Kitchen Table refurb (July 4, 2012)

Everything seems to come full circle. This was my parents' kitchen table when I was growing up.  It was there as far back as I can remember.  Nothing fancy, just some 2" thick hardwood lumber with a great butcher block top and a natural finish.  As a side project in my high-school woodshop class, my mom wanted to raise the table to countertop height and incorporate some stools into the kitchen area.   After a few years she allowed me to keep the piece with me. 

Not only was the table used as an eating surface, it was a great work desk throughout the end of my college days as well as an entertaining piece in my early professional years at my downtown Kansas City loft. 

With the future in mind, my wife and I decided that the high-top table has had its day.  I cut the table down to its original height and with a little teamwork we sanded and painted the base an "off-black" color (to borrow my mother's term). 

Next, I sanded and stained the top a dark walnut color with some clear polycrylic applied for added durability. We were quite pleased with the result as the dark stain color really brought out the character hidden in the butcher block's end and surface grains (See below) that I had never seen before in all my years this table has been in my life. 
 

Full circle indeed, as I hope this can be our family kitchen table for many years to come until maybe someday it can be re-purposed yet again.