In addition to needing rugs for 2 rooms, I also need a kitchen table & chairs, and another kitchen cabinet. (After measuring the space before I moved, I determined that my old table & chairs were simply too big for my new space; my buyers were really happy to have them so they stayed in Friendship.)
So I’ve spent more hours online looking at options. Which do I choose first, the table & chairs or the cabinet? The prior owner had her table & chairs in the little nook in the kitchen. Not my choice. I want to eat in front of the lovely bay window. I’ll probably want to move the frig to that nook, but then the stove is far away. Move the stove to where the frig was? What to do with the rest of that nook? You see my dilemma, right?
Anyway, after looking at what seemed like a million tables & chairs online on Saturday, Sunday & Monday, I figured out what I want & couldn’t find it new without spending over $1,000 for the table alone. I don’t think so! So on Tuesday I got in my car & went to 2 thrift stores, a used furniture store, & Rehouse Rochester. I was thrilled that I found not 1 but 2 options, both affordable. I came home to think about it. I decided on the one at the thrift store, an old wooden pedestal table in very good structural condition. Called them on Wednesday & told them I did want the table, and got my daughter to go with me today to pick it up.
Meanwhile on Wednesday I also went to the store & purchased paint, since I knew I wasn’t up for refinishing the table and it needed something. Well, I should have done some homework before buying the paint. The reality is that the paint I purchased, Rustoleum’s Ultra 2x paint & primer combined, would have been fine on an end table or something, but not on a kitchen table. Everything I read said I needed to do several steps to do this job right.
I meant to take before pictures and process photos, but I’d already taken step 1 – sand everything to rough it up so the paint would adhere well – before I remembered. Here’s the table with its 2 leaves folded down.
It’s a great, old pedestal, with a drawer I’d already taken out before the photo. With those leaves down it’s only about 21″ wide, so I can easily fit it in front of the window and eat comfortably.
With both of those 17″ leaves up it’s 55″ wide, and I’m sure could comfortably seat 6. With just 1 leaf up 4 could fit well. So lots of options!
Ok, so step one was sand everything. Step 2 was prime it all. With an oil-based primer. Two coats. Four hours dry time between coats.
I’d just gotten the bottom primed when the skies opened and the rain came down hard. Just like yesterday day when I learned that my gutters need a bit of attention, today I learned that my garage floor has a little stream when it rains.
So I quickly moved the cardboard and the table out of the line of water. (Very glad I’d finished the legs!) After that I decided I didn’t really care if some paint drops fell on the garage floor.
Aside: did I mention that the neighbor woman who painted my house in Friendship didn’t get a drop on her, or in the wrong spot? That is sooo not me. I had plenty of paint on my hands and arms, and slopped some on the underside of the table, too. Since it’s oil based it’s not soap & water clean up. I hate putting mineral spirits or thinner on my skin, so tried Dawn (nope), Simple Green (nope), and then decided on a bit of olive oil. The paint didn’t just slough off or anything, but it came off ok, and I figured the oil was good for my skin. I did wash with soap & water when I was done, but I’m sure some of the oil got through before I did that.
Today was coat 1 of primer. I didn’t take photos of that…pretty boring. Tomorrow will be coat 2 of primer, and if I get that done early enough in the morning, maybe I can get coat 1 of paint on. The legs will get at least 2 coats of paint, the top 3-4. Then at least 3 days to cure. Then a few coats of clear sealer. This is a 7-10 day process. Sigh.
At least none of the steps takes tons of time. But these kinds of things, along with weeding, cleaning, hanging blinds on attic windows, and other essential tasks, are why I’m moving much more slowly than usual on the weaving front. And I still have to find chairs. I know I’ll buy probably 4 padded folding chairs, and at least 2, maybe 4 regular chairs. I can use 1 regular chair by my computer and wouldn’t mind 1 in the weaving studio. This is why I haven’t even begun to think about the needed table in the living room. 🙂
I have no recollection of a similar old table, Alma. Must have been before Friendship and your memory better than mine…a real possibility!
I’ve only been to ReHouse on Ridge Rd. Apparently a Habitat store on Culver…I’ll run by there, too.
Thanks, Alma!
This table must be a second cousin to the old maple one you left behind (heavier than God intended furniture to be, as I remember it). Anyway, I LOVE that you’ve discovered Rehouse. Did you go to the one on Culver? So near you. There’s another on Ridge Road West in Greece, if you need to do additional exploring. I’ve always thought that it was a nice way to get pretty good quality stuff without paying lots of quality money. And since you’re not averse to sanding, painting, etc., you’re a natural for re-source-ing and re-cycling.
Absolute congratulations on all the stuff you’ve accomplished so far, Peg!!
Thanks, Judy. I know there will always be things to do. Some of them, like a rug for the spare room, aren’t that critical, but since I was looking at rugs it made sense to do both at once. Others, like someplace to sit & eat, are pretty darned important. 🙂 I also really do need a kitchen cupboard since (a) all my herbs & spices are still in boxes as there’s no place to put them and (b) I don’t yet have a microwave as there’s no counter space, or under-cupboard space, to put one. So those 2 kitchen items sort of go hand-in-hand. Couldn’t really solve one without the other.
The table in the living room — I’m just gonna stumble on something that strikes my fancy some day for that one. The TV tray will suffice for now.
And things like curtains…they’re down the road for sure, since all my windows have blinds. (I don’t think the prior owner had any curtains of any type.)
I love your decision to move your table to the window area… I would totally have done the exact same thing. And what a lovely old pedestal table – a great find! It’ll be well worth the work you need to invest in it and should look fabulous by your bay windows! It’s fun watching you make your new home fit you perfectly! Can’t wait to see it in person! Hope you’re enjoying the process and don’t feel rushed in getting it all finished too fast. It’s been almost 2 years for me and I’m still attending to little things. : )