Benches and Table Makeover

Jeez Louise! I just realized I never posted photographs of my table and bench makeover! Above is the "before" photo and below are the "after" shots. This sweet little set belonged to my grandparents, who had it in their first apartment in Chicago. One day my father revealed that the wood on the set was a nice birch wood beneath the paint, and he suggested that they'd look great refinished. Well, six whole days of my life later they did look great.

Part of the reason it took so long was because I tried out an eco-friendly paint stripper from the hardware store, which simply didn't work. It also took a long time because the benches don't disassemble, so there were lots of nooks and corners to scrape and sand. I recovered the bench seats and table inset with Amy Butler fabric and a layer of thin plastic (to protect the fabric from spills). It's been so long since I did this project, I've actually been thinking about re-covering them again, which is what inspired me to put up this post. I'm thinking of swapping the floral fabric for solid, white oilcloth for a sleeker look.

[Ed note: I did all the dirty work in my parents' driveway not in my one-bedroom apartment.]