Stained flower table

Stained Flower Table

One of the first things I want to share with you, is how to make a stained flower table!

 

This is my first blog post, I didn't take too many helpful pictures along the way,

but I hope that my experience can help you, and if you have any questions, ask!

Hopefully, I will soon figure out how to answer them..

 

Well, I started off with visions of a stained flower table in my head,

and this FREE dining set from a friend..

 

 

FREE is my favorite!! 

Lucky for me, word has gotten around that I like to give junky furniture new life.

(Although this set wasn't quite junky!  Just.. very well used.)
I also pass on nice furniture to others who are in need.. which is why this table only has 2 chairs!
Someone else needed them more.

I was hoping for a table for my family of 4 to use on our back porch.. to have dinner on those beautiful sunny days where we want to spend every minute possible soaking up the warm sunshine.

 

I started out by letting it sit out on the back porch all winter.  Just kidding, that was actually not on purpose.. but, it did help get rid of the thick layer of whatever sort of treatment was on the wood!

It flaked away in tiny pieces for a few months, until I was ready to sand it down.

 

I started with 80 grit sandpaper, then went down to 220.

I sanded the top of the table VERY well, because I had planned to use stain.

For the chairs, and the rest of the table, I mostly just used a small piece of sandpaper and did a light sanding all over.  I started with 80 grit, and then finished off with 220.

I have seen some great stained flower tables on Pinterest, which were my inspiration for this project.   I did a search for a tutorial, and looked at a few different techniques before I got started. 

I stink at shading, so I called in a professional.. it was a really sweet girl I know from church. 

I had seen some of her shading drawings before,

and thought she would be the right person to call for help.

This was our practice table, we are hoping to do another to sell. 

 

We started by looking up a shaded drawing on Google, and finding something we liked.

She then drew out a design on the table using pencil, and we went to work.

We used Minwax Ebony stain, and a cheap art paintbrush from Wal-Mart. 

We started around the edge and stained the darkest part, then outlined the flower.

Then, we did the circle in the middle, and my friend took it from there.

 

 

To outline the petals, we used the small art paintbrush, and did a nice thin outline..

left it on for about 15+ minutes, then carefully wiped away with an old t-shirt and our fingers.

 

To fill in the petals, she started by putting a section of stain on the part of the petals closest to the middle, then used an old cut-up t-shirt and her finger to blend it outward. 

If you don't understand how to shade.. you might be like me and ruin it! 

So, after messing up 2 of the petals, I left the rest up to the expert.

 

 

I was going to leave out the part where I messed up again..

But I guess I should tell you so you don't make the same mistake! 

We didn't wait for it to dry completely, and I put a layer of natural stain over the entire thing. 

My thought, was that it would kind of seal everything in,

because there were edges of the petals with no stain.

  Well, it kind of made everything bleed around. 

It still looks great, but not as great as it did before I messed it up! 

So, when working with stain.. be patient! 

Read the directions and let it dry!  Don't me like me..

 

That's about it for the stained flower part of the table..

I let it dry for almost a week before I put on 2 coats of polyurethane on top.

That is when I also finished up the chairs, and painted the bottom of the table.

 

I cheated a little, with my favorite spray primer.  Zinsser, in the gold can.

This stuff is GOLD.  It works great, and I use it all the time. 

(Santa.. I hope you read craft blogs, so you know what to put in my stocking)

 

I coated the bottom of the table, and the chairs with a coat or 2 of primer, then used a brush to paint them.  You probably don't love this color as much as I do, but I LOVE it!!

The color is Hobbytown, and you can find it at a True Value hardware store.

It was also free.. from a friend who had some leftovers after painting a kitchen table.

Free is my favorite!

 

After letting the paint dry overnight (It was SO HARD!!) I coated it with 2 coats of polyurethane.

I would normally use this polycrylic:

 

 

  I have found that polycrylic works great over paint.  It doesn't yellow like polyurethane.

But, I read on the label that it is for indoor use.. so I used polyurethane instead. 

I am not an expert, I am only learning from my own experience..

 

So there you have it!  Stained flower table!

Everyone loves it, as you can tell..

 

 

The end!  Or Ta-da! 

Or whatever you are supposed to say..