a before and after

Shortly after we moved into our house last May I was on the hunt for a new dining table. The one I had my eye on was just too pricey. We had so many expenses with the move and with all of the projects we had in store, so I was on the lookout for a real deal. Plus, I actually like refinishing furniture - what a great way to make a piece truly your own! - so I was not afraid to look at St. Vinny's, antique shops or Goodwill to find what I was looking for. You can get a piece of such better quality, though used, than what a lot of new furniture stores sell. And much to my delight I found almost a carbon copy of the dining table I had had my eye on - the one that was too pricey! The difference, was the color of the wood. Here's a before shot I snapped with my camera phone at good ole St. Vinny's.

right style, shape, and size but so the
wrong color

Once I found this "diamond in the rough", it was a matter of being able to fit the table in my car, so I paid for the table, had St. Vinny's hold it for me, and my dad was kind enough to go pick it up later with his Subaru. With my dad's help we were able to pick up the table - I should also add that he deserves sainthood due to the amount of help he lent as he stripped the wood for me. He then delivered the stripped down table to my house where I finished it with sanding, paint and polyurethane. Here's the after shot:

the finished project!

I also stripped, painted and reupholstered the accompanying chairs (found at an antique shop - 4 chairs for $28, I kid you not!). Oh, and I failed to mention the table happens to be Ethan Allen and I paid a whopping $49! Not bad, right?