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Farmhouse Style Table Makeover for $20 – How we did it and mistakes to avoid!

Since our craigslist find wasn’t working in our updating dining room, we gave it an update. Here’s how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover.

A Budget Friendly Dining Room Makeover - I'm sharing how I created a cozy dining space with a tiny budget!

When we were putting the finishing touches on our Dining Room Makeover, one thing really stood out. Our Dining Table didn’t match this house. The last thing I was wanted to do was make over this table (again) after that hard work we’ve put in fixing up the kitchen.

But something had to be done y’all.  It stuck out like a man in a Hawaiian shirt and flip flops at a fancy wedding. Not pretty!

I have been swooning over the tables I see at Restoration Hardware and Ballard Designs, but that new table was not in our budget.

So here’s how we made over our dining room table for $20 and leftover paint.

I love what this blogger did to her Craigslist find Dining Room Table Makeover. The reveal is amazing!

We purchased our Dining Room table on Craigslist for $150 over 4 years ago and refinished it with the beautiful Mahogany/Cream two tone pictured above. If you want to see the original refinishing, then you can click the photo for more details.

We loved the look of the table, but when we put it in our new home, it didn’t look quite right.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover

In fact, the original cream color had yellowed making the white more of a buttery cream.  It clashed so bad with all the white in the room and trim.

So where did I go? Pinterest of course! I started searching for inspiration, like this one from Ballards.

Farmhouse Style Table Makeover: Using gray tones, this amazing makeover is a Ballard Designs Knockoff. Click the pic for more details!

source Ballard Designs

Or this piece from Wayfair.  I love the dirty, chippy paint on the legs.

Farmhouse Style Table Makeover: Using gray tones, this amazing makeover is a Wayfair Knockoff. Click the pic for more details!

source Wayfair.com

I wanted my top to be the gray wash that’s so hot right now from Restoration Hardware.

Farmhouse Style Table Makeover: Using gray tones, this amazing makeover is a Restoration Hardware Knockoff. Click the pic for more details!

source Restoration Hardware

So with all three choices, I decided to combine them the best I could.

Farmhouse Style Table Makeover

Affiliate links are provided for your convenience. Read my full disclosure here.

First we had to sand down the top and seats of the chairs.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover

We sanded the table top and seats of the chairs using an orbital sander to remove the initial stain and followed up a hand block sander for the fine finishing.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover
Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover

On our original table, we added distressing to give the top character. We made sure to keep those intact when we were sanding this second time.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover
Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover

This one is my favorite! I took a huge screw and a rubber mallet and banged these marks on several spots on the table. It was a great stress release.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Dining Table Makeover

Next, make sure to use a tack cloth to get all the sanding dust off.

Now for the stain, I wanted to go with a washed, worn look. I had some Valspar Antiquing Glaze on hand. I watered it down and simply just wiped it on and let it soak in.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Dining Table Makeover

First coat, still wet.
LOVE the character coming out.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Dining Table Makeover

After it dried, you can tell that it’s not nearly as dark as when it was wet, so I applied a second coat.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover

So much better!

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Dining Table Makeover

While the top dried, we lifted the table and began to paint over the cream with white we had leftover from painting our closet interiors.

Don’t judge my messy garage, y’all!

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Dining Table Makeover

I didn’t completely cover it with paint since I knew I would be distressing and glazing the bottom with the same antique glaze. I purposely painted in varied stripes and patterns to add to that aged, weathered look.

It’s all about Beauty in the Blemishes!

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Dining Table Makeover

Now here’s where I messed up.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Dining Table Makeover

Since I had read online the ease and beauty of using paste wax on furniture, then I thought this would be the best choice.

When we refinished the table top a few years back, the poly I used was a pain on pine and left tons of fisheyes in the finish.

Fisheyes are the evil, sappy spots that refuse to take stain or poly, so I wanted to opt for an easier option and I thought wax was it!

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover

It was a breeze to apply and will definitely use it one other pieces of furniture in the future, but after our first meal….

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Dining Table Makeover

Okay, so I felt incredibly stupid.

