Tuesday, October 5, 2010

A Little Table Magic and I Don't Mean Halloween!

     One of the things that we loved when we bought this house 7 years ago, was the open floor plan. Our kitchen, dining room and living/family room are all one large open space. They are divided only by the flooring. The kitchen is tile, the dining room is hardwood and the living room is carpeted. The table that we had in our "dining room" was actually a Crate and Barrel set that was in our kitchen in our prior home. You have seen it many times in my tablescapes. I have had a new dining table on my wish list for quite a while.

     On Friday, my dad and I visited our area upscale furniture store for their tent sale. As we walked into the building next to the tent, I spotted a table that was exactly the size and shape that I wanted for my dining room. It was definitely a "scratch and dent" piece. There were several scratches in the finish, but the real problem was a white circle the size of a dessert plate on one corner. It wasn't a thin water mark, it was a thick, cloudy white, very obvious problem. I said something to the salesperson about wishing it didn't have the mark and she said it would be $1500 without it. As it was, I talked her down to $125 for my table. I decided that I would clean it up and use a diagonal table runner to hide the "ugly". At least I could now seat more than 4 people at my table and I finally had a table that matched my other furniture. With the leaf, the table is 78 inches long.

     My dad went to work right away oiling, buffing and waxing the table. The grain of the wood was beautiful when it was cleaned up and even the white area looked a little better, but it was certainly an eyesore. I bought a new long runner and decided rather than stripping the beautiful finish off the table, I would just cover up the stain. I also googled water stains and decided that my table actually had a heat stain, not a water stain. Several people had posted that as a last resort, they had ironed away a heat stain on their furniture. It was suggested that you use a steam iron and a clean white towel. Place the towel on the stain, hold the steam iron over the spot and send a blast of steam, gently and quickly press the iron onto the towel and lift the iron and towel and wipe the area. My dad said he wanted to try it, I couldn't watch. Within seconds, the stain was gone. It disappeared completely. We couldn't believe our eyes.

    I won't pretend that my table is perfect. There are still some scratches that show if the light hits it a certain way. I don't care! I have 2 grandsons under 4, they run little cars on every piece of furniture we have anyway! The matching chairs are $300 each, needless to say...we will be using the Crate and Barrel chairs until we find a deal somewhere!




This is where the large white stain was.



I kept the runner...it wasn't a bargain, but I do love it!


I am joining Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday
I'm also joining Linda @ Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrify Tuesday


22 comments:

Bonnie@Creative Decorating said...

What a gorgeous table runner!!! Your table looks great! That is just awesome that the stain came out! What a great dad! The internet is so full of great information!

Kim @ Touch of Nostalgia said...

I love bargains like that! It turned out gorgeous! I had never heard of heat stains. Your table is absolutely gorgeous...I like the table runner too! :)

Glenda/MidSouth said...

I do like your new table, and glad your Dad got the stain out. What a pretty table runner.

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Your table is so pretty. It is so hard to get the heat stains out, your dad is a wizard. It looks perfect. Love your beautiful runner too. Gorgeous. Thanks so much for linking to TTT. Hugs, Marty

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Sue, what a steal you got and I am so glad you could get the stain out. I was going to say to google it and you already had. Looks great!

Pondside said...

What a great solution!
I had to laugh at the line about two grandsons under 4 - that's me too, and they are definitely comfortable everywhere in the house. I wouldn't have it any other way, and I can see that you're the same.

dee dee said...

Sue,
What a deal! I love your new table, and am so happy that you were able to "iron away" the white stain! Most of my furniture is "as is" furniture... like you I always thaought to myself I was just giving the piece a head start to any damage, Wayne, myself, the kids or pups could add to it!
Dee Dee

Barb said...

Hi Sue, your table is lovely....such pretty wood. The runner is perfect. What a wonderful deal!

Barb

bj said...

Well, good grief. That is WONDERFUL that the stain came out. I am glad to know of this tip, in case I ever need it.
The table is beautiful...and just paint the chairs you have now in a pretty creamy white and it will REALLY make your table stand out.
I am LOVIN' my white chairs...:)

Unknown said...

What a steal and find. I love GOOGLE, its amazing, love that the idea worked. BRILLIANT. the runner and decor pieces look great. Hugs, Jen

La said...

Did you send a picture of the spotless table to the salesperson? ;o} It looks great! La

Gypsy Heart said...

Amazing! I have never heard of that solution ~ so glad your Dad tried it and it worked. It looks beautiful now.

Have a great week!
xoxo
Pat

The Charm of Home said...

What a gorgeous table! I twas such a great deal. Love that it worked out. Things happen to come along at the right time.
Sherry

xinex said...

Wow! That's really a steal on that beautiful table, Sue. And how wonderful that you got the stain out. Kinda scary way of doing it but nice to know that it works....Christine

Kathleen said...

Neat! I bet your dad felt great he fixed your table! It is beautiful! What a deal!

Happy To Be/ Gl♥ria said...

Sue girl friend...Your Dad did an awesome job on that table and that cloth is to die 4 beautiful girl..How is your Dad doing my friend...I think about him often...Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

It's gorgeous! What a find! And with the scratches, etc already set in, you can relax a little more about having other "antiquing" done.

Maria said...

Hi Sue!
Your makeover projects are fabulous! First the desk ... It looks amazing...
This new table is gorgeous! Great job landing such a fantastic deal!
I love stories like this with happy endings :o)
Sending BIG smiles to you ♥
~Maria

Karie said...

A beautiful tablerunner. And the table is beautiful also. Thanks for sharing.

Glennis said...

Wow!! What an incredible deal!! I would have used it just with tablecloths, but how smart of you to research it and get your dad to work on it. Lucky you!

Monica H said...

That is a steal Sue! I can't believe you got the stain out of the table- you should have taken a before and after picture.

Americana Lady said...

This is a gorgeous table!! I am so glad you were able to get out the mark. That's unbelievable! I have not visited in awhile and I am enjoying all of your posts. How nice to be spending so much quality time with Dad.