The Forest Table

We found this table in the woods in Fairfax County, and it was clear that it had been there for a while.  We immediately recognized this solid-wood style of furniture from our college dorm rooms.  We thought that if we were going to be refinishing it, we would have to keep the style in mind when picking out finishes.

Here it is, in all of its "I-sat-abandoned-in-the-woods-for-a-long-time" glory.  The first thing that we tend to do when we get our hands on a new piece, before we do ANYTHING ELSE, is give it a good, solid cleaning with warm water and either dish soap or laundry detergent - which are both great at removing oily residue from woods and other finishes.  We used a soft sponge and elbow grease to get rid of any dirt, grime, and debris.

Years of exposure to the elements had warped some of the boards that make up this piece, so after we cleaned the table, we simply removed the wood boards and reattached them.  For more severe warping, try soaking the wood in warm water and then letting it dry under the weight of books / anything you have lying around the house to keep it flat.  Luckily, the boards on this table weren't in terrible shape so that was unnecessary here.  After repairing the structural deformities, we sanded the entire piece with 200 grit sandpaper to prepare it for stain and paint.

Next was the fun part - refinishing the forest table.  We decided to stain the top because raw wood takes stain really well, and we happened to have a lot of stain lying around.  We picked a deep cherry finish.

 For the bottom, we used Miss Mustard Seed's "linen" milk paint, a bright off white.  We also had some leftover "grain sack" milk paint already mixed up from Dad's chairs, so we added it to the "linen" and created a custom color for the forest table.  We hate to waste ANYTHING (especially old furniture!), so we were glad we could use the leftover paint.

 After the paint dried, we put an additional two coats on to create a beautiful, opaque finish.  The great thing about milk paint is how quickly it dries, ESPECIALLY after being applied to raw wood.  We lightly sanded the piece when it was totally dry to enhance the natural grain of the wood, followed by two coats of polyurethane.

Ta-da!  The finished product.  We were very happy with the final outcome and immediately listed the forest table on Craigslist.  The forest table sold for $35.