reconstruction - acquisition and first attempt

so ever since the fiance and i moved into our rented house (which has this awesomely large kitchen/dining area), we've wanted to put a breakfast nook in one of the corners with a window. but future hubby wanted tall stuff, so we kept our eyes open and eventually i found this set at houseworks for about 60 bucks. thankfully what you see in the background is not, in fact, our kitchen but the garage.

not bad, eh?

however, looking at the top of it, it was pretty scratched, beaten, and the paint finish was generally worn. yes, i am a perfectionist.

and the metal, well, lets just say it has seen better days. this here is one of the more noticeable rust spots, but the overal condition of the metal on both chairs and table was pretty poor. not to mention a few stripped and rusty screws... and i didn't get a good photo, but the vinyl cushions, though decent, did have a small hole in one and were generally pretty dirty.

"what's this, mama? a new toy for me?!?" says Clarisse. not quite, honey.

but yet, she still approaches the disembodied dining set with curiousity and a touch of paranoia. no, babe, the cushions are not out to get you. eventually she got over it and we would often see her perched on one of the cushions, awaiting our arrival with her morning grub.

so here's the plan. i buy extra fine grain sand paper, a black matte finish spray paint, silver "hammered finish" spray paint, red and white craft paint, 5/8 yard black vinyl, and a couple of replacement screws and bolts. not to mention a drop cloth, needed for spray painting.

the plan is to gently sand the lacquer off the top of the table, matte finish the top in black and paint on a coca-cola logo in red and white, then either seal it with varnish or get a round piece of glass to protect it. the vinyl seats get re-upholstered, and the metal gets treated with the slightly textured new finish to dull down the annoying shiny-ness and mask some of the rust spots.

the thing is, i apparently SUCK at spray painting. you could see all the patterns of where i went and everything! i also somehow got spray paint all over my feet. so take two, dad recommends i roll it on. gives me a roller, a roller brush, and the pan and advises me to buy a liner which i promptly do on my way home. i'm determined to get this top finished tonight, right? so i dig out my old can of black paint i used on my previous dining set, shake it up real good and pry the top of with a screwdriver... and what comes oozing out? hell if i know but it looks like the bastard offspring of the tar baby. i finally get enough good paint in there and get the disgusting stringy, clumpy, oozy, slimy, semi-dried paint out of the way. i begin to roll and look what happens, i mean just look at it!!!

okay, look closely, and do not attempt to clean your screen. it is not your monitor. those are thousands, perhaps millions of tiny little shiny bubbles on my table top. i swear i'm going to scream if it hasn't gotten better by morning. and to top it all off, i still have paint on my feet, but now it's also on my knees, shorts, and hopelessly caught under my fingernails.

right.

on a happy note, i made a major score at wal-mart. who would have guessed? they used to just have those crappy poncho patterns but i got some really nice FREE ones back in the craft section: 2 scarf/hat sets, sweater vest for kids (that i'm hoping to modify for adult sizes), 2 sweaters, a tank top, 2 vintage doilies and 7 amazing afghan patterns. seriously i don't know where to start!

i also got this great fabric for $1.50/yard. hopefully it'll become a cute little skirt, but we'll see. my sewing skills are about as on-par as my painting skills.

next episode: will we be venturing to the hardware store for some serious paint thinner? will i ever get the paint out from under my nails? will the table cease to look glittery in the face of photo flashes? tune in to find out!