Category Archives: Decor
Zigzags and chevrons
Although I didn’t make it to Target until after 7pm, I was still able to score some great pieces from the Missoni for Target line yesterday. I feel lucky to have found items I wanted given all the chaos reported in the news. Looked like the clothes, shoes and accessories were the hot items at my local store. I saw many bare racks. It’s amazing what a good marketing campaign will do! I have shopped at Target’s seasonal collections for a couple years now and I have never seen anything like this.
I’ll start with my favorite purchase – this black and white zigzag container. It’s huge, chunky and quite heavy. I see it sitting on a bookcase in my office… or maybe in our living room. Regardless, I expect it will be a perfect addition to our decor.
Second on my wish list was this aqua and black stripe pillow. It’s loud and a little hypnotizing if you look at it long enough. Not sure if it’s going to work in our bedroom with my current linens, but I love the pattern and really want to make it work.
This purple chevron stoneware platter is a bolder print, but the colors work well with our house. I can always use another serving dish for entertaining. It’s stoneware like the container so it’s nice and substantial. I want to use this in my winter decorations.
I also bought two glass holders for candles. These guys were my crazy purchase, but at $5.99 each I think I can handle it. I see them part as fall decor around the house or holding pens on my desk.
Overall I spent $87.00 on my purchases. It’s a little more than like to spend at Target for home decor, but I really love all the stuff I bought. Plus I know I will actually use all of the purchases in my house and didn’t just buy them for the hype.
I have heard rumors that Target stores will be restocking so if you had your heart set on something make sure to check back later this week. Their website also has a handy feature to check stock at your local stores so you can avoid an unsuccessful trip. Happy Hunting!
How I went from grandma table to surf retro
Thanks for all the congratulations on the table! I am so glad everyone loves it as much as we do.
How I gave my grandma’s dining table a beach makeover
Supply List
Here’s the products I used for this project. They worked really well for me, but there certainly are other comparable products out there.
- Electric Sander (I use a Mikita that I purchased for around $30)
- 80-grit, 220-grit, 360-grit sandpaper
- Zinsser Cover Stain Oil Primer
- Rust-oleum Spray Primer
- Rust-oleum Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2x Spray Paint in Gloss White
- Rust-oleum Painter’s Touch in Gloss White
- Behr Eggshell Latex in Aqua Spray
- ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape with Edge-Lock in 1″
- Newspaper and Dust cloths
- Minwax Wipe-on Poly in Clear Gloss
- Gloves
- Mask
My #1 Tip
If I had to do this project again, I would have sanded just a little more at the beginning to get the surface as smooth as possible. So, my #1 tip is to take your time during each step of the project so you get it right.
As I showed you two days ago, I started by sanding the heck out of the top and legs of the table. I didn’t think I could remove the laminate finish on the top so I settled for roughing it up a lot. I started with a medium grade 80-grit paper and worked up to a fine grade 220-grit paper.
Then I flipped the table on its back so I could prime and paint the legs and any visible parts of the underneath. I sprayed about two coats of the primer and 2-3 thin coats of the Painter’s Touch. I lightly sanded it down between primer and paint to smooth out drips and rough spots.
With the bottom dry, I flipped the table upright to work on the table top.
Using my handy 24″ quilting ruler, I measured out the stripe pattern on the table top. I started by measuring the center of each table leaf and then measured out each stripe. The pattern was a 2″ aqua stripe flanked by a 1/2″ white stripe and 1″ wood stripe.
Each panel had to match its neighbor so I started on the middle leaf and worked out connecting all my marks into lines before triple checking all my measurement again.
Taking a deep breath, I then taped off my 1″ wood grain stripes as straight as possible following my pencil lines. The tape was one continuous piece to ensure all the leaves matched up. Once the tape was applied, I rubbed it into the wood with my finger to make sure it didn’t have any bubbles.
Also before taping, I had extended the table so I had about 1/4″ between each leaf. This way the paint couldn’t pool between the leaves and I could easily clean up any drips.
I was a little worried about the laminate finish. Would the paint stick to it? I used a oil based primer to make sure. Nate and I had used it on our hallway cabinets and really loved the results.
Two thin coats of primer were applied and then let to dry for 24 hrs before sanding down with 220-grit sandpaper. The primer stuck to the laminate really well. The stuff is truly amazing and well worth using.
The following day, I applied Rust-oleum Painter’s Touch in Gloss White to the primed table top. I started with spray paint, but quickly changed to the actual paint. (I just bought a pint of the paint sold in the same section the spray paint is found.) I applied two thin coats, let it dry for 24 hrs then sanded yet again with the 220-grit paper.
With all the white layers done, I decided to removed the tape to check that my wood stripes worked before continuing in case I have to change plans. I was really worried that the primer may have leaked. Amazingly, it hadn’t. The Scotch Edge Lock worked like magic and left sharp clean wood stripes. I was so excited I made Nate come outside to see and did a little happy dance.
Next up was the 2″ center stripe. I lightly sanded again just in case there was any edges from the tape. Then measured out the center stripe and taped it off with my magic tape.
