Farmhouse Table

Here are a few photos of my latest project: 

refinishing an antique farmhouse table in 5 steps

(1) Here is the table as I bought it… a little rough & dry on top

(2) Using 220 grit paper, I lightly sanded the top surface + edges with the hand sander

(3) After wiping the dust off, I used an old cotton t-shirt to apply stain

(4) Here is a "during" photo - stain on the right, no stain on the left

(5) After the stain dried, I finished the project by applying 1 coat of polyurethane

Nook Look Book

Hey neighbors, welcome to Old Elm! This week I have a string of days off, so I am working on refinishing the top of a great farmhouse table. Andrew & I went to a few antique places recently, and we found this gem of a steal at the last place we stopped {Victory!} It's going to fit in really well with my plan for the kitchen...

As you know, we've been slowly but surely working on renovating our kitchen. Most of the big stuff is out of the way. And until we scrounge up enough courage to fork over the cash for new countertops…I've been dreaming of a breakfast nook. Here are a few of my favorite pins on the subject:

I love the idea of a cozy little laid-back spot where we'll enjoy weekend breakfasts with our kids someday. I've been devising a way for us to insert one into our kitchen. The area near the sliding glass door to our deck is the spot I have to work with. Previously, we had a little round table + chairs there that Andrew's grandma loaned us when we got the house. After considerable researching {Pinterest has a TON of ideas} we decided to build our nook from 2 kitchen cabinets I picked up at Lowe's for $99/each. It will be a straight bench that will match the rest of our kitchen & have the added bonus of storage! I plan on putting some of my larger weird items there…like the griddle, my cake/pie/casserole carriers. Because those things are so great and handy while you're using them...but when you aren't? #storageproblems

So back to the table… Here is what it looks like sitting in my garage:

Today I lightly sanded the top to remove some imperfections {not all, they give it good character!} then added some light stain.

I used the color "light walnut" by Varathane. It was hanging out in our basement, leftover from another project. Woo! I did 1 coat.

When the stain dries I plan on finishing up with a few coats of satin polyurethane to keep it durable and protect the finish.

I look forward to posting a finished photo of our very own breakfast nook someday!

Office Reveal

This room is dedicated to our "outdoorsy" side // Decorated with maps, globes & knick knacks from our travels, we keep Andrew's fishing poles and fly tying supplies in here along with our books & laptops. If you stopped by Old Elm and found us in the office, you'd probably see Andrew sitting at the desk paying bills and me curled up on the arm chair in the corner chatting with him.

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished" - Lao Tzu

Dining Room Reveal

This room is dedicated to gathering around the table // When Andrew first moved in, all I could talk about is how the dining room needed wooden floors and white board & batten. Fast forward 3 years and my dream is finally a reality. He thinks it's pretty neat, too. If you stopped by our house in the evening, you'd find us in here eating dinner or fixing ourselves some mixed drinks. We've also been known to host the occasional game night with friends in here.

"The fondest memories are made gathered around a table" - Anonymous

Back with a Long Post

After a 2 month hiatus {whoops} here I am! Do I find it easier to fit blogging into my schedule during the colder months when there is less to do outside? Maybe. Or maybe the fact that we have so many projects going on simultaneously is what has me tied up. That being said, lately we've been busy with some finishing touches around this place...

• As covered in another post, we finished the flooring installation & we started nailing in the quarter round - we decided to spend a little extra on the round that matches our Pergo and so far we are very pleased with that choice. Our first "completed" room is the office. It's so great to see it all put back together. Pictures to be posted very soon!

• In the kitchen, we decided to put up real wood for the toe kick under the cabinets {rather than rubber kick that was previously there}. It's hard to post a picture of this, but just trust me, it looks better this way than it did! Check it out:

• So far summer has been waaaaay RAINY, but we were able to stain the deck in-between downpours. We used Flood brand in cedar. It's cheap, durable, and I love it. Below you can see the deck before stain in the left photo, after stain in the right photo:

• We planted flowers, but haven't mulched. Not really sure when that will get done, but I'm not extra worried about it. Who knows, maybe we'll get a really spectacular indian summer this year and it will be done by then {fingers crossed!} So here we see one of the urns from the front stoop, my little potted English ivy, the veggie garden - we added cattle fencing to the corner for taller plants to climb, and one of the larger planters with pine/coleus/ivy/& a flower I can't recall that are on the back patio:

PS: Today the dining room board & batten is being installed, tomorrow I can paint it white & then that room will be finished! So. Excited. Can't wait to share with you guys!

Fresh Air Day!

Hello out there! Is everyone enjoying Spring so far? I know I am. Today I had the windows open and immensely enjoyed the fresh air that filled the house.

I had absolutely nothing on my agenda {well ok, I had to make dinner at some point, but I digress…} so I tackled a number of small projects that I've been meaning to cross off my to-do list… and still managed to cook up a good meal afterward!

First I taped off the trim in the upstairs landing, then I got to priming. It's amazing how much bigger a space seems once white is added into the mix. Next did some paint touch-ups downstairs in the laundry room. [Speaking of that room, I'm scheming up something really cool for the entrance. We took off the door - which never fully closed due to the dryer - so I'm thinking of doing a curtain instead…I'll have to blog it]

Anyways! Then I made an ironing board rack for my mom {want to make one? click here!}

 

Last but not least I gave this end table some sprucing up. The end table sits between the rocking chair and couch in our living room. It's an antique I picked up somewhere along the way. Now that our mantle is all white, I thought this little guy could use some white elements. I'm toying with the idea of sanding the drawer & door corners for a distressed look. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by the blog!

Hello Spring!

Now that our flooring is {for the most part} finished, we're anxious to get outside & get our hands in the dirt. Today is my day off, so I tackled a few projects around the deck. I transplanted hosta all around the perimeter of the deck, built a little path of 4 stepping stones from the deck to the paver patio, then planted my herb garden. I made the stakes for the garden by using steel alphabet stamps hammered into strips of brass {found in the electrical section at Hartville Hardware}

The herbs are potted and resting on a little white plant stand that used to belong to my Grandma Rita. She was great at gardening, hopefully that brings me luck! After giving everything a thorough hosing down, I think now is the perfect time for lunch in the shade!

Thanks for checking in!