We’re pleased to bring you another exciting transformation, this time in the form of a table. The story begins when we purchased an old rickety game table at a thrift store for twenty bucks two whole years ago. We hated the old scruffy square top, but immediately knew the chunky wooden pedestal had potential. For a while we just topped it with a bigger square of wood and painted it black so it could serve as a dining room table. But it was eventually replaced with a rectangular one when we shifted the dining room into the living room, and the ol’ table happily lived in the garage for a while.
But with the warmer weather blowing in, John and I were just talking about how nice it would be to have dinner outside sans bugs and we realized that sunroom + table = dinner outside sans bugs. So we picked up a round tabletop for 40 bucks at Lowe’s and popped it onto the pedestal of yesteryear and presto:
Then all it needed was a coat of oil based primer, two coats of white semi-gloss paint followed by a few light coats of water based polyurethane to keep it food and drink friendly. And the best thing is that we had four of these fun Eames-esque chairs in the garage just waiting to be recycled in some form and two of them work perfectly for our new dining nook in the sunny sunroom (they used to be blonde wood, but we painted them to match our table).
And for all you big picture people, here’s the wide shot so you can see it in context:
I’ve been reading your posts for a few weeks now and I just can’t get over how much work you do on your house on a continual basis! The additions you make on your house are just beautiful, you must have a never ending supply of creativity….do you ever just watch tv and do nothing?? :o)I feel super lazy and uncreative after reading your blog, but also inspired! Thanks so much for posting.
WOW that looks amazing!! I am in love with your sunroom. I had one when I was really young and haven’t lived in a house with one since, and I had so many great memories in our sunroom!
It looks so good! Just found your blog and absolutely love it. So inspiring, I am considering re-painting my bathroom now!
Ahhh I love the table makeover! Such a fun project.
So pretty! And what a fun spot too, I bet you are going to love having dinner there. :)
the painted table looks awesome! I really love the white color scheme with a splash of green.
Love the sunroom..the table looks awesome! You guys are soo creative :)
Looks great… I think everything looks better with a fresh coat of white paint :)
Hey peeps,
Thanks for all the kind words. It’s amazing what a few coats of paint can do. We can’t wait to have dinner there tonight. Now to decide what to make…
xo,
Sherry (who totally watches her fair share of TV, Jackie!)
Beautiful. Looks like such a peaceful place to end the day.
Recently found your blog … LOVE IT! So much fun to read … great pictures, beautiful decorating … super fresh. Keep up the good work. Oh, and I too am very envious of your sunroom!
looks fabulous! great idea!
I love your sunroom!!! Your blog is a huge inspiration for me :)
Hey girls,
So glad you enjoyed our little table project. As the weather warms up there will be plenty of sunroom and outdoor projects to be completed so stay tuned…
xo,
Sherry
I love your table project. It looks fantastic!
You two are truly inspiring. I’m so glad that I found your website! My own creativity feels refreshed and am excited to try some new projects and look at everything in a whole new light! Thanks!
What a beautiful table. I just picked one up at the Goodwill for $25. I would love to put a new tob on it. Did you have to order it special? Do the have bigger ones?
Thanks a bunch.
Hey Fawn,
We picked up that table top a while ago, but we remember that they had at least two sizes (one smaller than ours and the one we got) but they may have had something bigger as well (and might offer a bigger one now, since it’s been a while). We’d check it out and maybe even ask someone if you can “special order” one if they don’t have one available. You can also keep en eye out for other thrift store tables that you can use the top from (maybe one with ugly legs can be paired with the one you have to completely reinvent both pieces into one perfect table! Happy hunting…
xo,
Sherry
Where did you find that square table in front of the sofa? I really like the simplicity and think it would be great as a corner table in our new living room.
Great website, BTW. I found you yesterday via ikeahacker blog.
Hey Kevin M,
That coffee table is actually another hack. It’s the original square thrift store top from the pedestal base (that we removed to make the round-topped table in the corner) on top of a cheap little lack table from Ikea! You could easily recreate the look with a thick piece of wood atop one of those $12 Ikea tables. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi Sherry,
I’m just about to paint my pedestal dining table white. I was originally going to buy one at Crate and Barrel, but I read TERRIBLE review on how soft the wood was so it dented like crazy, how the paint bubbled with any contact of a warm plate, stained real easy – anything that would be a nightmare.
So I found a thrift store pedestle table and I’ve sanded it down. I know to use an oil based primer to start. Do I use water based white paint, and water based polyurethane? I thought there were issues with painting water based paints on oil based??
I was also wondering if you had any staining issues with your white table?
Thanks for your help!
Hey Kristen,
Water based paint (aka: latex) is always what we recommend to follow one thin and even coat of oil-based primer. The infamous issue is with oil-based PAINT followed by latex paint, but oil-based primer followed by latex paint is the industry standard and the exact method that we have used many times with success. We also recommend a specific poly as others have been know to yellow the paint (not what you want if you’re going for white) so we only endorse two extremely thin and even coats (applied at least an hour apart) of Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic Protective Finish in “Clear Gloss.”
