Wednesday, January 8, 2014

A Table That Fits

In 2001, we knocked down a wall in our utility room to create an entry way,


built a window seat, 


sold our circular oak table and ordered a custom table to fit the proportions of the tiny dining room,


and voila, we had a dining room we loved.


BUT, Steve has hated the custom built table since the day it arrived - he thought it was too short and narrow.


On New Year's Eve day, Steve and I drove into Los Angeles and hand picked reclaimed wood from a recycler to create a new table top for our existing table.


Steve cut the wood to the right length, glued the 5 boards together and attached the new table top to the existing table base.


We wanted a rough look to the table, but we knew we also didn't want to get splinters every time we sat at the table.


So Steve began the messy process of sanding, brushing, more sanding, more brushing - 


all in the dining room because the table top is so heavy and we didn't know if it would fit through the door if we worked outside.


Next came 5 coats of urethane to protect the wood from spillage and our fingers from splinters.


And finally, last night, we at dinner on our new tabletop.


We are over the top happy with the rustic look and the larger size.


I can put a centerpiece on the table and leave it while we eat.


If you look closely, you can see the distance from the edge of the chair to the edge of the table is different from the first tabletop to the second.


This new rustic tabletop gives us about 5 inches more on each side and edge of the table.


Now I want to paint the table base and chairs in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Old White.

My project list in 2014 isn't getting shorter because each project triggers 5 more projects.

Such is life!

. . . . . . . . 

I am joining these lovely bloggers

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays

Jennifer Rizzo - Fabulously Creative Friday

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson - Share Your Cup

Rose Chintz Cottage - Home

Ivy & Elephants - What's It Wednesday

No Minimalist Here - Open House Party

Beyond the Picket Fence - Under $100 Link Party

74 comments:

  1. I love the color of the new table top! It came out beautiful!

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  2. Love the new tabletop. Great job. Looks great with the colorful chairs!

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  3. Well done. It looks beautiful!

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  4. I love it Carol! It truly has a farmhouse style. The larger size is much nicer and your hubby did a fantastic job! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  5. Oh, I love how it turned out!! I have always wanted wood floors that have that rustic look. Perfection!

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  6. Oh yes, much better size!! The planks of wood you used made a gorgeous table top! Amazing the difference it makes in your dining room.
    Mary Alice

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  7. That is gorgeous Carol! Steve did a fabulous job. I am looking forward to seeing the paint job on the base and chairs. Enjoy....VIcky

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  8. It definitely looks bigger and the rustic look has been achieved! Very clever solution! It looks great.

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  9. LOVE your "new" table! It is gorgeous? Great job!

    Judy

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  10. It looks beautiful and you all did a great job.

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  11. I so love your new table. But then, I love just about everything in your house.

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  12. Way to go, Steve ~ nice job!!

    But white paint the table base and chairs??? I think they are perfect as is!!

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  13. What a great idea! Steve did a fantastic job. It looks great, and no doubt you will enjoy many wonderful meals on this table. Perfect for playing with your dishes too. '-)

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  14. I can't tell you how much I love your table. The idea is terrific and the finish came out just perfect. In fact, it looks very much like a coffee table I have that I paid out the you know what for. And I think white chairs will look outstanding. Great job, both of you!

    XO,
    Jane

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  15. Love your new table top...it's beautiful. My hubby built our table back in 1985 and it is needing repainted and I'm thinking about painting the legs white or just repainting the blue color that they are now. I think whatever color you go with...it will look awesome!!
    hugs,
    Cindy

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  16. Great table. I would love one like it. I like the chairs as they are-very cheerful and fun.

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  17. I love it! I have a table that the hubby made 14 years ago...he took off of work to stay home with our home schooled children so I could be at the hospital with my Mom...the last week of her life. While it was a sad time for us...I so cherish my table. It brings of a flood of memories back to me. But now... I wish it were darker on the top like yours and a different finish. I'd also like to chalk paint the bottom portion.
    I'm wondering how you will get your table out if you ever have to?
    Anyway-- it looks gorgeous. Steve did a great job. I'm also jealous of the sandals. Is it really that warm there?
    :) - Pat

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  18. I think it turned out so great! Amazing what a few inches can do. Mimi

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  19. Your new table top looks like a perfect size. Very nice. Your plans for the chairs sound great.

