I have so much to share about this project. Let me start by saying this was not the easiest project I've ever done. There were tears, a few swear words and wine. Thank God for wine. In the end it turned out really beautiful, but it was quite a process. Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, get comfy and I'll tell you all about it!
Here's a before shot of my table. This is the second time I have "made over" this table. My style has changed quite a bit the last few years and the black legs and light pine top just weren't working for me anymore. Since I knew I wanted to use chalk paint on the legs, I was thrilled to escape sanding them. The top, however, was coated with many layers of polyurethane and needed a really good sanding.
I used my Black & Decker hand sander. It has a hook and loop system which makes changing the sand paper easy. I started with a coarse grit 80 and worked my way up to a 220.
Saturday I headed over to my local hardware store to pick up the stain I would need for the top. I had planned to use Minwax Ebony. Here's where I went wrong. One of the sales people recommended a different product. Zar is a stain much like Minwax, but supposedly easier to use. Minwax is a penetrating stain and really soaks into the wood. Zar, however, she assured me, doesn't require as much sanding and just sits on the top layer. To make the color darker you need to apply several coats, which I was okay with.
I got the table sanded quite a bit and then cleaned off all the saw dust. It was really hot out so I worked inside, which I do not recommend when sanding. It was a mess, and there was a layer of fine saw dust over everything downstairs, but it was better than working outside in 102 degree heat.
I tore up an old t-shirt to apply the stain. I started at one end and worked my way across the entire surface. I could tell right away that this wasn't working the way I intended. First off, the wood was not absorbing the stain and second, the color was way too light. I decided to wait the two hours recommended and try another coat, but after the second coat I was even more unhappy with the look. By this time it was late evening and I was frustrated and disappointed. I went ahead and painted the legs and base of the table with my chalk paint while I waited for the first coat to dry. That went as expected and turned out beautifully. When the chalk paint was dry I lightly sanded down a few areas to give it an aged look. Then I sealed it with clear wax and aged it a bit more with some dark wax.
At this point I decided to "table" it for the night. He he... In the morning I sanded everything down again, this time to completely bare wood. I decided to give the Zar stain another chance. This time I was slightly more pleased with the results. I still found the product to be a very surface type of stain. It does not penetrate. I had to apply four coats of stain, with a drying time of 3 hours between each coat. After the last coat dried, I applied one coat of Zar's poly in the Antique Flat finish.
Here's where things got tricky again. I waited four hours and then, instead of sanding lightly, as recommended, I applied another coat of the poly without sanding. Dang it! I don't know if not sanding really made a difference or not, but I am not pleased with the finished look now. I can see the brush strokes on the table and it is not smooth around the edges. I think I will give the whole thing a light sanding again today and attempt one more coat of poly. I'll let you know what happens.
In the mean time, from a foot away or so, it looks fantastic. And if you aren't a perfectionist, like me, you'd probably be satisfied with the results. I, on the other hand will not settle and will continue to work on this table until it is perfection.
Anyway, here's what it looks like today.
I tore up an old t-shirt to apply the stain. I started at one end and worked my way across the entire surface. I could tell right away that this wasn't working the way I intended. First off, the wood was not absorbing the stain and second, the color was way too light. I decided to wait the two hours recommended and try another coat, but after the second coat I was even more unhappy with the look. By this time it was late evening and I was frustrated and disappointed. I went ahead and painted the legs and base of the table with my chalk paint while I waited for the first coat to dry. That went as expected and turned out beautifully. When the chalk paint was dry I lightly sanded down a few areas to give it an aged look. Then I sealed it with clear wax and aged it a bit more with some dark wax.
At this point I decided to "table" it for the night. He he... In the morning I sanded everything down again, this time to completely bare wood. I decided to give the Zar stain another chance. This time I was slightly more pleased with the results. I still found the product to be a very surface type of stain. It does not penetrate. I had to apply four coats of stain, with a drying time of 3 hours between each coat. After the last coat dried, I applied one coat of Zar's poly in the Antique Flat finish.
Here's where things got tricky again. I waited four hours and then, instead of sanding lightly, as recommended, I applied another coat of the poly without sanding. Dang it! I don't know if not sanding really made a difference or not, but I am not pleased with the finished look now. I can see the brush strokes on the table and it is not smooth around the edges. I think I will give the whole thing a light sanding again today and attempt one more coat of poly. I'll let you know what happens.
In the mean time, from a foot away or so, it looks fantastic. And if you aren't a perfectionist, like me, you'd probably be satisfied with the results. I, on the other hand will not settle and will continue to work on this table until it is perfection.
Anyway, here's what it looks like today.
Thanks for reading about my dining table! I'll update you about the final coat of poly soon!
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