I've seen these tables around the Internet for awhile and I loooove them! I would probably put two in my living room if there were space for them. I've seen painted and stained versions. But the one I'm hacking is from West Elm. I love it so much, from the stump, to the rug to the cool chair. {Doesn't it look a lot like an "inspiration" chair from my classifieds search?}
I kept an eye out for tree stumps for
So that's why it took so long, trying to make sure it was tall enough, wide enough, old enough, but not too old or too short, etc.
First
Clean'er up! Z and I sprayed pest control all over it for several days {some homemade stuff I whipped up, another post, for another day.} We left it outside to try while it simultaneously repelled pests. Then I washed it down to remove any residue.
Second
The sides were the easy part, I just used a palm sander and some 80 grit sandpaper, then 180, then 320. Unfortunately, the top was cut a little uneven. I don't have a circular sanded so I improvised. I added a sanding disk to my drill and it worked like a charm. Isn't she so pretty! Love, love the gray undertones in the worn wood!
Third
I used a homemade stain made from White Distilled Vinegar and Steel Wool pad. Just let the mixture sit for a couple days outside, it doesn't smell pretty. I didn't measure, I just stuffed a steel wool pad into the bottom half of my vinegar bottle (bottle was .5 gallon.)


Fourth
Wearing gloves, I ragged the mixture on, moving in the direction of the wood grain.You can see what it looks like, as I'm wiping, the color is forming. The stain is a stinky, gray liquid. It's very easy to work with, easier than "real" stains, I think. When dry it looked like this. I was kind of shocked. I thought it would be a lot grayer in color. So, I started Googling and found this stain reacts differently with different trees. {whoops!}
I have no idea what tree my stump was from.
But the stain turned sort of reddish.

Third & Fourth {again!}
I lived with it for 1 whole day, before I made a new stain.This time I used Apple Cider Vinegar, the all knowing Internet said it would turn the wood grayish. I used the same process, just threw the wool right in the vinegar, sanded the stump super lightly, and reapplied the mixture.
You can see where I made hash marks on the stump there's almost a line down the middle, showing you the different colors that the 2 stains turn. Isn't it funny that the white vinegar turns reddish and the red vinegar turns wood gray?
I was kinda petrified to do the new stain right on top of the old, but I figured could always sand it. {again} The new color is just perfect, a tan and gray mixture! I am so glad I tried again.


Since I was already playing around with it, I tried two more experiments staining the wood.
- I also sprayed some clear sealer on, just to see what would happen. It made the wood look a little yellow.
- I also brewed some Tea to stain the wood. Tea has tannic acid in it, a chemical that reacts with the vinegar.
- I read a few different tutorials and some said to apply the tea 1st, let it dry, then brush on the vinegar; while others said to do the opposite.
- I just brushed some tea over the vinegar that I had put on the stump days before. I was shocked how dark it tuned! I tried to give you guys a picture of the different results.

Thanks for checking out my new table!! Have you guys made one of these? Are you planning to now that you've seen my beauty? lol I wouldn't blame you cuz I love it!
Disclaimers: I've heard this stain will keep long term. That's awesome, but I probably wouldn't keep it a plastic bottle, like the one I used to mix my stain. Make sure you poke a hole in the lid, to let the fumes escape! As always, I'm telling you all how I did this project, but I'm not a furniture professional or a scientist- so wear gloves and follow along at your own risk. Although I didn't have any problems and haven't heard of anyone having them either.
I'm also linked up here.