Wax + Heat are not friends.

You can say it… DUH!

While I was so excited to use the table, I almost cried after we ate a hot bowl of soup that naturally heats the china and left that ugly ring above.

Then…. ugh!

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover

*sigh* boys…

A couple of days later, after wiping the table after my messy, messy boys, I noticed that it wasn’t just heat that ruined the wax, but anything acidic or oily.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Dining Table Makeover

So I was back to square one, and sanded the wax off. I was able to keep most of the finish, but had to reapply one more coat of the Glaze/Water mixture.Finally the hero of the story arrived:

Minwax Wipe-on Poly, where have you been…or….where were you 4 years ago? This stuff made my day!

No fisheyes, just a smooth, satiny surface. CRISIS AVERTED!

I love how my Farmhouse Style Table Makeover turned out!

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover
Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover

It was a beautiful finish to my worn weathered look I was hoping to achieve, and this is how it looked when we put it in place. 

I love the variegated effect the wash created.  It finally went from Red Mahogany, to a grayish worn top.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover

So I stained the seats with the same Glaze/Water mixture and poly’d as well.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover

What a contrast of the before and after.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Dining Table Makeover

Our Dining Room Now

Of course, we’ve changed things up a bit, especially with the chairs.

Originally, we painted the chairs gray, but I wanted them to pop against the white table base, so we switched them up to black.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Table Makeover

We also painted our Knotty Pine Hutch, which looks great next to the table.

A Budget Friendly Dining Room Makeover - I'm sharing how I created a cozy dining space with a tiny budget!

I think the legs turned out beautifully, much like the inspiration piece.

I took a planer type tool, scraped the sides and then glazed over them.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Dining Table Makeover

So adding a few farmhouse style elements tie in the vintage items throughout the room like this chicken wire salt and pepper holder with mason jar shakers.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Dining Table Makeover
A Budget Friendly Dining Room Makeover - I'm sharing how I created a cozy dining space with a tiny budget!
A Budget Friendly Dining Room Makeover - I'm sharing how I created a cozy dining space with a tiny budget!

From two toned to Farmhouse, I love the new look of my Farmhouse Style Table Makeover and it only took $20!

Sources from this post:

Safavieh Rug
Dining Table similar to mine
Dining Chairs similar to mine
Olive Bucket Wall Sconces
Mason Jar Salt and Pepper Holder

To see more details of this Dining Room Makeover, click here.

Our craigslist find wasn't working in our updating dining room. Here's how I took our table and transformed it into a Farmhouse Style Dining Table Makeover

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49 Comments

  1. Your table and chairs turned out beautiful! Thank you for sharing how to achieve this beautiful farmhouse table look! Can you share what shade of Valspar Antiquing Glaze that you used on the table top?

  2. I found both of these ladder back chairs on two separate occasions – one was unfinished and the other was a beautiful, chippy black. I did nothing to the chippy piece, but I did paint the other one to match. I need to replace the rush seats on mine – they are dry rotted horribly!

  3. I see some ladder back chairs in a couple of the pictures. Did you do anything to refinish them? I have some very similar ones, and I am looking for inspiration. I have recently had all of the rush seats replaced.

  4. Hi Kristy! I am so glad this inspired you! I will say that pine is naturally a softer wood and the only scratches I’ve noticed are if my boys did their homework without something underneath it. (They are both very heavy writers) However, if they had a few pages under their work, no scratches showed up. Legos, dishes, and normal wear and tear have held up wonderfully. Except the time my son carved his name into my table! That’s a really funny story!

    I hope that helps and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask. And send me a pic of your table once you finish!

  5. Hello! I am so glad to have found this site because you have given me inspiration on how to clean up and refinish a 60 inch pine pedestal table I just purchased. I am beginning the process of updating our dining room and feeling a bit overwhelmed!

    I do have a question for you, if you don’t mind! How durable have you found the finish on your table top? I want a dining room table that we can actually really use and not be afraid of. I would like to be able to set dishes on the table without worrying about scratches, let my boy build Legos, etc.