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  20. Oh Carol, Steve did an outstanding job on your table. I love it. Now you will have more room. It's beautiful!
    Mary

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  21. Carol, what a gorgeously rich patina, splinter free, spillage protected work of art, that will do double duty as a table, to be enjoyed and cherished by your family. Great job, Steve!

    Poppy

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  22. You did a super job, Carol.

    I love the chalk paint idea for the base, but I adore your chairs as they are. They are sooooo cute.

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  23. amazing how a little bit of table-space can make you feel you have so much more space to enjoy! spread out with. too fun!

    i always wonder why the new projects you are working on always seem to find a way to make more "must-do" projects appear or come to life??! maybe you never realized it was was there to beginning with until you really got a closer look. ( :

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  24. It's lovely! And I like how rustic it looks. I'm sure meals taste better on it, don't they?

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  25. Perfect size. It's amazing what a few inches can do. Your rough sawn boards remind me of our cabin walls.

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  26. My table is so important in my house ......
    Oh boy all the things I have done sitting at my table .
    I have mine for very very long
    my children grew up with this table
    Mine is 2.00 by 1.00 We can be with a lot around my table .
    It's wonderful you did this with your husband !
    Happy-new-table-year Carol

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  27. Hi Carol, Isn't it amazing what a few more inches can do for a tabletop. Your new dining table looks great and I love the rustic style of it with your bright chairs. Just fabulous!! I know too well how one project leads to another and the list can grow instead of shorten. You and your hubby are a team!
    Enjoy dining on your new table top. Hugs

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  28. Forgot to say, I love your new blog header!!

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  29. That looks so fabulous! I love the new nook!!

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  30. I love the new look of your table, and now you've got more elbow room, too! Great job replacing the top!

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  31. It's just lovely, enjoy it! Isn't is great to have a handy hubby? ;)

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  32. Your table looks great, Carol. The right size table is so important to your everyday life. After all, you eat on it three times a day. Enjoy!

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  33. What a difference it makes! And I love the warm color of the wood. You both did a great job and I know you'll love it now! When will dinner be ready? heehee!

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  34. I love your new table but I LOVE the chairs that color. Leave them as they are because they really pop the space.

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  35. Ha! Isn't that the case! You do one thing and it just spirals into a zillion more! Let me just say that your table before was pretty but my goodness it is just stunning now friend!!! Holy Cow do I love it! I can only imagine how much you both are just over the moon for it! I can so see how much more you can fit there and the style of the top is gorgeous! Give Steve a high five for me!!! He rocked it out!!! Have fun with your new space!!! Nicole xoxo

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  36. Beautiful, and what a ton of more space! Great job!

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  37. Your new table looks lovely loving the colour of the wood gorgeous and warm.

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  38. Your new table looks wonderful glad it is a success.
    Sarah x

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  39. That reclaimed wood is absolutely beautiful! Looks like it was worth all the hard work. And I can definitely tell how much more table room you have.

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  40. Amazing job! Your new table is beautiful!

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  41. *squee* It looks fantastic! I love your new tabletop!!! It looks like you found it in the kitchen of an old farmhouse.

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  42. It is beautiful! Love the bigger table and the wood is gorgeous! Nice to have more room on the table for sure!

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  43. Carol thank you for visiting and commenting on my blog. I am so happy to find your beautiful cottage by the sea and see all that you are doing. Your new tabletop is divine. I will be visiting often. Happy New Year and Creative Blessings...

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  44. ARE YOU LOVING THIS, CAROL? I AM!

    I am very late....finals are next week and I am rushing around! I am so in love with this table top....

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  45. Table looks really awesome. Rustic is my style. ;o)

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  46. It is just beautiful. Gosh you guys are handy. Did you ever get into Country Gen? I have a gift cert. burning a hole in my wallet.

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  47. Wow! That was quite the project!
    Love your vintage table cloth and the dotty vase!

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  48. Hi!

    Thank you for your kind comment on my blog. What a lovely home you have and your table looks beautiful! Well done to you and your husband.

    Wishing you a Happy weekend!