Here’s a post with more in-depth furniture painting info for your viewing pleasure: https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/02/how-to-paint-furniture/
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi Sherry,
Thanks for this tip! I’m planning on fixing up a similar table, but I was hoping to use it on our uncovered balcony. Do you have any tips for making it weatherproof? Would the Minwax poly be effective enough? We live in Texas, where it’s usually dry and warm (ugh, it’s 92 degrees today- can’t it be fall??), if that makes a difference. Thanks!
Hey Katie,
Hmm, the method above definitely won’t hold up to the elements outside. You might want to talk to the paint professional at your local hardware store to be sure you’re buying something more durable and weatherproof that will really do its job outside (maybe even Drylok?). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hey guys!
Love what you did to this table! We’re attempting to do the same, but are wondering how you attached the table top to the pedestal….thanks!
Hey Molly,
The original top was attached with long bolts that came up through the bottom and went halfway through the tabletop (so they didn’t show through on the top). We just reused them with the new tabletop (which was the same thickness so we knew they wouldn’t poke through the top). You can also just purchase a bunch of screws that are long enough to grip the tabletop from the bottom without being too long that they pop through the top and show from above. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Thanks so much for the quick reply! Your blog is the best :)
I saw above you wrote that you bought a table top at Lowe’s. I have a wrought iron patio set I scored from Freecycle, which I spray painted, but the table-top was beyond repair. The table-top you bought seems like a perfect replacement – where/what section what time of year did you purchase it? I’ve looked on both Home Depot and Lowe’s website and haven’t had any luck. I thought maybe I could grab a table top like yours, and drill and umbrella hole in the top center. What do you think?
Thank you for the great ideas…
R Raymond
Hey Rebecca,
We got it in-store at Lowe’s (Home Depot doesn’t happen to sell rounds for some reason) so you’ll need to walk in there to snag one. It should work really well for your table with a hole drilled in it, but you’ll need to waterproof it very carefully so it can stand up to the weather outside (varnish, sealant, etc- just ask the guys at the home improvement store what they recommend). The tabletop rounds can be found in the wood area over with planks and molding and table legs and stuff like that pretty much year round at our store. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I think I love all of your design choices. I may even move our table into our living room I didn’t think we had quite enough room but your blog has made me rethink that. We have a clean lined square table and we were looking for chairs similar to the ones you have paired with your table. Any suggestions on where to find some other than the obvious fall back of Ikea as we do not have an IKEA anywhere near us. Also are the ones you have fairly sturdy we have 2 little boys that can be pretty rough on our furniture.
Hey Shannon,
We got our dining chairs at Target so that’s definitely a great place to look (along with Overstock, JC Penney, and even World Market). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
HI Sherry and John
I love, love your blog! My husband and I just bought our first home and are in the middle of having our basement finished! (Neither one of us thought we had the skill savvy or time to DIY it-we wish we would have found your blog sooner!) Your home is beautiful and I enjoy your style so much that I have adopted some of your design ideas for my own home! I am in the middle of re-creating a pedestal table for our small kitchen..just curious what is the size (dimensions)of your table top? BTW-Congrats on your little beanette!
The tabletop is 36″ wide. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi Sherry & John,
i have a quick question…..we have a wood table and chairs we bought on craigslist that are painted black….i would really like to paint the table a bright white but was wondering if we could have to completely sand off every single piece to remove the black??? i saw you took your black pedestal to white and was wondering if we could take the table and chairs from black to white? will this be lots of work or should we just redo the table in black?
Oh yeah just sand as much as you can but there’s no need to get all the black off. The key is the oil-based stainblocking primer. One thin and even coat of that will block bleed and then you can follow that with two or three thin and even coats of latex paint. Good luck!
xo,
s
I would like to replace our deteriorated table top on our outdoor patio set and this idea seems perfect. I found the table top like the one on your table at Lowe’s, but it specifically states on the packaging “not intended for outdoor use”. Can you think of a reason why I shouldn’t be able to use it as a patio table if I weatherproofed/sealed it well?
Thanks! I love your blog, keep up the great work!
Erin
Hmm, I would worry that even if you poly it, moisture would get into seams and get absorbed in the wood itself and it’ll completely fall apart/go haywire on you. Maybe if you caulk all the seams and nail holes really well so water can’t get in it’ll work?
xo,
s
Hi Sherry, I have a question.I’m in the middle of painting my oak dining table to black.
I have sanded , prime (using spray) and paint (oil based gloss paint) the chairs black but the finish is not so great.(maybe i did not sand well or the primer was not very even when I sprayed them-i don’t know really-my first time in painting furniture!)
What should I do so that the dining table do not meet the same fate?
Thanks
Definitely don’t spray! Apply stain blocking primer with a small foam roller and follow that with semi gloss latex paint (also applied with a small foam roller). Check out our Projects page (see the link under our header?) for a full furniture painting tutorial (and a lot more tips). Good luck!
xo,
s
Random question. What size is this pedestal table? It’s perfect size for what I need. Thank you! LOVE your blog!!
It’s 36″!
xo
s
Where did the pedestal piece come from? I love this table and I have been trying to find one at a decent price but this would be a great solution.
Thanks Jessica! It was from a local thrift store.
xo
s
Wow, so beautiful! I love it.
this design looks quite nice for two people.