    Thank you for taking the time to share your process!

  6. Thanks Dee! You'll have to be sure to share with me how your table turns out. I appreciate you stopping by and hope your week is blessed!

  7. I LOVE your table! My kitchen table looks a lot like yours did and is on my list of projects for the summer. Your dining room is gorgeous too! 🙂

  8. Thank you so much, MAM! I debated about the chandelier height and actually consulted the web. My husband and I are both very tall and when it was at 31", it blocked our beautiful view from the bay window, so we adjusted the height to fit us. I'll probably lower it if we ever decide to sell the house.

  9. Amazing makeover! Now, if you will drop the chandelier to just 31" above the table top it will look much better!

  10. Wow your table Makeover looks Amazing! Tons of work I bet, but turned out beautifully.

  11. Oh my goodness, I love it!! My husband and I are moving soon and our tiny kitchen table needs to be upgraded — it would look really silly in our new dining room. A brand-new table is not in the budget, so I'm hoping to find something cheap on Craigslist that I can refinish. Thanks for the awesome tutorial!

  12. Great transformation Jen! You have a really beautiful home. Thanks so much for sharing. Happy to feature you at our party this morning!

  13. Glad to learn from your mistakes 😉 I've been wanting to refinish our two tone farmhouse, and will probably get to it once it warms up. Pinning this for reference! Thanks for linking up with Best of the Weekend!

  14. Love how it turned out! I would love a table like that in my dining room. Thanks for linking up at #HomeMattersParty

  15. Oooh! I couldn't work at RH – I'd spend all my paycheck there! LOL Thanks for the kudos – I'm really pleased with how it (finally) turned out!

  16. Looks great!! My husband works for Restoration Hardware and I drool over all of it (It's still too expensive with his discount ha). You did a great job achieving that look for sure!

  17. Thank you so much, Kendra! I appreciate the invite and will definitely link up! Thanks so much for hosting. Best to you!

  18. You did an amazing job Jen! Our table and chairs are much like yours and I've been so scarred to tackle them! Thanks for this post and tutorial!would love it if you shared it at our party on my blog please 🙂
    Kendra @ http://www.joyinourhome.com

  19. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing all the info on staining. We're bringing a new dining set home this week (round pedestal and four chairs), and I hope I gather the courage for the makeovers I'm considering. The Minwax wipe on sounds great.
    Love your chandelier.
    Visiting via SYC.

  20. Hi Marcia, Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to share your table makeover – if you have any questions, shoot me an email.

  21. Thank you Rue! The poly has been holding up wonderfully and I'm much happier with the finish than the paste wax.

  22. As soon as I saw that paste wax, I thought… I hope she uses placemats! lol I'm so glad you found the other product. It turned out beautiful 🙂

  23. Absolutely perfect! Your recovery was awesome ~ I'm so glad it all worked out in the end because your table is lovely. (And, you're right, boys ARE messy!) Here from Work it Wednesday ~ Have a great night!

  24. I so enjoy seeing before and after pictures of a project. You have put together a great tutorial and your Farmhouse Table and chairs are just beautiful. Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop! I hope you’ll join us again next week!

    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick
    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

  25. Thank you Robin! My household wasn't too happy that I removed our table – especially when the big OOPS happened with the paste wax. But now they love it and we're all a happy bunch! Thanks so much for stopping by!

  26. What a wonderful table you have now. I really need to do something about my table but hubby won't let me near with with a paint brush. grrr

  27. That was a lot of work but y'all stuck with it and it turned out great!

    Big Texas Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

  28. HI Karen,
    I had such a fun time at your party this morning. I'm always amazed with what other bloggers are creating. Thanks for the invite – I had a blast!

  29. What an amazing transformation! You are really a trooper for all that sanding!!! You must be just thrilled with the new look 🙂
    I hope you will stop by my blog and join our Monday- Thursday link party Something to Talk About!
    Karen

  30. So beautiful. I love the make over. I am currently redoing my table as well. It so much fun to see a new project come together from an old piece. I found you on a link up party. Thanks sharing.