Table Rescue - Details

This 36” table was just the right size and style for Jill. The problem was that Jill is a very classy woman with impeccable taste and the table was not only old but in horrible condition; not just the finish but bits of veneer were curling or flaked away, and someone’s probably beloved pet had obviously used a corner of the base for a chew toy.

Still, Jill’s family was in the process of downsizing and extreme belt tightening and relocating to a much smaller home. She needed a smaller table and the $10 yard sale price tag was more than she could resist.

We decided not to try to camouflage the flaws but to celebrate the age and wear by treating the table as a family heirloom.With so little original finish remaining, it was not necessary to sand the surface. It was wiped down well and painted flat black with a brush, being careful not to get paint in dents and dings and chew marks – as if the obviously aged damage had been done after the table acquired its black finish.

Next, the names of grandchildren were computer printed, as large as possible. The pages of names were cut into strips with one name centered on each strip.

Guidelines were drawn in chalk and the name strips were placed and adjusted to be equal distances apart. Tiny pieces of tape marked the spaces between the names. Then each name was written between the tape markers using a white paint pen.

Finally, paint dots were centered between the names. The writing was aged by going over the white lines with a small brush and water-thinned brown craft acrylic and lightly splattered with the flat black.