This project is an oldie but a goodie!
I bought this table over 20 years ago. I can remember the day like it was yesterday, Mom and I stood in the Oak Express store (they sold everything oak, including waterbeds……remember those?!). I was freaking out about spending $399 on a table and 4 chairs – that was as much as my RENT! As a single mom with two young kids and a budget of ZERO! I can remember Mom saying to me “it’s oak and worth the money, you will have this table forever”.
Well, she was right – I have had it for years! The chairs are long gone and I have added a mixed matched set of old chairs and a bench……..love them! The chair seats are up next for a makeover – stay tuned for those.
Before we moved I wanted change up this table. I had been seeing all kinds of transformations from the “old oak” style to an updated version. Here is how I transformed mine!
I started with a sander:
I remove all the varnish and stain on the top and skirt. For the base and legs, I lightly sanded them (enough to remove the gloss varnish). Then I taped off the top with plastic, covering all parts I didn’t want painted.
I then used a cream colored spray paint to cover the base, legs and chairs. This took several coats and a light sanding between each coat. Sorry I didn’t get a picture of this part of the process.
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When we moved to the house on Lyndale Dr. the builder left the stain used for our cabinets, Diamond Vogel Espresso, how perfect is that! So I stained and finish the top once we moved in. One coat of stain is all it needed – the table completely transformed before my eyes – beautiful. I had considered building a farmhouse style table, however after this transformation, I think I will keep my “old oak” table for a few more years. 
This table has served a lot of meals and truly has been worth the money. So I will keep her around until I get brave enough to make a farmhouse style table of my own.
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