I was planning on just painting the table black but then I came across a posting on Pinterest for aged weathered wood, similar to what Restoration Hardware is selling which I LOVE!
Couldnt get that table into the garage to be sanded fast enough.
TABLE AND BUFFET BEFORE:
I followed the Pinterest instructions using vinegar and steel wool to age the table which after many, many experiments with how long I let the steel wool sit in the vinegar. Some websites said 1 hr and that turned my oak black so resanded and tried different soaking times. 20 min seemed to work best and layer it on. This table is used in our dining room so I needed to seal and finish it. Lots of people were recommending Briwax after using this aging mixture but I had read that it provided little protection, I have a 3 and 1 yr old so didnt think that would work. I read that water based poly doesnt discolor this perfect shade of weathered gray so without thinking, started the top of the table rather than testing a small spot on a leg or something first. FRICK!! It turned it dark brown and didnt dry lighter. Crisis time as Thanksgiving is approaching. Back to garage for what I thought would be a quick sand...nope 5 hrs of hard scrubbing to get off this 1 coat of poly. Made.me.mad. So back to square one. More steel wool and vinegar to a respectable shade then finishing decisions. I decided to try this wonderfully overpriced at $20 a can Briwax that was supposed to dry clear on a little spot. Nope, dark wood.
1 COAT OF BRIWAX:
I am getting really annoyed at my little journey with this table at this point and saw AC Johnson paste wax at Ace at $10 and thought I would try. Couldnt find any reviews on this stuff but it seemed to work beautifully and didnt change the color a bit which is exactly what I wanted. 2 coats of wax and ready for my kiddies. Hope they dont destroy it but it will just add to the charm and if they take a crayon to it can always add another coat of wax to remove. Looks a smidge darker in real life and less white washed but couldnt really capture it with my camera.
AFTER:
Now just need to find some accessories for the table and a rug!
Thanks for stopping by!
