Mid-century Drop Leaf Table

Whitney Birch

1948 Advertisement: Picturesque Colonial;
Whitney Birch in Warm, Cherry Maple Hue.

Before:

My initial plan was to repaint the entire table. But then I decided I wanted to stain the top, so paint removal was the next step. I used my orbital sander. I started with a 60-grit which usually does the trick, but this paint was stubborn and it was time consuming.

After fighting through removing the paint with 60-grit, I finally switched to 40-grit on the underside. I was worried it might damage the wood, but it actually did better overall.

After

I'm happy with the newly stained top and think it pairs nicely with the painted base.

 

The contrast looks a little stark in the bright light of the photos, but it's less of a contrast indoors.

The beautiful grain of the wood still shows through the dark stain.