remember when I broke the kitchen table?
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 6:49PM So there was this one time, when I was standing on Brooklyn Boy's kitchen table with a twin head board in one hand and a staple gun in the other. I was just doing some minor fabric pulling & stapling when the table started crumbling below me. Like, ugly, piece by piece, wood cracking, me slowly falling into some sort of a lunge / split, and Brooklyn Boy there to catch (laugh at) me.
It's no big deal. I mean, hello, I was totally starting the honeymoon diet plan the next day :) And it was an old table. Really old. And second hand. So there.
The table crumbling incident provided us the perfect opportunity to build a new kitchen table. So we stopped by (in our car. because we have a car this month. and it's changing our lives. because people don't have cars in new york. and now we want a car) Meeker Avenue Antiques. We weren't totally sure what kind of table we were going to make, but KNEW the second we saw this piece, we needed this as a base. It's a custom made iron base. I found it stashed in a back corner.
Then we drove to Astoria to our favorite place for raw materials and second hand goods, Build it Green. Their site says it best, they are New York City's only non-profit retail outlet for salvaged and surplus building materials. It's like I say, everything has a purpose! Even old shutters and door frames from historical New York buildings.
We decided on the wood and had it cut down to 3 planks. Brooklyn boy joined them with a 2x4 from underneath.
We sanded . . .
Removed nails . . .
And then gave our table a serious rub down with Tung Oil. It came under the recommendation from Ellis, a guy at Build It Green. I've got to say, this stuff is amazing!! Totally toxic (so be careful) but the rich finish is well worth the sweaty face masks and pungent stench!
After one more sand & layer of Tung Oil, we were done! With the 2x4's underneath, our 3 plank table top fit like a glove into the rectangular frame.
Here's our finished product!
Ohhhhh and we made a bench too :) Did I mention we LOVE projects?
I laugh thinking about the PROJECTS line item we'll need in our married budget - forget shopping and fancy dinners! Just give us DIY projects!!! Haha. Ok, not really. But kinda.
We'll probably adjust the width of the piping, the bench is a little teeter tottery, but we LOVE it!
So that's it! Our past 2 weekends came in the form of a totally hand made table and bench!
What do you think?
Reader Comments (14)
Oh my gosh, Hannah, this is beautiful! I just had to comment. Y'all are so talented - keep it up. I hope all is well!
Looks awesome! Such a great project! There is a Build it Green in Brooklyn now too, 9th Street right near the canal.
Incredible! And I love the bench. You will have that table forever!! What a great project!
I feel terrible that I haven't gotten back to you sooner. I'm Bethany's friend who inquired about the chevron table you redid. My computer ran amuk and deleted my letter and your response. Then it refused to do anything I asked of it for about 2 weeks!!! Needless to say, i'm very behind in all of my correspondence, and everything else. But at any rate,, my furniture came in, (a white sofa, 2 club chairs, and an ottoman). And I don't know what happened...I measured wrong or something (obviously) but I have absolutely no room for that darling table. Maybe I'll be able to find something else I can't live without sometime soon.
I really did appreciate your sweet letter. Just wish I could find it somewhere out in cyberspace!!! I'll keep my eyes peeled for more good things from you. I think you are excptionally talented. And many good wishes and God blesses on your upcoming marriage. I predict that you will have many wonderful years ahead.
A fond fan,
Kaye Chambless
Hannah! This is just amazing! I can tell the two of you are going to have the most incredible married digs ever!
loooove it!
Great idea for a table. It will only get better with age.
Wonder what the history is behind those three (3) wooden planks.
Floor boards from a 1920's speakeasy? Pieces from the deck of an old barge
anchored off Chelsea Pier? The cutting room floor from some Madison Ave Ad Agency?
Hmmmmmm!
What a great table. It would look so great behind a sofa too. Where will you two be living when you are all married up? His, yours or new apartment? When will we be seeing you again on Nate? Can't wait!
Love, love, love it!!! That table is so beautiful... I have seen some like it in stores for a lot of money!!
Love the table, love the story, the folks in it, and the way you tell it. Would love to sit on that teeter tottery bench and hear more.
looks like I would bang my legs on that table every time I sat down. See? Being short has perks, Han!
Such a beauty! Y'all did a fantastic job! I'd love it for a desk...might have to go hunt down an iron base this weekend! Thanks for sharing.
the table turned out beautiful! but I am curious what you are going to use the broken table pieces for. ????keep up the good work.