Restoring and Decorating a Century-old Table

Restoration of a Century-Old Kitchen Table,

12 Chairs and Beautiful Christmas Decorations

The holiday season guides us towards decorations and festivities so we took the opportunity to spruce up my parents’ dining room. For most of us, this time of year is synonymous with sharing and family gatherings. In my family, it is my mother who is responsible every year for decorating the inside and outside of the house with beautiful Christmas decorations. The family having grown “slightly” this year, she gave me the task of finding her a century-old table that could easily accommodate 12 people.

She also tasked me with helping her in the restoration of it, in order to bring it up to date and restore it to its former glory. It was in browsing the Facebook page Truc et décos en tout genre (Tips and decorations in all Genres) that I found some interesting ideas for upgrades as well as helpful advice. Together, my mother and I exchanged ideas before coming to a decision.

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The Steps to Follow:

I cleaned the table and chairs very well using Colorantic Cleaner and Varnish Remover. I sprayed and let it sit for about 30 minutes, spraying again once or twice during the rest time. It is very important to rinse very well with water using a damp cloth to remove all residues. This is a very important step that should not be overlooked, as it removes all the dirt and some of the varnish. I removed the six panels (yes yes, you read that right, six panels) as well as the hardware.

Then I decided to strip the whole table, a very long step that requires a lot of patience. Before painting, I sanded with 80 grit, then 120 grit and finally 220 grit. I made sure to wipe off dust and residue with a damp cloth before starting to paint.

Since I was completely painting the furniture, I could have simply cleaned, lightly sanded the surfaces to scratch them and applied Colorantic’s oil primer, which would have saved me all those arduous steps.

Giving it Back Its Air of Nobility

And now the fun begins. I was excited at this stage, it is the reward of having done all the previous steps. For this project I started with the table top on which I applied two coats of the colour, Sweet Truffle.

Once the paint was dry, I applied two coats of Colorantic Top Coat to ensure its durability.

For the border and the legs, my mother really wanted to give this marvel a glimpse of antiquity. In accordance with her idea, we found the ideal Colorantic colour, the very beautiful, Vintage Cream. So I painted the whole thing using this beautiful colour.

Another of my favorite steps when I’m doing a project is applying wax. These products are so easy to use and give incredible results, especially when it comes to antiquing. I applied the wax, Antique Brown by Colorantic, to the backs of the chairs to create the effect you can see in the photos.

Finally, I applied the wax, natural beeswax, on the legs of tables and chairs.

Just in Time for the Christmas Decorating

In this project, what was most enjoyable was having the chance to work with my mother. She is a true artist in all areas.

She also created “Créations SAO” which specializes in textile art. It is thanks to her nimble fingers that we can admire this magnificent table runner. She and her spouse helped me upgrade this large and beautiful dining room table and chairs.

A very nice project that brought me back to the meaning of the holiday season: mutual aid and sharing.

A very special thank you to Roxanne Bélisle from Roxanne Bélisle Photographe, for the wonderful photos of the Christmas furniture and decorations.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

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