DIY Dining Table [Round 2]

When we sold our house last summer the buyers negotiated to keep a lot of our furniture. I didn't even know that was a "thing" but they did it! It's a sore spot for David and me, but we're getting over it--if slowly. They wanted nearly every single piece of furniture we had in our home-it was so odd.  We negotiated back and forth, and I put my foot down to keep our sofa [that we had just purchased!], our arc lamp, and Theron's dresser.  They had the nerve to ask for Theron's dresser.  I mean, really? It was in my son's room holding my son's personal items. Low, I tell you.  

But I digress, I'm getting over it, remember? Haha! In the end, they got to keep a lot, including our dining room table that my sweet father-in-law custom built for us. I was rather emotional about the whole thing but he reassured us that he would build us a better table anyway! If the buyers wanted the table--let them have the table.  "Less to move" he said. He was right. 

For the last 9 or so months we lived with a $100 table and chairs set that I found off of craigslist.  

I liked them well enough but when Theron's birthday came rolling around Dan hopped to building us a new and improved table. I've shared many a time that he can build anything. It's unbelievable. He measured the space, asked me what I wanted, and about two weeks later I had a table to stain.  

With our first table I stained it a dark deep walnut color, almost the color of our floors. But more recently I have been drawn to a more gray washed & lighter/imperfect stain shades.  

I ending up searching awhile on Pinterest after a trip to Lowe's for stain turned out to be unsuccessful.  I came across this post about a custom stain made from two ready-made minwax colors [special walnut & weathered oak] and I was sold.  

There are so many tutorials on staining furniture and I basically followed them all. My father-in-law sanded the table perfectly so all I had to do was apply a pre-stain wood conditioner and then followed that with the special walnut stain.  Then I applied, I think, 4 coats of the weathered oak stain over a handful of days.  I finished it off with the water-based polycrylic top coat and brought it in for T's party. 

I think this pic was after the first two coats of walnut and weathered oak. 

Another up close shot somewhere in the process. [I think my DIY blogger card is being revoked as I type-whoops!]

The table takes up a much more substantial space in our dining room and of course has special meaning to us since it was custom built by our family for our little family. 

I think I could've gone even lighter with the stain but I love it even so!

I kept the chairs from the craigslist table and like them so much that I'm in no hurry to replace them.  I have plans to add upholstered captain's chairs on either end but I'm in no hurry to do that as well.

Those flowers were originally purchased for outside but they look pretty happy on our table indoors. 

So that's how our new and improved table is hanging. We love it and hope you guys do, too!

xoxo