Table Makeover Progress Report

I wish I had more to show you, but it's been a busy week and with Mother's Day last weekend, not a lot of Junky stuff got done. Plus, this is a BIG project...remember this:

This drop-leaf table was out at the curb a few weeks ago, in the rain, and it walked across the street and landed in my garage. Well, while some people might see it as a lost cause, I see potential.

Real wood is amazing to work with - you can sand it, drill it, plane it, reinvent it - if you see a thrown away piece of wood furniture, try to look past the yuk and see it how it might look. If it doesn't work out, no harm done, right?

These are seriously chippy legs. Plus they're split part way, but they still seem sturdy enough.

I started by flipping it over to see how it was constructed:

Basic bolted legs, and screwed onto the frame. Don't be afraid of getting a screwdriver out and taking things apart. Just try to keep everything together. I've done so much furniture construction/deconstruction that as long as I have the parts, I can figure out where they belong. If you're new to it though, put the pieces together so you know which bolts, nuts, screws, etc go with what pieces. Tape it all together if it helps.

There was some warping of the wood from being wet and it was looking a little black in spots:

The whole thing was getting a bleach cleaning to kill any mold and a sanding, so everything was taken apart:

Yuk

The bottom of the legs were really yukky and the plastic feet were nailed on. This is how not to pry off a nailed on plastic table leg foot:

Not a good pry-er off-er. Oops.

They came off with a little more force from a screwdriver and pliers. Tetanus shot anyone?

Partway into sanding, the wood was looking better (?) - sanded wood is on the left:

but the tabletop also fell apart in pieces. Oh well, that's what glue is for, right? I didn't worry too much because the frame would hold together what the glue doesn't. Be sure to use wood glue - it'll make the bond stronger than the wood itself...but only if the wood fits snugly...which mine doesn't because of the warping. Oh well, I glued it anyway.

The first pieces glued and clamped with bungee cords and left overnight:

After the gluing was done, the main table piece (without the drop-leaves) was flipped over - see the warp in the wood?

Here it is, all cleaned, sanded, and put back together with the frame on the bottom. It's warped, but honestly it has a TON of character this way. See the legs in the background? The paint on them was chipping off during handling, and they needed a good sanding. There's a lot less paint on them, but with what I have in mind, they should work just fine with the tabletop. Big plans are in the works for this baby, but this is where the project ended today. More work on it tomorrow, unless something else distracts me ;)

Being out in the rain and whatever else this table has gone through has aged it beautifully!

I hope you like seeing the 'in-progress' and aren't too upset that there isn't a big reveal. This is a rather large project, but a lot of fun for me. Oh, and I am working on another big project so maybe you can cut me some slack if I show you this sneak peek:

How's that for a tease? Oil rubbed bronze! So pretty. This little project is coming together nicely too...

Until then, happy crafting!

Linking to these great parties:

Debbie Doos Newbie Party

Decor Chick's Anything Goes Party