I’m so excited to share this cottage table makeover with you all today! This table looks completely different and way more rustic and cottagey since we got our hands on it.
I’m so thrilled with how it fit in to my vision for my dining room. This room has come a long way and the table is the heart of the space.
* This is now the dining room in my previous home. I had this blog post all ready to go, and the old farmhouse on 3 acres we live in now came up so suddenly and were packing and moving so quickly that this post never made it to the blog. Until now!
Getting the table in here was huge in making the space have more of the calm cottage feel I love!
I’ll share with you the whole rustic cottage table makeover process from start to finish. It’s really not tricky or difficult work, it just can be time consuming and repetitive.
But, well worth it right? I mean, take a look at those before and after’s!
How Long Will a Thrifty Cottage Table Makeover Take?
I’ll be honest, it was many months from the time I found this table on facebook marketplace to the day it finally graced our dining room in all it’s glory! We had 4 little boys at the time and a 5th one on the way who is sleeping snugly in the baby wrap with me now.
I think this project was a full 7 months from bringing the table home to finish. It sat in our garage half sanded for long time. That’s just the way things go sometimes, and that’s ok!
I like to be honest about the time so you don’t think we churned this out in a weekend or two with 4 boys and me pregnant. I know it would help me to hear that from other bloggers, so I try to be honest about the real time process. You’re welcome. *wink
However, I do think if you wanted to just go after it you could commit one or two weekends to this project and knock it out.
How Can I Create a Thrifty Rustic Cottage Table Makeover?
1. What to Look for in a Thrifted Table to Create a Cottage Table Makeover
When you are searching for your thrifted table pay the most attention to the bones of the piece. I was looking for a rectangular table that would fit out space and what I wanted most was turned legs. Turned legs on a table look so classic to me so I knew that shape would fit into my cottage style decor. It’s such a simplistic yet beautiful rustic look.
The next thing I was looking for was a solid wood table. If you are wanting to refinish a wood piece it becomes infinitely more complicated if the entire piece is not made of solid wood.
It took a lot of patience to find a table just the right size and shape, but I finally found one for $50 on facebook marketplace!
I just wrote a post sharing my 10 secrets to scoring big on facebook marketplace. Utilizing many of those tips are what finally lead me to my table. Be sure to read my 10 secrets here!
2. Determine Whether You Want to Sand or Strip
If you look up sanding vs. stripping, you will find that most suggest that stripping is best because it’s faster and safer. This may be true in a case where the piece is painted. It’s definitely safer to scrape off old paint rather than possibly breathe it in as you sand it off.
However, in the case of our dark wood stained table I found it best to start with sanding for two reasons.
- In the past, I have experienced starting with a stripper and the stripper not doing much. Given that a table is a high traffic piece, I knew it would be possible that it had a strong poly type finish on the surface. In my experience, a poly finish doesn’t easily come off with strippers. In the spirit of not wasting time and getting discouraged by a step that didn’t work, I decided to go straight to the sanding.
- Given the turned legs and many nooks and crannies on this table, I found the idea of all that scraping daunting. It’s much easier to get into all those tight spots with sanding.
We sanded the entire piece until we got to the raw wood and all the finish was removed. Using a simple electric orbital sander we started with an 80 grit and this removed most of the finish. Then we moved to a 120 grit, then a 220 to smooth the wood.
3. Use a Wood Conditioner
I chose to use a wood conditioner. I wanted to do this because we sanded the wood down so much it was possibly very porous. I didn’t want to risk my stain going on patchy and uneven. I used minwax wood conditioner and I’m very pleased with the results!
You could think of wood conditioner like a makeup primer. It fills the areas that could drink up more stain and evens out the surface so that the stain will go on evenly with no blotches.
It’s super simple to apply. Just paint it on or dip a rag in the conditioner and apply it that way. Wait about 15-20 minutes for it to dry and then you’re ready to stain!
* We have since also used wood conditioner when we refinished out old farmhouse floors and it was an absolute game changer! I would never stain something without it!
4. Choose Your Stain to Create a Cottage Table Makeover
In my case, once the table was sanded the pine was still very yellow. I wanted more of a warm neutral tone so I knew I needed to combat the yellow in my stain choices.
I ended up with a 3 stain formula dilute with mineral spirits.
Stain Formula to Create Warm Wood on Yellow Pine:
Basic Formula:
- 1 part – pickled oat by minwax (plus a little extra)
- 1 part – early american by minwax
- 1 part- weathered oak by minwax
- 1 part – mineral spirits
Measured Formula
I used 1/4 cup of each (plus an extra 2 tablespoons of pickled oak)
Applying the Stain
I’m no pro. This was my first time staining a large piece of furniture. I tried a few tools to apply the stain and I ended up liking using a microfiber rag most of all.
Between using the wood conditioner and this type of rag I found that the stain went on very evenly. Apply in the direction of the wood grain for the most natural results.
To achieve the color I desired on my particular piece, I used two coats of stain.
5. Choose Your Finish
To keep things looking natural, I knew I wanted to avoid a high gloss finish.
But, it’s the main table in our home and it will have a rough life. I love the beauty of a wax finish, but In the end I choose a clear urethane satin finish. I had been told by my dad that oil based poly finshes are the most durable but they tend to yellow.
I really wanted to neutralize the yellow in the pine, so I did choose a water based finish that’s as durable as possible.
I used Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane indoor/outdoor in clear satin. It is water based which is not as tough as an oil based urethane. However, I have heard that poly urethane can leave a yellowish finish and I am already trying to combat the yellow in the table.
So far, I’ve been pleased with the protection we are getting from the spar urethane.
How to Create More Character for Your Thrifty Rustic Cottage Table Makeover
This will only apply if you are making over a dark piece of furniture and going light. But one thing I love to do is leave some of the dark stain in the crevices of the piece.
I love doing to this because it adds such a beautiful aged look to the piece. It adds texture and dimension as well!
Plus, it’s a huge bonus to not have to get into those tiny crevices and sand them down.
If you are not starting with a dark finish like me, you could totally use a dark antique wax or even brown paint to create the same type of effect.
How Much Will it Cost to Refinish a Cottage Style Table?
Obviously, it will all depend on the original cost of the table you want to refinish. I found my vintage table for $50 on facebook marketplace. I then needed to purchase 3 half pint stain colors, one half pint wood conditioner, and one quart sized finishing coat. We borrowed mineral spirits from my dad and we already had the sand paper we needed.
Add it all together and our rustic cottage table makeover comes to:
- $50 for the table
- $35 for stain
- $8 for wood conditioner
- $0 for mineral spirits (we borrowed from my dad)
- $0 for sand paper (already owned what we needed)
FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF: $93!
For fun, I searched “turned leg dining table” on wayfair and found this one that looks very similar to my table except it’s smaller (and in my opinion has less character.) and guess how much?
$599.00!
So with a little patience and elbow grease we were able to save $500 and get our perfect sized table that fits our exact needs!
Worth it!
PIN FOR LATER
You Might Also Like:
How To Paint Laminate Furniture With No Sanding
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No Sew DIY Vintage Curtains From a Bedskirt
Thank you for joining me on this little adventure in creating a thrifty rustic cottage table makeover!
This table has made such an impact on my space and I’m so glad we took the time to create exactly what I had envisioned.
If you have something specific in mind for your table, I encourage you to go for it! A table really sets the tone the for entire dining area. It’s the heart of the space.
Refinishing a table was not as complicated as I originally thought, it just requires some time and patience.
But I can whole heartedly say that it was totally worth it and I love my table!
What do you think? Would it be worth it to you?
Have a lovely day Friends!
@lovinggracehome
