Painting and painting and painting . . .

One of the first things that happened after I lost my job is one of my room mates moved out. And took all of the furniture. We looked like we'd been robbed. The only thing in the living room was a TV, the TV stand, and the Christmas Tree which I insisted we leave up so the room wouldn't look too empty. Our dining room consisted of a rug and the kitchen even managed to look a little on the forlorn side.

The plea went out to friends for anything - tables, chairs, rugs - and thankfully, they answered. I also send blessings to Craigslist as I located a table and chair set for $25.

The table and chairs were more than a little worn, but I thought with a coat of paint it had potential. I stripped the finish off the table and chairs with sandpaper. Then I took some black paint and gave it a few coats. I finished with a nice semi-gloss lacquer.

I should warn you, I did this back in late February and painted indoors (why my room mates didn't throw me out afterwards is a bit of a mystery - possibly because we'd actually have a decent surface to eat off of when finished.). The paint itself was fine, but the lacquer fumes hung around for days even though I ventilated the house. I also had the good sense to place a plastic tarp under the furniture while painting -- this was smart as I dropped the can of lacquer at one point and spilled it everywhere.

I'm quite pleased with the finished product and if/when I move, I'm taking the set with me. And don't worry, I finally took the Christmas Tree down.