Seaworthy + Coconut Table

I got this table at a garage sale last year for $4.  It was tucked away in a storage closet just waiting for its makeover.

To start, I sanded the top down.  I normally use Minwax Dark Walnut stain, but I didn't want this to be so dark. I read on 2 Little Superheroes that she stained wood with coconut oil.  I have some in the house (we use it for moisturizer) and decided to test it out.

I love the way it came out!  Coconut oil has so many benefits over stain:

• It was so easy to do.
• I just rubbed the oil on with a clean cloth--that's it!
• It dries way faster than stain.
• I did wait until the next day to seal it with Minwax Finishing Paste, but probably could have done it in just a few hours.
• It does not highlight flaws in the wood like stain does.
• Stain seems to settle in any imperfection (especially the swirl marks from a sander) and highlight them, the coconut oil did not.
• It is all natural and smells wonderful!
• No having to use rubber gloves or making sure I am in a well ventilated area.
• It brings out the natural color of the wood.
• Not every piece will be the same color since each wood has a different natural color.

I painted the body of the table with two coats of SW Seaworthy that I mixed into homemade chalk paint.

I distressed the edges with the sanding sponge and finished up with Minwax Finishing Paste.  

I am so happy with the way it came out.  The color of the wood paired so well with the paint color.  It made quick and easy work of this piece.  Coconut oil is definitely a technique worth trying out.  

Linking to:

Silver Pennies | DIY Showoff | I Should Be Mopping The Floor | Dwellings | Creative Home Expressions | Craft-O-Maniac | The Dedicated House | Homecoming | My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia | A Stroll Thru Life | Cozy Little House | Love Grows Wild | Table For 7 | Kammy's Korner | The Winthrop Chronicles | Not Just A Housewife | VMG206 | Elizabeth & Co. | The DIY Dreamer | Savvy Southern Style | Fluster Buster | Yellow Bliss Road | Polkadots On Parade | Real Housewives of Riverton | The Blissful Bee | Lamberts Lately | Start At Home | Sweet Haute | Shabby Creek Cottage | I Gotta Create | Living Well Spending Less | Domestic Superhero | Redoux | Craft Dictator | Living Better Together | Miss Mustard Seed | Liz Marie | The Shabby Nest | DIY Vintage Chic | The Dedicated House | VMG206

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