This is the kind of project that starts with huge doubts, but I end up in love with the finished product. A friend was packing up and cleaning out her mother’s house after she relocated and asked if I would be interested in any of the things they were getting rid of.

Honestly, I think this table and chairs MAY have been headed to the roll-off dumpster in the driveway, but since we found all the pieces (mostly) I just had to bring it home.

I believe this table set had been used for daycare. It needed to be rebuilt and given a good scrubbing. There was some hardware missing and putting it back together required four hands and numerous tools. Thankfully my hubby stepped in to help with reconstruction.

After we finally got the table reconstructed, the chairs repaired and everything scrubbed within an inch of its life, it was finally time to restyle. I decided to reimagine it into not only a basic table set, but also a fun place for play and learning.

Everything got several good coats of my new favorite paint color and then…Yay for chalkboard paint.

Since the table’s surface was framed so nicely, a chalkboard just seemed like a natural choice and I loved the vintage appeal of it.

I sanded all the edges to continue with the vintage look, but I wanted more…

…so I added stenciled white dots on the back slats of the chairs (front and back) and the frame of the table top.

Swoon! Love!

The last step was an important one. Seasoning the chalkboard. If a new chalkboard is not seasoned, things written on the board will not completely erase. My technique for seasoning is to rub the side of chalk vertically and then horizontally over the entire chalkboard surface. Then I simply erase and it’s ready to go.

Enjoy!