Refinishing Old Table into Outdoor Patio Table

When we moved almost two years ago, a family member gave us an old Ethan Allan trestle table and 6 six chairs. The table was solid but in rough shape. The top had HUGE gouges all the way across. The chairs had been trimmed shorter, but were oddly low when you sat in them. They didn't last very long before they started falling apart. 

We tossed the chairs, put the table in the basement and bought a new dining set. Then I sanded the table and painted it for outdoor use. Then it sat on the back deck, unused for at least a year. 

This is what it looked like a couple days ago, after I cleaned it off:

The legs are my favorite part of the table. I am leaning towards leaving the bottom half painted. I will keep the white paint for now, but may change to a different color for an added pop of color once we get settled in and the whole area starts to come together. 

The sealer I used turned the white paint an ugly yellowish color. There were rust spots in various areas of the table, and a stray cat has been living underneath the table for a while. 

But it has potential! And instead of building a new table, like I discussed here, I decided to try reusing our current table.The idea of a refinishing a table for outdoor use has been something I have wanted to try for awhile. I hope through refinishing the old dining table I will achieve that timeless, worn look. A table that has been around for generations.

So yesterday, I cleaned it off and started with a quick sanding, followed by a layer of Citristrip Stripping Gel.  I worked in sections because of the extreme heat. But it still didn't take me too long. 

After the first layer of gel was removed from table, I started to see the potential of a fun farmhouse style table that would be perfect on the new patio at the new house.

I started sanding the table, but realized the first layer of stripping gel only removed the paint. The shiny finish of the original table treatment was still intact. So I spread another layer of gel across the top and sides again. 

As I started to removed the second layer of gel, I really noticed the nice wood grain and warm color of the natural wood. 

For the next couple of hours I sanded! First, I wiped the entire table down with a bleach cleaning solution to make sure I had all the stripping gel was removed. Then I started with 60 grit sandpaper. Next I used 100 grit, then 150 grit and then I finished up with a super smooth 220 girt sanding. With the final sanding I went very slow, along the wood grain. I focused on all the areas with imperfections like those below:

So for a day and a half of work, I finished up tonight and its looking like this:

I LOVE the table! It looks so much better than I had even hoped. The top still has lots of imperfections, and I may have used my sander against the grain in some areas, but I think it just adds to the character. 

I have not decided on what type of stain I am adding, if any at all. I will need to re-seal the table to protect against moisture and everyday use, but I am loving the soft natural wood look with the white legs. If I do actually use stain, it will be something that just adds a richer tone to the natural wood. Whatever I do, I want to avoid anything that will give it an orange tone. 

Tomorrow I will follow up with a proper staging of the table. But for now my back says its time to relax! 

If anyone has any suggestion on what to seal the table with or an idea for stain I would love to hear from you! 

Linking Up To:

Fabulously Creative Friday
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage 
Primp 
Furniture Feature Friday's - Miss Mustard Seed
Cowgirl Up! The Farmhouse Porch