DIY: Refurbished dining table & bench

BEFORE:

Last week I posted this photo of my new chairs and bench asking for advice of what color to paint the bench. I loved all of your ideas but I had to go with what I felt would hold up best with these destructive children that I have!

I began doubting the purchase of these modern white chairs because my whole family seemed to be against them since they didn't match anything! I tried explaining that I don't have a set theme in the house - I love the look of industrial design mixed with rustic modern. But they didn't get the vision and I began to lose mine! Ugh it's such an ugly feeling of waisting money! After desperately googling ideas online I decided to stain the table and bench to try to get that old wood look. It's my first time at such a big project so bare with me...

I found this tutorial online and hers came out wayyy better but I'm so happy with my results! It really changed the look of the table and looks great with my modern white chairs! :)

Step 1: I sanded the table down to the raw wood with 80 grit paper.

Step 2: Applied a thin coat of white paint. I used latex semi gloss and diluted it with water to thin it out.

Step 3: Then I lightly sanded over the white paint to bring up some of the natural wood grain. I went a little crazy with the sanding -oh well!

Step 4: I used an old sock to apply a thin coat of dark walnut stain over the whole table.

And walahhhh it made my wood look old and distressed! Yayyyy! I can totally see the imperfections but I love the overall look!

Step 5: I applied two thin coats of this sealant. And it's done!

I was in such a hurry to share this update with you that I only took photos with my phone :( so please bare with the crappy hazey photos.

The bench is the same color as the table it just appears darker because it's in the shadow.