Refinishing a water-marked table

We were lucky enough to be given an amazing mid-century dining table and chairs which once belonged to Mr1970sHouse’s lovely nan. It’s round, which is just what I wanted, but it niftily extends with an extra leaf to accommodate guests. The chairs are fab too. They’re designed so the top of the backs are flush with the tabletop. So neat, so mid-century: love it. They need a bit of TLC (wobble-correction and re-upholsery), but that’s a job for another day. For now, let’s take a look at the tabletop.

Closeboard fencing: How we did it

Closeboard fencing is constructed from vertical boards, as opposed to the horizontal boards seen on larchlap fencing. It looks smart, and stands up to winds a bit better than larchlap, which can be a bit flimsy. When we moved in, our house had closeboard fencing along the rear boundary of the garden, and larchlap on the side boundaries. The larchlap was close to total collapse on one side. I was keen to replace it with closeboard so it matched the rear boundary, and also because I knew about it’s reputation for longevity and I didn’t want to have to do the job again any time soon! Here’s what happened…