Earthly Wonders: Table Restoration : Part 1

It is always fun designing and building a piece from scratch but when your restoring an item, it always has its own challenges and surprises that come with it. Every restoration is different but you can rest assured that the reward at the end is well worth it.

This specific restoration is the first of a two part blog post that we will be doing on 2 different tables that we just did for a local coffee shop here in Newmarket called Covernotes.

Now before I get into the process of restoring this beauty some of you may be wondering, like I was, the history of this table. This table has been in the owners family since the 1940's and was used for years at a children's camp owned by their mother. For years it was used for kids to sit at and eat their meals together. So fun. I find the history behind the piece being restored gets you even more excited to see it in its future glory.

The first process for this table was to remove all of the paint from the table top. This took a little longer than expected because their were so many coats, at least 7. Once they were removed it went to sanding. I started off with a really gritty paper to remove any color that seeped into the grain of the wood, slowly working to a nice 220 grit. One of the table top boards had come apart from the rest of the top so we re-glued it all back together. This table, like many farm tables from its time, was made out of pine. Because pine is a soft wood it had many marks and scratches left on it from years of use which added to the character of the table. The legs for this table were given 3 coats of an off white satin finish paint and the top was given 1 coat of a stain called 'early america' and 4 coats of satin varnish. There once was a drawer for this table but was missing so I rebuild a drawer front and used an antique brass drawer pull. The drawer for this table is not functional as it will be in a coffee shop.

I could not be more pleased with how this table turned out. I never got tired of opening the door to the shop and seeing it staring back at me, all of the history and character.

Restoring is defined as....

1. Bring back; reinstate

2. Return to a former condition, place or position

I'm not entirely sure what this table once looked like but I'm pretty sure it has been

'Brought Back' :)

Enjoy.

Before / After