how a pile of old wood became a beautiful rustic table

 

Life’s been so busy lately I haven’t had time to update you on all my projects. Here’s one post I’m so happy to share with you.

Let’s see… it all started with this photo from The Polished Pebble. Kelley’s gorgeous home was recently featured in Country Living and when I saw this photo of her outdoor area it really got me thinking. Does this happen to you too?

You see a photo that you just can’t get out of your head?

There was something I just loved about this mix of white weathered wood and wicker, and I thought this would be a perfect table for my patio, but of course I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on it.

So I made a mental note to be on the look-out for an old table I could transform.

And a week later, at a family birthday celebration I was playing volleyball in my brother’s backyard and look what I spotted off in the distance.

That’s right. A pile of junky looking wood.

The next day I asked my Dad about it.

“That old pile of wood? Oh that’s been sittin’ there for years, leftover from Mike’s remodel…”

Lucky for me, my brother was only too happy to let me pick through the wood pile and with my Dad’s help, we began to lay out some pieces on the lawn for my inspection. At first, my cute Dad kept pulling out the cleanest looking wood from the bottom of the heap.

I had to remind him I was only interested in the really old looking pieces, the wood that had been exposed to the sun for years.

Here’s a close up photo of the wood I chose.

See the knots and grooves and the perfect shade of weathered gray? 

Aw… I love-love-love-it!

I spent $42.00 at Home Depot to buy the additional wood for the table frame. And then my amazing Dad built this base for me.

My only request was that it be a very simple construction. Nothing fancy, Dad.

And of course, he shakes his head when I say things like this. He still doesn’t completely ‘get’ my taste for things that look so old, but he’s such a good sport.

 

 

When you turn the table over this is the hardware we used.

This is a close-up of the old wood on top and new wood used for the table frame.

The more I looked at the gray wood tabletop, the more I liked the color.

So instead of painting it white as originally planned, I decided to simply even out the dark spots by using light strokes of watered down chalk paint.

Here’s a close up of the finished table top. I was careful to keep the soft gray undertones.

 

For the table base I decided to use this home made chalk paint recipe that I originally got from Sharon. (If you ever need to be inspired to paint, you have to visit her blog, she amazes me with all her projects.)

For the table base this is what I did:  I filled a container with water and began by dry brushing white paint and adding water to make a light base. I let this layer dry, then I dry brushed more white paint on top, just playing around with it until I got the look I liked.

in the middle of painting…

 

…and the finished tabletop,

These are the four wicker chairs I have to go with this table…

 

And these are my two wood chairs. Remember my inspiration photo? There were the two apple green chairs at the end of the table? 

Well I decided to go with white instead, and see how I like the look. These were inexpensive thrift store finds so I thought what-the-heck. Why not use them outside if I need them?

Here’s a preview of my outdoor dining set so far….more photos are coming.

to be continued…

How is your summer going?

I sure hope you’re doing things that make you happy.

xoxo

Leslie

I’m linking up with these lovely friends:

• http://www.commonground-do.com/2013/07/be-inspired-148-need-little-inspiration.html?
• http://www.stonegableblog.com/2013/07/tutorials-tips-and-tidbits-56.html
• http://www.adelightsomelife.com/2013/07/home-and-garden-thursday-37.html?
• http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2013/07/feathered-nest-friday.html?
• http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/2013/07/fabulously-creative-friday-linky-party.html

 

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