Behold the Refinished Featherweight Table!

Friends, I simply couldn't wait till 2012 to show you my refinished Singer Featherweight table, which I fished out of the trash only one week ago.  Ready?

Ta da!  (Click on pics for bigger view)



Before:



After:







Here's what I used -- which cost less than $20 total:

1) Small (8 oz) can of Minwax Polycrylic (clear satin finish).  I used less than half the can on this project.



2) Minwax wood filler.  I didn't have to use the wood filler, but there were a few deep gouges I wanted to fill.  Perfectly smooth edges are more important to me than the visible mark, which the unstained wood filler does leave, since I'll be sliding fabric over the table edges.





3) Three grades of sandpaper: 100, 150, and 220.  The lower the number, the grittier the paper.  The 100 and 150 were for sanding off the old finish.  The 220 was to sand between coats of Polycrylic. 





4) I applied the Polycrylic with a small foam brush that cost only about 79 cents and did a superb job.  Between coats (I needed to wait two hours before reapplying Polycrylic) I rinsed the brush with soap and water -- it cleans up very easily.  I applied four coats total, sanding (and wiping clean the dust) between coats.

Even though I didn't stain the wood, it darkened to a lovely light honey color.  As I mentioned earlier, I decided not to paint the wood edges black; I prefer them natural. 

I'm excited about using this table in the new year -- and every time I look at beat up wood furniture I now think to myself, Could I refinish that?  It's addictive.  Obviously this Featherweight table is about as easy a refinishing job as you could choose, especially since the original finish was already badly broken down.

The table fully stripped.

I think this table needs a permanent place in the living room, so something else will have to go, and please don't say Patti Playpal.  Maybe those dogs...

Readers, that's all the news on this last day of 2011.

Happy New Year, everybody!