Thrift Store table...redone...and then redone AGAIN

Word to the wise....when you find an AMAZING deal at a flea market on an adorable round table with gorgeous scroll looking feet and its only 4.00 and you buy it and bring it home... and go AGAINST YOUR BETTER JUDGMENT when you decide to stain it black-ish brown instead of painting it Heirloom White (which you know is the color it belongs). YOU WILL END UP REFINISHING IT! Phew....ok now that I got that off my chest. This table was my love...I spotted it across the thrift store and it was love at first sight! It quickly became obsession at first sight when I spotted the 4.00 price tag on it. Well needless to say that I bought it...(as well as an awesome almost-full-length mirror that was only 3.00 but that's another post.)
                                               

                                        Before: Dowdy and weathered

This table is oak and super solid but it is an ugly color and is super weathered. Don't get me wrong...I love the look of wood but I love the look of painted wood even more. I think everything looks better painted! The first time I refinished this thing I wasn't doing this blog and I wasn't documenting my steps but here's how I did it...try and get a mental picture...
I sanded the heck out of the top (by hand...those were the days before my trusty hand sander) and then wiped off the dust. I used Minwax liquid stain in Ebony and applied (no joke) about 10 coats of stain. When it still wasn't the color that I was after I read something online that said you could mix a little bit of stain in with polyeurethane and that you would get that dark color and seal it all at the same time! Well sweet! I applied the stain/poly mix and it totally worked. Plus it gave it this marbled finish that showed off those adorable legs perfectly!
                                                             After: Dark and Lovely!

 Now your all probably thinking "That looks fine...leave well enough alone!" and you would be right...but in my house this thing took a beating super fast. My toddler was banging blocks and toy cars on it regularly...as well as smearing whatever sticky substance he could find on its pretty shiny top. And once it was sticky the dust loved to settle on it and get stuck (and who has the time to dust regularly?) So sadly...I knew it was time that this table got what it truly deserved from the beginning....Heirloom White to the rescue! I sanded this with the hand sander to get it nice and smooth and remove as much stain as I could. I was out of primer and my son was napping so I just applied an extra coat of Heirloom White...total of about 3 coats. It was super sunny and gorgeous today so I let it dry in the sun in between coats. I then distressed it quite a bit on the legs and sides and ridges and then applied two coats of Wipe On Poly to it for protection.
                                       AFTER X2: TA DAAAAAAAA!!!! 

I couldn't be more in Loooove with this table!
This was its destiny from the start...it just took me a bit to wise up. Now she is sitting in my living room/dog bed/dog toy area and she is gorgeous!

I'm linking up to the following parties...
DIY Day