The Table is DONE!

The table is finally complete, well almost...

It is as complete as we need it to be for now:

Those notches you see on the underside are for the extensions we made.  This is the part that is nearly complete, but not quite.  I haven't put the protective coat on the extensions yet - but here is what they will look like....just imagine them a bit shinier and one on each end:

 

And, I couldn't resist decorating the table a bit.  

We need a different rug, and the light fixture needs to be lowered and the center piece will probably change as I have a vision of a vase with white branches and ornaments, and we need curtains and a couple more chairs for the ends and the walls need to be painted and decorated.....but that is all beside the point - WE HAVE A FINISHED TABLE! ONE THAT I AM PRETTY DANG PROUD OF!!! Thanks Collin, for the help building it!

Oh, and I can't forget.  The chairs were a craigslist find, that I painted white.  I would like two more parson chairs for each end of the table - maybe Santa will bring them to me ;)

Speaking of Christmas, I also started decorating a bit early this year.  We will be out of town for Thanksgiving and I'd like the house to be in the Christmas spirit when we return!

That white thing is the top of my parents old pantry doors.  I painted it white and we'll use it to put the Christmas cards on once they start rolling in.  

I love this time of year, and I can't wait to kick off the Holiday Season with Thanksgiving back home this week!

Another Table Update

We have ourselves a completely assembled table, plus two extensions.  

 

It even passed the stability test!

Next up, sanding and then picking the perfect color of stain. 

Table Progress

We purchased the supplies

Reviewed the plans and read directions for new tools

 

Cut all the wood

 

Carved out some notches (who knew that saw dust created "sparkly" photos?)

Started assembling

Sanded the notches for a more accurate fit once the frame was assembled

Played some baseball with the parking tennis balls

 

And ended up with a tabletop that is ready for the legs

Next weekend we will finish the assembly of the table by adding legs and making the extensions. 

Building Day!

Today, my brother and I (and maybe the husband will even help too!) are going to try our hand at my very first building project.  I'm going to build us a new farmhouse style dining room table! 

Here are the plans I created for our custom sized table.  Cross your fingers I did all the math right!

I'll be back in a few days to let you know how it went.

**disclaimer: measurements ended up being off, as the wood measurements were not 1/2" shorter like I had anticipated.  If following these plans, take actual wood measurements vs. store labeled measurements in to consideration. 

Eagles are cool..

When you see them flying through the sky - not when you see them as handles on a dresser. 

(once again, I forgot to take a true before picture.  bottom row from LtoR: doors for the bottom, close up of handles, drawer for the top.)

I transformed that old dirty thing in to this...

 

There isn't a step by step with this one - mostly because I forgot to take pictures every step of the way.  But the gist is that we sanded it down, cleaned it up, redid the doors to have glass in them, did the prime paint and seal routine, added new knobs and brought it upstairs to the dining room.  Now it houses the dishes we got 3 years ago for our wedding that we never had a place to store.  In fact, we didn't take them out of their boxes until earlier this month when we hosted our first large dinner.  

This was the first step to our dining room progress.  As most rooms, the progress in this one will be very slow.  But, my vision looks a little something like this:

Why I love DIY

I was browsing  online today, creating a Christmas wish list, when I came across this table from West Elm

 

It is going for $200!  I made my tree stump table for free - the wood was free and I had the rest of the supplies on hand.  This is why I love DIY projects, I saved myself $200!  

Tree Stump Table

When Dan came home with a truckload of wood, ready to be chopped up in to firewood, he couldn't get out his chainsaw and axe fast enough.  I, on the other hand, made sure he didn't touch any of the big stumps because I wanted one. Went a little something like this:

Dan: Look at all of this firewood, where's my axe? I don't have an axe - I need to go get an axe!
Brittney: don't touch the big pieces, I want one of those
Dan: This is a man's job, you aren't chopping wood, especially not a big piece
Brittney: I want to make a table
Dan: You want what?
Brittney: to make a table
Dan: I need an axe...chopping wood makes me feel manly....a table? really?
Brittney: set aside all the big stumps so I can pick my table
Dan: *chop, chop, chop* gosh I'm manly, I should be a lumber jack
Brittney: I want this stump for my table, don't chop this stump
Dan: I'm such a man
Brittney: will you move this stump to the front of the garage?
Dan: I'm so manly, of course I will, it's what manly men do
Brittney: Thanks, you're so manly. 

Ever want to get your husband to do something faster?  Tell them how manly it is ;) 

Back to the table...here is the play by play.

1. It started out as a normal tree stump, bark and all.  After you determine the height that you need your table and find the correct tree stump - the first step in the process is to allow the stump to dry out completely.  It sat in our garage for about 2 months, before I went to work on it, giving it plenty of time to dry out. 

2. Remove the bark from the stump.  My manly husband wanted to use his axe on this step, using an axe is really manly, after all :)

3. Convince manly husband that an axe is not needed for this step, smaller tools will do just fine.  Continue to remove all of the bark from the stump.

 

 

Supervisor Paige agrees- the claw of a hammer works perfectly

4. (I forgot to take a picture of this step) Once all the bark is removed, using a medium and fine grit sandpaper, sand the entire stump until it is completely smooth. You should be able to run your hand over the surface and not feel any roughness or hairs.

5. Make sure the stump is level.  My stump wasn't completely level, so my manly man of a husband used his grinder to grind it down and level it.  

(apparently manly men wear socks with sandals ;) )

After it was level, I continued to sand the top to make sure it was completely smooth as well.

6. Wipe down the stump to remove all dust and dirt.  I used tack cloth, but you could use a damp rag as well. 

7. Apply the polyurethane.  I used a semi-gloss finish to give it a little gloss, but you can use whatever finish you desire.  I followed the directions on the polyurethane can for drying times and also gave the stump a light sanding between coats.   I applied 6 coats of polyurethane to the top of the table and 4 coats to the sides. 

8.  Bring the table inside and enjoy the looks of a natural element in your home

While I'm enjoying the natural elements this table brings to our bedroom, Dan continues to search online for more free firewood - nothing says man like chopping wood. If some day, he decides he doesn't want to be a salesman anymore, he aspires to be a lumberjack.