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refinishing drop leaf table, 2 chairs

19 years ago

Hi, Everyone! I just inherited a small drop leaf table (round)and two chairs. They were my son's, he bought them at a thrift store and has now moved out of the apartment and doesn't want them. I fell in love with the table! I don't know what I will do with them, I was thinking of putting in our spare bedroom that is for my granddaughters when they spend the night with us for them to color and play. They are all wood and the table top needs to be sanded for sure. I can't decide whether to stain or paint them. Anyone have any suggestion? I will try to post a picture when my son gets home with his digital camera. I know there must be some really cute ideas because there are some very creative, talented people on this forum, of which I am not, but I can do the work when given suggestions! TIA, Nancy

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Comments (4)

luvstocraft
19 years ago
I'd keep it too, those are wonderful, versatile tables. If it were mine, I'd probably paint it white and paint roses on it. But since you are thinking about the girls using it, how about just decoupaging some paper dolls or other pics to the top and then putting a sealer over them. Nice thing is that you can always sand it down and refinish it when they are through with it. If you do refinish it, think about maybe getting a piece of plexiglass to cover the top so they can use it and not ruin the top. Luvs
susiesunshine
19 years ago
Howdy - nanaofive:
Describe your room - what decor do you tend to lean towards, / do you like the Mary Engelbright look or the McKinzie Childs, or something like that for little girls,
or do you want it to be more adult....painted, stained etc.
I think the table as you described it sounds darling!
and I know you will get quite a few ideas ... robolay, luvs,thrift shop romantic, they all have so many wonderful ideas,,, many other Garden Web people men, and women have fantastic projects...
and just sooooooo many creative things you can change it several times.
Thanks for sharing the start of the project with us
Keep us informed...
God Bless !
susiesunshine
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You might not find anything - many older pieces are pretty unique, and no one has put most of them on the internet. Don't quote me on this, but the wood grain to me suggests pine on the legs, and on the top, possibly plywood over hardwood - you can sometimes see the board edges through the stain if this is the case. Together this would make it a less valuable piece, and probably from the 30-40s. It's a cute little thing and practical, nothing to be embarrassed about having in the house, but not heirloom quality (and even with heirloom quality, if you don't have space you don't have space). Karin L
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http://www.ethanallen.com/product?productId=1330&categoryId=8023 This is my table except mine is one tone with the legs matching the table in an Autumn Cherry color. The wooden sides for the drop sides extend to the end of the table. My table also had the option of the middle leaf piece to make the table oval and bigger and the options of many styles of chairs to choose from and I could decide how many chairs to buy. I remember paying $1800.00 about 12 years ago with sales tax and shipping for this table, the middle insert piece that was solid wood and very sturdy and the 4 Wheatback chairs and deferred payment for 3 months at 0% after I received the table and chairs. My father felt I overspent but he was not paying for it and no one helped me ever in life so I bought what I thought would suit my needs while looking nice and I now feel I got a good deal with the quality. new country by ethan allen drop leaf dining table item# 336603 $899 A great small room solution. Wherever floor space is at a premium, a flexible drop leaf table seems to fit. Our smallest version features four fixed classic turned legs and a smooth top. Open it to seat four; close it for a party of two. more details 43" dia x 30" h dimensions with leaves down: 43"l Ã 28 1/4"w smooth top turned legs combination finishes feature Toast (210) table top and choice of Cotton or Charcoal finish apron and legs Here is a link that might be useful: new country by ethan allen drop leaf dining table
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Oly, you're spot on, so I passed on it. Leaves aren't rock solid either. My current table is a Jacobean revival. It's ok but not rustic enough for my taste, not to mention that my Parsons chairs don't fit between the legs :( (looks pretty much like this, but this is not my table) I also have a beautiful antique cherry table which has one leave right now but could be pulled out to 8 feet? However, it would require an additional leave to be made. Not to mention that I hate seeing it destroyed by my messy family members. Maybe I just let them wreck it???? Thanks so much, Cyn, for posting the tables, but I need one that can seat at least 8 people. I'm basically looking for a farmhouse table, and to complicate matters further, I also like the Arhaus Tao table... Indecision paralysis, which is why I don't want to plunk down 2K.
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Nice satinwood accents and banding inlays. Definitely better than the current crop of institutional furniture. There were really cool pieces in the Brookings Institution after WWII as well. I would like a better pic of the detail where you can see the end grain transitioning into the tabletop just where you can see a glue joint. Right now I would have to say by default it's veneer, until I can see the seam in the end grain and the face grain aligned. Very light mahogany, where it's clear enough to tell (legs and apron). Casey
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des_arc_ya_ya
19 years ago
Don't know how old your grandkids are, but I tore out illustrations and nursery rhymes from an old dilapidated book and decoupaged them to the tabletop. I first painted it with an apple green color to match my 50's kitchen decor. Kids are now too big and the table and chairs are stored! :(

Good luck - let us see what you decided to do.
scrappyjack
18 years ago
I like the decoupage idea. If you do too, do you need any books? After raising 3 readers...some of their favorites cannot even be donated to a thrift shop! I'm sure I have some Little Golden Books and maybe a Beatrix Potter I could donate!

Jackie

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