I have finally completed stripping, sanding, staining, then sanding, then staining, then sanding and adding polyurethane. Yay! In case you didn’t know, I found this table listed on Craigslist and fell in love with it.

If you find yourself interested in how I achieved this look, here is the step by step guide.

Step 1: Strip Your Furniture

I decided to strip my table, although I loved the original color, because I wanted something different. I stripped it using Citristrip.

Step 2: OPTIONAL: Sand to get an even look.

I used 80 grit sandpaper uploaded to my $10 orbital sander from Harbor Freight. Girl Power!

Step 3: Clean Your Surface with a Lightly Moist Towel and let it Dry.

Step 4: Begin Staining with a Rag.

I used a rag because I wanted a minimal stain and I felt like I could control the amount of stain applied. I decided to use Varathane’s Weathered Gray. I applied two coats allowing 3 hours in between each coat. **I almost forgot to mention, go with the grain, as in stain following the natural wood lines.

Step 5: Sand your Table to Distress.

I decided to sand the table because I wanted the natural wood to show through. I used a $10 Orbital Sander from Harbor Freight with a 150 and 240 grit paper–of course alternating–attached to the sander. I sanded a couple of times until I reached the desired look I wanted. For the pedestal, I sanded with a P220 grit sandpaper by hand since it has curves.

Step 6: Restain.

After sanding and wiping down my table and pedestal, I decided to add another dimension to my table by applying a different stain. I went for Varathane’s Sunbleached. You will notice, in the pictures below, that half of the table has the Sunbleached and the other half doesn’t.

Step 7: Sand minimally.

After the stain dried, I sanded the table, but this time very minimal. I didn’t want to remove the stain I had just applied. I used a P220 for the final sanding.

Step 8: Polyurethane the Sucka! Blogosphere meet Poly–Poly meet the Blogosphere.

I used Varathane’s Matte Interior Polyurethane because I didn’t want a glossy finish, but more of a rustic matte finish. I did use a rag for this as well as I didn’t like the way the brush left the table. I know this table is one we will use day in and day out, therefore needing a few coats; so, I decided to apply 4 coats of my friend Poly. I decided to put two coats on one day since the climate was 100+ in the Inland Empire. I allowed half the day to go by between these two coats. The next day I added one more, then the day after another one and only because I knew I was not really going to use the table yet. I let this cure for about 3 days.

Step 9: Admire your Hard Work–TA–DA (Music please Maestro)!!!

The color may not be for everyone, but I love it! It looks better in person and I know it will be one of a kind as I shed sweat–100+ degrees–, blood–just a tad as I scuffed my hand with the sand paper–and tears, only because I stumped my toe and the tears are more metaphorically speaking.

What do you think? I can’t wait to reupholster the antique sofa so I can begin eating on my table.