Nothing is more important than the dining room table. It is a place that we are supposed to come together, communicate, share and listen.
Here are some dinner statistics to chew on:
- Children not eating dinner with their families are 61 percent more likely to use alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs;
- Children who eat dinner with their families nightly are 20 percent less likely to drink, smoke, or use illegal drugs;
- Teens who share frequent family dinners are less likely to have sex at young ages, participate in fights, or be suspended from school;
- Teens who eat dinner with their families are at lower risk for thoughts of suicide;
- Children who eat with their families are more likely to eat healthier foods and more balanced meals; and
- Family dining improves communication and family connections.
So even though my blog is not about statistics, it is astounding that the table is more than just important. But, the dining room table doesn't have to be expensive to achieve the above results.
Our furniture is an expression of our family. There is so many different types of looks and decor and for each family it is different. I want to share with you a table that I found at the local thrift store and refurbished for my daughter. It just goes to show you, a lot of cash doesn't have to be spent to get the look that your family desires.
I will never understand why anyone would give up a solid wood piece of furniture. Yes, its definitely seen better days, but there is a beautiful surface under those years of abuse. So I guess I am thankful to those who don't choose to redo their wood treasures, or I wouldn't have anything to blog about.
I basically started with alot of sanding. The tabletop did not take too long and the legs thankfully had not much lacquer still remaining. Even so, I took a shortcut to sanding and spray painted the legs with basic white spray paint. The spray paint seems to stick easier to the lacquer and the latex paint adheres to the spray paint very well.
The chairs were leftover from my next door neighbor's yard sale. She had them stored in the garage for years. They are solid early 1950's chairs that like the table, were stored and just forgotten about.
As sometimes I do when I am so into a project I did not take pictures of every step. But here is one I took only minutes after sanding the tabletop. Within a few minutes you begin to see the raw wood that is just waiting to come out.
After much deliberation with a another daughter, who always helps me out on paint choices. We searched the internet for the right color's and decided on a nice "green distressed" farm table with black accent to set it off. We then added a provincial stain to keep it authentic to a Farm Style Table.
We then painted the chairs with the same black accent. This allowed the dark maple color on the back of the chairs to stay their original color and give them a nice contrast with the table.
All in all, this was a a large project that I enjoyed seeing the final result. It's also very satisfying knowing that while my daughter and her family sit at their custom made table that I had a hand in, they can share their day as they come together and I can somehow be part of that.
- Thrift Store Table $11.00
- Spray Paint (dollar store) $1.00
- Project Paint (on hand) .00
- 4 Chairs (leftover yardsale) .00
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- TOTAL OF TODAY’S PROJECT $12.00