I decided to try out a great tip I read for getting foolproof stripes. By sealing the tape with your original color before painting the stripe, any leakage under the tape will be the original color so the stripe should be clean. So I sealed the tape with a little white paint and let it dry before adding the aqua color. (I couldn’t use this tip with the wood stripe since I didn’t have a color to seal the tape with.)
When the paint was dry, I painted two thin coats of Behr Aqua Spray down the middle and let the paint dry overnight.
When I removed the tape this time, I bunch of the white undercoat came up with it. The stripe was nice and clean, but I did touch up the white 1/2″ stripes a bit before sanding the table one last time with the 220-grit paper.
Nate and I moved the table back inside for the polyurethane coats to make sure we didn’t get any dirt or bugs in it. The wipe-on poly is really easy to apply with a clean cloth. It usually dries in 2-3 hours, but it’s been pretty warm here so each coat took much longer.
I had two box fans on and the table still took about 7 hours to dry between coats. I sanded with very fine 360-grit paper between the coats. The final coat was allowed to dry for 24 hours before we used it.
And there you go – the finished table!
The table has gotten lost of use these last few nights. We even hosted our fantasy football draft on it Tuesday night.
My retro surf dining table
The last two weeks I have been refinishing my grandma’s dining table. Here is the big reveal with before and after photos. Project details will be following in the next post.
Before
After
My dining table was originally purchased by my grandparents in the 1960′s. It served as the household’s hub of activity for 40 plus years. Countless family meals, bridge games and holiday feasts all were stationed at it.
I inherited it when we bought our house. I loved the table’s versatility. It can seat four to ten people easily with four removable leaves. I also am a sucker for the sentimental and cherish all the childhood memories I have sitting at it.
But that didn’t mean I would leave it as is. The table needed a makeover. The top was some sort of heavy duty laminate I didn’t want to keep. The table was scratched and its legs all banged up. There was even petrified gum on the underside from when my uncles and aunts were kids.
My first thought was to paint it all white, but then I thought why not make it playful? Our house is a mismatch of mid century modern lines with punches of tropical color and personality. It’s meant for pool parties and entertaining. Our table needed some fun design.
I went with a classic racing stripe reminiscent of 1960′s surf and skate boards. After sketching out a couple different patterns, I settled on a 2″ aqua stripe flanked by 1/2″ white stripe and 1″ wood stripe.
I became obsessed with having wood stripes. It’s a nod to the original finish, plus it works so well in combination with the white and aqua. My gut said the wood stripes would work, but I was still nervous on execution.
This being my first big furniture project, I did a ton of research prior to starting. I also found some great inspiration online like this chair and coffee table.
And the result? I am in love with my table!! I am so happy with that I worked the wood into the design. It looks even better than I thought it would!
We’ve already had a chance to try it out for a couple events we’ve hosted and it held up really well. My grandparents loved a good gathering. They would be thrilled their table is now the belle of my ball.
If you are interested in the project details, I’ll post them tomorrow with a supply list. This entry is already long enough!
Day in the life
The last two weeks I have been refinishing my grandma’s dining table. It’s the first BIG furniture project I have ever taken on. Below is a photo diary of the first day. 
Get home from work. Change my clothes.
Move dining table to backyard.
Sand with 80-grit paper to scruff up finish.
Interrupted by a small tiger cat.
Take out leaves and flip table over.
Sand table legs.
Quickly prime legs and bottom of table with spray paint as the light fades.
Leave table to dry out back and make some dinner.
Flashback: Finding a portrait
When we first moved into the house, I found a drawing on the top shelf of one of the bedrooms.
We assumed it was of the previous owner – Mary Jane.
I propped it up on our stove while we figured out what to do with it.
(Yes, those are mustard yellow curtains over the stove. See the before video for a better look.)
Should we hang it in a place of honor? Should we give it back to the family?
I couldn’t decide if it was cool part of the house’s history or a little creepy since Mary Jane had passed away.
But before we could make the decision, Mary Jane’s son stopped by to introduce himself and Nate gave him the drawing. Problem solved.
I still wonder where we would have hung the drawing if we kept it and if Mary Jane would approve of all the updates we have made.
Seat cushions, why not?
The weather forecast looks very, very hopeful for a real Summer coming soon.
This great news makes me feel bold. It’s time to get our place ready!
With a bunch of free outdoor fabric (thanks Mom!), I am going to attempt to recover our outdoor seat cushions after my success with the sofa pillows.
The cushions belong on these chairs. We purchased them two summers ago when it came apparent we needed somewhere for people to sit outside. You can read the whole post, but I got a great closeout deal on these guys.
The cushions that came with the chairs worked out fine at first, but they have declined rapidly over the last two years. With the free fabric (thanks again Mom!), it made sense to replace the cushions now.
I started by ripping apart one of the old cushions to use as my pattern pieces last night. (Loki thought the old fabric would be a perfect place for a nap this morning.)
Tonight I try my first cushion. I don’t have to pre-wash the outdoor fabric so I am ready to go. Still deciding if I will add a zipper or Velcro along the back, but I have both on hand.
Here goes nothing!
