Table Recycle

After finishing the cabinetry in the kitchen, Mitch and I decided we needed a small table to help fill the room. Luckily for us, his mother had recently "donated" an small round table to our garage. I decided I wanted to add a pop of color and a pattern so off to Hobby Lobby I went to 

find the perfect stencil.

The stencil itself is about 16"x16" and cost me approximately $16 at Hobby Lobby.

 The next thing I needed to do was sand down the table top as it had been finished with a polyurethane. I sanded down the top with a coarse grit sandpaper and then after the majority of the stains were lifted and the finish was removed, I switched to a ultra fine grit paper. 

Since there were stains deep in the wood I was unable to sand out, I decided to place my pattern in a way to cover the majority of the spots. 

I used a measuring tape to make sure my stencil was straight since my table was round. I grabbed double stick tape to help me keep the stencil in place as I painted. Eventually, I got bored waiting for the paint to dry, so I brought out my hair dryer to speed up the process. 

As the paint dried, I lifted the stencil slowly and it up by overlapping a small portion of the already painted pattern. Then I waited. 

After I couldn't wait any longer, I selected a stain and covered the table surface with a thin layer. I used a dry cloth to wipe off the excess and let the table dry. During my process of sanding, I apparently did not get all the previous finish off as my stain only took in certain areas. I liked the look however, since it gave the table an added dimension and more texture... so I continued my 

process of staining. 

 I was quite happy with my results until I got my finished project inside... The stain and caused the white vibrant paint to turn a creamy brown in color. Under normal conditions I wouldn't have minded this unintentional change. However, against our newly painted white cabinets, it just made the table look dirty. So I headed back to the drawing board. 

I decided to take the ultra fine finishing sand paper and lightly sand the top of the paint. My plan worked too! The dingy looking top layer of paint came right off and I was left with a bright white pattern on top of my table.

Lastly, to seal the wood and keep from having the paint scratched off , I added a coat of polyurethane. The final step in finishing my table will be to paint the legs... That, however, will be determined after I decide what color I'm going to paint the kitchen! 

Happy Crafting

-Melanie