these with our glass top table too.
We added the appliques
The Hobby Lobby appliques added a little more interest to the table. Also, since our LR furniture had references to Louis XVI, these appliques bring the table a little closer to that look too. After painting I lightly distressed the appliques to bring out more detail.
A very pretty slightly scalloped edge
Another leg view
Leg view close-up
It's nice that the wood grain shows through. It gives it a little 'texture'.
View looking down into the LR
Because you can see the underside of the table from the LR, we also painted the entire underside of the table including the metal 'expansion mechanism'. It's pretty from all views :-) The table has 2, 18" leaves too! Both were painted on all sides too. All the photos are without any leaves in place.
After....... Looking rather dreamy
This soft, simple scene will be the sight of many happy meals for our family and friends or just the two of us :-)
Frequently asked questions
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  • Nilaboone2005 Nilaboone2005 on Apr 24, 2017

    love what you did...can you tell me what kind of paint you used... and did you have to sand the table... ;thanks

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  • Gail Salminen Gail Salminen on Jan 21, 2015
    @CK what a beauty. Love the white look. I think what makes it even more elegant is the fabric you chose for the chairs and the treatment you gave the detail on the legs. Superb job! Thanks for sharing.
    • CK CK on Jan 21, 2015
      @Gail Salminen thank you! I love what paint can do :-)
  • Loribeth Loribeth on May 01, 2015
    I love what you did to the table and the chairs! I've thought about doing the same thing to my mahogany set, but just can't bring myself to do it. I love the mahogany too much!
    • CK CK on May 03, 2015
      @Loribeth If you still love your mahogany, then maybe it's still not the right time to paint it :-) You'll know when/if the time is right to paint your set. I had some dark oak end tables for over 25 years. Finally one day I said "I'm painting them!" Turned out great for our look and a great money saver too because I didn't have to buy anything else.
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