re-love challenge: the finished piece

Hoorah! The piece for Feast Watson's Re-Love challenge is now complete! I'm pretty happy with the result. Read more about this challenge and my design intent here.

Keep your eye on the Re-Love website from May 9th for details of the auction. All nine pieces including this one will be sold off to raise money for the Salvos Stores.

If you're curious, I've listed the steps below. I used a mix of Feast Watson's Black Japan Stain & Varnish, Liming White Stain, Liming White Stain with varnish and Dulux's Quit Rust in Black for the metal frame.

1. The piece was lightly sanded, including the metal frame.
2. The area around the frame was masked off before applying three coats of the Quick Rust in Matt Black.
3. The lower board was given four coats of the Black Japan Stain & Varnish.
4. One coat of the Liming White Stain (without varnish) was applied with a cloth and then a second coat applied with a brush. This coat was allowed to dry completely over a few days.
5. A tessellated pattern was designed on CAD to suit the dimensions of the table. I started by dividing the table size into equal rectangular blocks and then manipulated the shape from there (using this method).
6. The pattern was transferred onto contact paper, which formed the stencil. The stencil pieces were cut out then laid over the areas to be blocked out. The contact pieces were stuck onto a piece of fabric before sticking it onto the table. This knocked out some of the stickiness, protecting the limewash on the table and making it easier to remove later on.
7. Using a cloth (and yes, that is an old sock), the liming wash without varnish was dabbed onto the exposed areas. This coat was layered on quite thick and intentionally patchy. The contact was removed while still wet. This layer was allowed to fully dry over a few days.
8. To drop the level of contrast out and also seal the finish, the entire top was given another two coats of the Liming Wash with varnish.

Photography and styling by me. Assistance with heavy lifting/props manoeuvring by my sister. Thanks also to my parents who generously allowed me to turn their terrace into my temporary workshop. Thanks a bunch team Leoncio :)