My husband and I dreamed of a farm table and cane back Louis chairs for years, so when we bought this Florida ranch home and saw we had the space for such a large dining table, we had to go for it! We found these Louis chairs on craigslist (for a steal!!), and of course, they were beachy and coastal, completely the wrong style for our newly painted, light grey walls. Basically, 1992 called, and was begging for its peach and red striped fabric back! We researched and researched and decided that General Finishes had all the products we needed to make these chairs come to life.
While we were refinishing them, we found a company in Georgia to make us an unfinished farm table and bench. We ordered them, and pressed on with the tedious task of re-upholstering these chairs. This was WAY above my skill set! Lots of youtube videos happened during late night hours to get these chairs just right! I now have a new respect for upholstering.
Our table and bench arrived a few weeks later, and our chairs were just perfect by then. Two coats of driftwood milk paint, one coat of Satin HPTC, and one coat of winter white glaze made these chairs sparkle! We finished them in three coats of satin HPTC and added our striped fabric and French gimp trim. For the table and bench, we painted the legs just the same as the chairs. However, we knew we wanted to stain the top, so that just a hint of the knotty pine wood showed through, so we mixed General Finishes water based pre-stain conditioner with 50% driftwood milk paint to create a custom stain. We applied this to the top and top sides of the table and bench in two coats. Then we added one coat of satin HPTC and more winter white glaze. We then sealed the table and bench with many, many layers of satin HPTC. A rug, a new chandelier, two mirrors, and a little love on the table, and we now have our dream dining room.
Thanks General Finishes! Your products truly made our custom dining room a reality!
