Refinishing Our Kitchen Table
When my husband first told me he wanted to refinish our kitchen table, my first thought was, "Why?" This table, which we inherited from Travis’ parents, has been in his family for generations, originally belonging to his mother’s side. But if I’m being totally honest, I’ve never been a fan of it. The thing is massive, and I’ve never found it particularly attractive. So, when he suggested fixing the seams and refinishing it, I couldn’t understand why he’d want to put in all that effort.
To be fair, the table definitely needed some love. It had water stains, and at some point, someone put a hot pot or pan on it without any protection, leaving a huge white mark. When we moved into our new home, a friend from church kindly picked up the table from our storage unit and re-glued all the seams that were splitting. Once we got it back, it was my job to choose a stain. After much back and forth, and literally comparing it to every wooden object we own, I settled on a natural stain—it felt basic and simple, but it just made sense.
Travis then made a few trips to Ace and Home Depot to pick up supplies. Full disclosure: he had never done this before. But he did work in the Home Depot paint department for a while during COVID, so between that and some YouTube tutorials, he managed to get the job done. And well.
It took four days of working out on the front patio, and we only refinished the top of the table. We just didn’t have the time, energy, or need to tackle the legs.
Throughout this whole process, my role was to document the journey and provide moral support while Travis tackled the hands-on work. Watching him bring new life to something that’s been in his family for generations was more rewarding than I expected. In the end, the table turned out beautifully, and even though I wasn’t initially on board with the idea, I’m so glad we did it. Now, every time we sit down to eat, we’re reminded not only of the family history behind this table but also of the effort and care that went into restoring it. It’s a piece that tells a story—and now, it’s one we’re proud to keep sharing.
