Sometimes I fuss and fuss and fuss with it until I get it right. Sometimes I throw up my hands and sigh and think, "Oh well." This time? I'm selling it.
So this table? It was supposed to come out weathered gray, like the last farmhouse table. But I bought the wood for it at Home Depot this time instead of Lowe's, because my HD usually has straighter lumber. Apparently it's also a different species. (Douglas Fir instead of Hem Fir or Whitewood?) And the species makes a difference in the color of the finish.
A huge difference.
So what was supposed to be a mellow yellowy-gray turned out orangey-brown. And don't get me wrong, orangey-brown will work fine in someone's house.
But not mine.
And this table, this 4-6 person extending to 10-person table, was supposed to be for my house. And we kind of needed it, like, yesterday. Right now we're eating on a card table. And apparently we will be for the foreseeable future.
Up on Craigslist the table went, along with an explanation for they way-too-cheap price for a table this huge and sturdy. My loss is someone else's gain.
I offered it for a price high enough to cover my supplies and an hour or two of my time, but not nearly enough to cover all the time I spent working on it.
Because it just needed to go. I'm down to not much room in my garage and I can't work on the driveway while it's snowing (it's snowing AGAIN!) so I needed to sell the table.
In the meantime, I got this new table saw for Christmas which should make my next farmhouse tables much easier to build (and there are at least three more tables coming up the pipeline -- one for me and two custom orders).
So, what happens when you finish a piece of furniture and it comes out not quite right? Do you shrug and move on? Throw a hammer at the wall? Put it out on the curb and start over again? Building with inexpensive framing lumber definitely makes the not-quite-right pieces a lot less stressful! But sometimes I think that maybe building with more expensive, higher-quality lumber would result in fewer not-quite-rights. Hmmm...
Just out of curiosity what did you stain it with? I'm about to attempt to build your coffee table from lumbar I bought at Home Depot & really want the same finish as yours using the vinegar technique but now I'm worried it may come out different. On this particular table did you notice the color right away as you stained it or not until you finished?
ReplyDeleteHey, Angelique. I SHOULD have used the vinegar mixture -- it would have come out more how I intended, probably. Yes, I noticed it right away. And I tried to do 4-5 coats of stain to get the color right, but the orange tones in the denser grain of the wood just would not take the stain. Moral of the story? Test your stain on scraps. I should have known better!! :) A very wise friend once told me that no matter what color my stain, it's going to bring out the natural color in the wood. So true...except for the vinegar mixture which oxidizes the wood itself.
DeleteHappy new year to you, too!
Btw Happy New Year! :)
ReplyDeleteI recently finished a bed frame which I built with normal white 2x6 lumber but the only 4x4's I could find were Douglas Fir and very red. I finished it with the vinegar mixture and after a bit of sanding, the legs match the rest of the bed nicely!
ReplyDeleteI know the plans for this table are over at Ana White, but I couldn't find plans for the extending version. Did I miss them or could I twist your arm in to posting them sometime? This table would be *perfect* for us!
Thanks and Happy New Year!
Hi, Danielle! I don't think Ana has plans for the extending version. I'd be happy to post the cut list and some directions when I re-build the table. I'll try to get photos as I work.
DeleteYou're right -- I should have used the vinegar mixture instead of stain! Next time...and there will be a next time. :)
Thanks Hillary!
ReplyDeleteAwesome table, Hillary... how much did you end up getting for it and how much should it have cost? Having a hard time deciding on a price structure and " nailing " down a price for a 7'by 38" I'm building this week...
ReplyDeleteI know! Pricing is hard, right? I ended up getting $350 for it, I think, but I'm sure I could have sold it for a lot more if I'd had the time and will to try. My tables start at $550 (for cheap framing lumber -- I'd rather work with better lumber but I'm afraid clients wouldn't want to pay for it) and then I add an additional $50 per linear foot, plus $150 for leaves and $200 for benches (raised recently from $150 b/c they're almost as much effort to make as a table). That seems to work for now. I get much more business from Denver than I do from Colorado Springs. Different market, I guess!
DeletePrice is exactly what I was thinking.. thanks. Do you have a simple way to add leaves? Can't find anything on your or Ana's sight. I have a good idea based on one of your pictures, but its a guess... also, when do you know when the market will bare a price increase?
ReplyDeleteWhen I have more work than I have time to do, my price goes up. SO like, right now. :) The Provence table I built is up for sale now for $600. Someone emailed to ask if the price is negotiable. Right now? No, because I'm super busy and the table has a good place to "live" while it's for sale and it's a valuable piece of furniture worth probably more than $600. If I need the money, then it will be negotiable. Super scientific, as always.
DeleteI add leaves by cutting notches from the apron using my table saw and then adding 2x2s or 2x4s under the leaf boards and I slide them in. I've been meaning to do a post about it, just been too busy. This post has great instructions: http://tommyandellie.com/index.php/2012/01/13/new-and-improved-farmhouse-table-details/