Two and a half years.
That’s how long it’s been since I loaded up my car with this antique dining set from a yard sale, with the wonky table legs that had been removed and then reattached the wrong way, and then it went to live in my dark storage unit (aka Furniture Purgatory).
The months and years passed but I couldn’t get over the nerves of doing an entire dining set makeover. And to be honest, staining still intimidates me.
We gave up the storage unit about a month ago which meant a LOT of furniture was coming to our house and we had to get moving on makeovers!
*Guys it’s Furniture Fixer Uppers day, so stick around to the end to see 5 more bonus furniture makeovers from my blogging friends. Also, I’ve included a few affiliate links in this post to help you find products I use and recommend. Discover all my favorite brands and tools for doing DIY projects here.
Sand and Stain the Dining Table
Thankfully, my hero Guy in the Garage volunteered to tackle sanding and restaining the table top. (Here’s a link to some inexpensive random orbit sanders which make this job much easier)
It has such a beautiful wood grain, and the old orangey stain had to go.
He applied two coats of Minwax’s Wood Finish stain in Espresso for a rich brown top.
And then he protected it with three coats of Rustoleum’s Matte Varathane Polyurethane. (I tried it over white Chalk Paint once and didn’t like it, but it gives a really nice finish over the stain.)
I call it the Tiger Table – just look at those stripes. Rawr.
Paint the Dining Table and Chairs
The chairs and bottom of the table were painted in Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint in Old Ochre. I had about half a can to use and the paint was fairly thick, so it came off the brush in an already-distressed sort of way. I did 2-3 coats as needed and then sanded a little for a smooth finish.
Here’s the finished set (not including two table leaves which you can see in the sanding photo above):
It has a farmhouse style vibe, don’t you think? I absolutely adore the carvings on the chairs and haven’t seen anything like them before. The Old Ochre does a great job of highlighting them.
It was our goal to finish this for the market and it kind of ending up being the focal piece. This set got lots of attention and compliments but it’s still available for now. We will be taking it to my booth soon.
I think it would look gorgeous in a breakfast nook or on an enclosed porch.
I have a few other dining sets I’ve been hoarding holding onto for far too long, so now that I have a good helper we may be able to clear a few more out of the garage this summer. 🙂
Have you refinished a dining set before- if so what did you think of it? They’re a lot of work but worth it in the end! What type of project have you been putting off for ages? I’d love to hear about it – just leave a comment below.
Now it’s time to see five more creative furniture makeovers from my blogging friends!
Below are the Before photos – click the links underneath to see the Afters and learn how they did it.
1. Petticoat Junktion
2. Prodigal Pieces
3. The Interior Frugalista
4. Confessions of a Serial DIYer
5. Just the Woods
Larissa ~ Prodigal Pieces says
Jen, you made this table go from boring to BAM! Love the refreshed new look. Sharing!
Sherry Stuifbergen says
The stained top is absolutely gorgeous, but I love grainy oak. The chairs are what are beautiful with the design highlighted. They look stunning. What a marvelous makeover. Thank you for the post.
Lena says
Great job! I love re-doing dining sets in that color scheme – dark stained top and light base. I’ve found it to be the most popular combination and it sells quickly.
Marcie Lovett says
I’m just getting used to the stained/painted combo look. That was a lot of work, but it is a treasure now! The paint really brings out the details on the chair backs.
I just brought home a set of two small dressers and a vanity that fits between them. Can’t wait to see the sun again so I can take them outside and work some magic. (It would be nice to get the rest of the collected pieces finished, too. Daggone free section of craigslist!)
Marie|The Interior Frugalista says
I bet it feels so good to have finally tackled this makeover – it looks fabulous, Jen! Old Ochre is the one color from the ASCP line that I haven’t tried yet and I’m quite liking it on your table paired with that gorgeous stained top! I’ve had a dining set collecting dust in the workshop for a few years now too with similar chairs to yours. Painting chairs is a beast, as you know, and I’ve been putting it off. Maybe it’s time to just get er done. Pinned 🙂
Becky says
WOW! Reeeeeally nice job on this! I love it!
Christy says
This looks amazing, Jen! The top of that table is gorgeous! Hopefully this will sell quickly for you in your new booth. ?
Billie says
I love it!! I’m so proud of you two!
Linda says
This set now just sings!
lisa a. says
Lovely!! No wax over the white legs and chairs????
Just Justin says
Oh my word! The carvings on the chair back are so cool!!! Wonderful job! 🙂
Did the Polyurethane Varathane discolor the paint when you used it before?
Cherie says
Cute, cute, cute !!!
JaneEllen says
How I would just love to have that dining set, gorgeous rehab. I was thinking might have been lovely to stain backs of chairs as table top done. The white looks really great, my mind is just wondering how the chair backs would look stained. Something to think about with next dining set. Perhaps stain the seats also. Please forgive my suggestion if out of order. I love the old fashioned chairs like your set has.
Enjoy weekend
Jeralyn | Flip N' Find Furniture says
Jen, I love how this dining set turned out. BEAUTIFUL! I did have to giggle when I read it had been 2 years since you snagged this LOL. Its nice to know I’m not the only furniture hoarder:) I may or may not have a few pieces that have hung around for a couple years waiting for their makeover haha
Deborah Gullett says
Perfect! I love them! Wishing I had someplace for them.
Rose L. says
I love the AFTER! Looks really nice!
Jen says
Haha! I’m trying to get better at working on what I already have. It can be so hard to pass up a good deal though! 😉
Jen says
Thank you JaneEllen. I did actually consider staining the seats of the chairs, but we were working on so many projects on a deadline for the market that it was faster to just paint the entire chair. I do like how they turned out but may consider staining the chairs on a future dining set makeover. 🙂
Jen says
Thank you Justin! I only tried a small test area with the Varathane over white paint before, but it did leave a slight yellow tint and wasn’t quite as matte as I hoped it would be.
Jen says
Thank you Lisa! And I’m surprised you’re the only person who asked about that. 🙂 Actually I did use wax at first, but I don’t love using it and I didn’t love how it looked on the chairs. So I painted back over it and then tried something new to me – Fusion Mineral Paint’s Tough Coat which is a wipe-on poly (supposed to be matte and non-yellowing). So far I like it! I’m going to update the post, so thank you for reminding me.
Jen says
Thank you Billie! We both enjoy working on projects together and watching them transform. 🙂
Jen says
Thank you Christy! I found out two of my big pieces there just sold, so it seems like there will be just enough room for this set. xo
Jen says
Thanks so much, Becky!
Jen says
Thank you Marie. Old Ochre has been one of my favorites!
Jen says
Thanks so much, Lena! I love the look of dark stain and light paint too.
Jen says
Thanks so much, Sherry – glad you like it!
Dixie Lee says
At the beginning of the post I thought I would hate it but it is gorgeous!!!!!!
Jen says
HAHAHA! Thank you Dixie Lee! 🙂
Lori Mendoza says
Hi Jen
I just wanted to say thank you for sharing you projects online and how you are able to achieve the finished look. You are very clear and easy to follow on your steps towards working on any of the projects. I tend to doubt myself but after reading your step by step instructions I feel more confident that I too may be able to complete something similar.
Thank you again. I really do appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Lori
Jen says
Lori, thank you so much for the sweet compliment. I always try to give clear instructions, so I really appreciate it! (And yes, you can do these projects too!) 🙂