Farmhouse Kitchen Table Makeover

When we moved into the tiny gray house with it's tiny little kitchen, it was obvious that we needed more counter space to work on. To give us a little more room we hauled in a small drop-leaf table and set it up like a peninsula in the doorway from the kitchen to the dining room. While it was incredibly handy and the perfect height for mixing and kneading, it was also incredibly ugly. The top boasted a blond Formica wood pattern, and the legs were metal with a corroded gold finish.

When a local lady posted this simple little white farmhouse table on a "For Sale" group about six years ago, it immediately caught my eye. Best of all, I could easily afford the $8 she was asking for it! She advertised it as "needing a fresh coat of paint"...my specialty!

After the little table was in my possession I made plans to strip the white paint from the top and stain it, then repaint the legs. As things usually go here, life had so much else planned for me. The table took up residence in our kitchen, and immediately went to work. Through the years it received some necessary repairs--new hinges when a leaf fell off, a nail here and there when a leg got wobbly--but never a new face. Far from becoming obsolete when we transitioned into a bigger kitchen, the table again made its home here where counter space was lacking. 

This spring I decided to finally tackle this long neglected project. I used Citristrip spray to lift the paint from the top. The top was painted originally, which means the wood soaked up the paint. Stain applied after that won't go on evenly, and you can't expect a beautiful new-looking wood-grain finish. Thankfully, I'm okay with rustic!

With leaves unfolded, the table paints a comical picture...reminiscent of an albatross taking flight.

The Citristrip began working immediately. Within a minute the paint began to peel and blister.

I love the stories that old tables tell, specifically tabletops. For example, the black charred spot in the top center of this photo is from the Thanksgiving that I lit the table on fire with a candle. Under the paint I also discovered a large darkened area of wood that would not sand out. At some point something sat on that part of the table long enough to forever change the color of the wood.

After letting the stripping spray sit for a good six hours, I started scraping the goopy paint off with a putty knife. It worked so well for most of the table top! I hosed the table off after that and let it sit in the sun to dry for an entire day. It was about a week later that I finished sanding it.

I used Minwax "English Chestnut" stain for the top and the black Glidden paint I already had on hand that I use for furniture. I had decided from the very beginning to go with a black leg/wood top combination, but after finishing it I think white would have really made the wood pop. So some day down the road I will probably be repainting the legs and body of this old girl an antique white. Until then, black hides scuffs and messes pretty well. I also replaced the little wooden drawer knob with a spare knob we had from the hand-me-down kitchen cabinet we used for the laundry area.