Duncan Phyfe Table Makeover

So, we are getting ready to put our house on the market. That means we need to do some major cleaning, repairing and PRAYING. It also means the Porch, the place where I paint, hammer, sand, and generally make a big ole mess, needs to be pretty and pristine! So, I told Hubby I was swearing off any more projects until after we move.

Enter Duncan Phyfe table.

So, I'm at a thrift store with my kiddo when I spot it! A gorgeous (and by "gorgeous" I mean scratched up and heaped in a corner) antique table with four chairs. It's a bit pricey, but still a good deal. But then I remember my promise! No more Porch projects! So, I resist. I am so proud of myself. I get a cookie.

Then a week later, I'm at the same thrift store. This time, with Hubby. There's that pretty table and chairs. I wander innocently over and check out the price tag and... holy moly! It's dropped by 20 bucks! I start gesticulating wildly to get Hubby's attention. I'm pretty sure he pretended not to see me. But when I let out a high-pitched squeal he (and everyone else in the store) was forced to look. I did a little happy hop while pointing madly with both hands. Poor hubby. He didn't stand a chance.

"Last one! Promise!" I said as we stuffed the table with its four chairs and four extra leaves into the back of our van.

Deciding how to refinish this bad boy was a real challenge. I gave about five second's thought to sanding it and giving it a drift wood finish (like my OWN dining set). Then I remembered I HATE sanding, and it takes forever, and paint is SOOOOO much easier. So, painting it was!

Next, I thought, "What color? What kind of technique? Do I add words? Do I do some kind of fancy grain sack stripe down the middle?" Then I remembered all that stuff takes TIME. And I needed to get this done double quick if I ever wanted to list our house for sale.

So, I did a layer of Zinsser primer. Then a layer of paint. I don't know what to call this color... so let's call it "antique linen" because that sounds better than "sorta beige." It was leftover from painting some room or other. It's not quite white, but definitely not beige. I hate the sound of that word!

After the coat of antique linen latex paint was dry, I grabbed my sanding block and some fine sandpaper and went over the whole, MASSIVE 8 feet of table. All four leaves. Yep. That puppy got some serious chippy goin on! It's nice because I get the distressed effect, plus the added bonus of the white primer showing through just a bit--gives it dimension.

The chairs got the same treatment along with a new dress to boot! They were an ugly green-rug-from-grandma's-kitchen kind of fabric, and needed something new. This was an ORDEAL. I could NOT decide on fabric. At all. I had a bolt of green with pink flowers in my HAND. Then I spied a pretty patterned fabric in a robins egg blue. The other fabric was a quick-the-fabric-guy-at-Walmart-is-leaving-so-hurry-up-and-choose kind of decision. I bought three fabrics and used two of them. I guess the other one will be a pillow in some future blog post.

All-in-all this was a relatively quick redo--mainly because of necessity and partly because my wrist was giving out and I needed these DONE. Now.
I do LOVE how it all turned out, though.

I'd do it again.

Just don't tell Hubby. ;)