My Grandma’s Table

After a few layers of paint stripper. This is the best “Before” picture I have.

I remember visiting my grandparents in Tennessee. They lived a bit outside of Knoxville and I felt so special having relatives in the south. They lived on a farm and I remember staying in the bedroom that had a view out to the field where I could also see their barn and hear their cows. The memories of sounds, smells and sights is a very happy memory!

In the room where I regularly stayed had a white side table that I vividly remember and really liked! My mom and I were talking about one of my cousins getting the house and they were remodeling the house and a few things stuck out in my mind that I really wanted to have for my home. My Grandma’s Table is the item that I got!

One of the cool things about getting this table is the opportunity it has given me to hear stories about my grandma (someone I am named after but did not know well) and a chance to learn how to restore/refinish a really old piece of furniture.

Let’s talk about the first thing that has given me both frustration and a number of laughs - the layers and layers and layers of paint! One of the things I’ve learned about my grandma is how frequently she painted furniture. And this table proves it! There are numerous layers of white, at least one layer of gold and if there was more, it was lost in white. Ugh, Grandma!

After many layers of paint stripper and sanding and “conversations with Grandma!”

I have used paint stripper to get as many layers off as I can, sandpaper and steel wool and a lot of time. Like too much time, I have layered procrastination as much as my Grandma layered paint.

There is some pressure in refinishing a piece of furniture that not only was owned by my grandparents, but held such fond memories and oh yes, that I’d like my mom to be pleased with too - right? No pressure!

But who knew I would learn so much too! I have no idea how old this table is. I have tried to google as much as I could, but no clues. I like how as I am about to pull it into my home and its still that I can give it some fresh paint and/or stain and make it a beautiful addition to my space.

The ideas have taken a few different directions, but I have landed on chalk painting it pure white as a respectful and sentimental nod to Grandma. Also, after dabbling in Ancestry.com research and knowing that she was born in 1917 in Kentucky (although for years I thought it was South Carolina - not a lot of stories were told when I was growing up - can you tell?) I want to add a decoupage map to respect where she and my mother were born. Then I would like to finish it off with a piece of glass to fit so it can protect all that work that I have procrastinated on getting done!