Before and After

We picked up this *mostly* hardwood table on Craigslist for only $75. But it definitely needed some love. The finish on it was terrible. Any speck of water would leave a permanent white stain. Should you dare scratch the table it would leave residue under your fingernails. Seriously. Bad. So we got to work. With a whole lot of crazy sanding, staining, and painting, we had a **new** beautiful table in no time...okay, in 2 days.

I do love the way the knots in the table top came out so well when we used such a light stain. Though, during the sanding step, we were surprised to find that the table top is only an oak sheet, not one solid piece of wood, so we sanded a litle too thin in places. But I really don't mind, as it adds to the charm of the table a bit. My amazing mother did most of the work, while the idea and design was mine. 

Now we're on the prowl for some fabulous chairs and a bench.