    Madelief x

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  49. Hi Carol,
    I love the new table top! Your hubby did a wonderful job. I am loving your window too. What a beautiful view of the trees you have! And window seat too is fabulous. You have a lovely home. Thank you for sharing at my HOME and enjoy your weekend.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  50. WOW!!! I love, love, love the way that table top turned out. Great job!!

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  51. Carol, The new tabletop is wonderful and I love the stained finish...great job! Thanks for sharing your project at the Open House Party.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

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  52. Dear Carol, thank you so much for such lovely words about my blog, they made me very happy!:-)))

    About your new dining room and the table top... I did something similar in the last few weeks, I was dreaming about having a dining area close to the window with lots of light, so I kind of divided my living room in half, moved some furniture around and now we have a fantastic little second kitchen/dining area at the big window in the living room;-))) I am glad my husband let me do this :-)
    Really like your space and love the window seat:-) You guys did a great job withe the new table top!
    Have a wonderful day!

    P.S. My husband comes from Los Angeles area.:-)

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  53. Hi Carol, I'm impressed with your and your husband's creativity. That is exactly the type of kitchen table we needed, as we do have round table at the moment and its taking so much space. I think I will ask my husband if he can do the same thing. I love the transformation with the yellow paint and all.

    Thank you for sharing. Hope you have a good weekend.

    Blessings,

    Aida

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  54. Good Morning Carol, your table is wonderful. I love the reclaimed wood. I can only imagine the mess of doing all that sanding in the house, but sometimes that is the only option. That may not sound like a lot of extra space on paper, but in reality it is huge. Well, that's one check mark off your list . . . this is going to be a fun year watching all of your fabulous ideas and re-dos.
    Have a marvelous day and if you get a chance to walk on the beach, think of me . . . right now I would love to be in sunny California.
    Your blogging sister, Connie :)

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  55. Hi Carol, Nice to meet you --and thanks for your nice words on my blog… Maintaining weight is truly a LIFE-LONG process….

    Love your blog and am envious of your life on the beach…. WOW!!!!! Love your new tabletop… PERFECT…. I just read another blog post this morning talking about the chalk paint. Interesting.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  56. Love the new chunky, rustic table top. It looks like it suits the space better, and it's perfect for all your tablescapes.

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  57. The table turned out great...I love it Carol.

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  58. I love it! What a clever thing to do to just replace the top. The rustic boards are so charming and 5" on each side is a lot in a small space. I picked out my kitchen table and had it made several years ago from reworked lumber from a factory in Europe. Love it, but really need to put another finish on it.

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  59. Love Love that new tabletop...it turned out FABULOUS!! Such a pretty area!

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  60. You husband did a great job remaking that tabletop! I'm sure you like the added length as well. I love rustic tables.

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  61. I just LOVE your dining area! The table is gorgeous and I love window seats!!! Gorgeous! xoxo Jen

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  62. Carol,
    WOW, you and Steve have created an amazing new top. Love that it's made from reclaimed wood. Enjoy it!
    Vera

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  63. You're going to paint those chairs! Are you sure? I just adore them. And that new tabletop, all shined up, is gorgeous!
    Bremda

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  64. Carol I love love love it!!! What a great idea to find someone who sells reclaimed wood. It makes all the difference in the final outcome. And I shall have to remember the urethane coats for my own rustic table if I decide to bring it inside some day. Steve did a wonderful job and I can just imagine how good it feels to eat on your 'new' dining room table.

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  65. Carol,
    What a beautiful project and I can only imagine the satisfaction and pleasure you receive each time you set down to have a meal!
    Happy New Year,
    Jemma

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  66. I love THIS!! BUT OH OH don't paint those chairs---they are so so so CHEERFUL in the colors you have them! I just love it!

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  67. It's beautiful. I bet the people sitting at the end feel like they have more room now as well because of the overhang. Makes you wonder why you didn't do it a long time ago, huh?

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  68. What a fabulous table. Your hubby did a wonderful job! It's exactly like something I want.

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  69. What an incredible table ( and husband )
    It's absolutely perfect Carol -
    Oh - and please please please leave the chairs just the way they are - I love how whimsical they look in your space :)
    XOXO

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