', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview'); }

Southern curated

the collected home

Stay connected and get all the latest

in distressing· Furniture Makeovers· Uncategorized

Charlie's Grandmother's Table

I’m a Coffee Nut.
I came by it honest.  My Mamma lived off the stuff.  Black. 
 I’m not that hard core.
  I used to spend $10 a week on coffee and that’s just Monday through Thursday.  Do the math.  Big Daddy did and he looked at me like I had lost my mind.  That was two and a half years ago.  So for the past two Christmases he has given me a year’s supply of coffee at my favorite coffee shop:  Breuggers Bagels.  I stop there every morning at 6:35 on my way to work.  
That’s where I met Charlie.
Charlie is a retired US Marine (Hoo-rah!!) who absolutely LOVES to drive me crazy.  Let’s face it, I ain’t Mary Sunshine at 6:35 on a workday anyway.  We have a short conversation most mornings, I yell at Charlie and we both go on with our day.  
Amost a year ago Charlie followed me out to my jeep and asked me to open the hatch.  Then he started to load all these wood pieces in to it.  When Big Daddy and I reassembled it this is what we got :

Apparently, Charlie’s brother smoked.  I would have been wringing a neck or two!
I started this project by sanding the finish off of the table top.  Those burn marks were a pain to get out.  So far this is the sixth dining table I’ve refinished.  This particular table took the absolute longest to sand down.  I attribute that to the oak.
I have never been so intimidated by a piece of furniture in my life!  I have looked at this table for months and I could not for the life of me figure out what would do this thing justice.  The table belonged to Charlie’s Grandmother, then his Mother.  And Charlie chose to pass it down to me.
No pressure.
But I think I’ve figured it out.

I’m my opinion oak is hard to work with.  Hard to sand and hard to paint.  Both took a while and I am NOT a patient person.  But once I named and made friends with the heavy grain of this table, we were all a lot happier.  The hardest part was sanding those cigarette burns out.  I could still wring Charlie’s brothers neck.  
It took two plus coats of paint to cover this table.  I used my own custom mix of Americana Decor chalk paint to make this color.  It is almost exactly Annie Sloan Old White.  
Here’s the formula:
Four parts Americana Decor chalk paint in Everlasting to one part Primitive.  
It’s that simple.

And distress lightly.

I also painted more speckled bird eggs in a more neutral color.  Big Daddy says I need a job.
I hope Charlie’s Mama would be proud.
Paige

Blogs I love!

http://www.findingsilverpennies.com
http://www.stonegableblog.com
http://www.onemilehomestyle.com
http://theblissfulbee.porch.com
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net
http://theessenceofhome.blogspot.com
http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net
http://akadesign.ca
http://thecuratorscollection.com
http://seekinglavenderlane.com
http://diy-vintage-chic.blogspot.com/?m=1
http://www.thoughtsfromalice.com/?m=1
http://www.lostandfounddecor.com

Subscribe to get the latest

free goodies straight to your inbox

Comments

  2. I can not stop smiling! This is one BEAUTIFUL work of art, the story is of this table is so true of your relationship of Charlie, as I have been a witness, of the ongoing bantering between two friends that secretly, look forward to crossing paths, in the weee hours of the morning stop at Brueggers bagels.
    Your hard work, has brought this table back to life!

  3. Gorgeous table…you really brought the top back to life, Paige.
    And it's Oorah, not Hoo-rah, my daddy was a proud Marine!
    Here's to a great week…

  5. I love what you did to that oak top! You worked hard & it shows in the beauty of the oak. You could have painted it, but you must love the oak (as much as I do) to let it show itself off. Enjoy!!

bourbon & boots

Rare & Unique Southern Inspired Handcrafted Gifts

Let’s Connect

minted