Ikea Tarno Bistro Table

Recently I came across a weathered Ikea Tarno bistro table, I paid $20 which was a decent price in my mind. Usually when I pick up a piece I intend to sell it after I've reclaimed it. This piece would be a Valentine's Day gift for my husband once completed. We have been looking for something small that would easily fold and store in the fifth wheel. This piece was perfect! The best part was that I would be able to stain it to match the gray design on the fifth wheel exterior.

I picked up a quart of Minwax Wood Finish (Classic Gray #271) for under $8 at Lowe's.

Each wood panel was sanded prior to staining. I wanted to see how much work the frame would need after cleaning it thoroughly. Luckily, I would not need to paint the black frame as it was in excellent condition.

The panels, which were fairly easy to remove, were stained with a cheap-o paint brush. I think they were around $8 for a three pack. Normally I would not stain furniture inside but due to the snow last night and the freezing temps I really had no choice. I wanted the stain to process and dry. Staining in the garage at such low temperatures does not always provide the best results. With the windows open and heat cranked up I went to work.

I stained in sections allowing each to dry for atleast 4 hours before moving to the next. Once each section was stained I started the process over with the next coat. After the 2nd coat was fully dried I decided that it was plenty of stain coverage. I then took each panel and sanded them lightly to reveal the wood. This would give it a beachy almost driftwood look.

Finally, I applied a coat of matte polycrylic that I had on hand. Polycrylic is one of my favorite sealants for both stains and chalk paint because it won't yellow over time. Once each panel was completely dried I reassembled the table and chairs.

Overall, this project was fairly simple and inexpensive. The entire cost for this project was around $30 and I still have enough stain to complete another small project.