It was an experience, but it was worth it!
Trestle Table (media by JC)
I made a purchase in November on Facebook Marketplace, which has proved to be rewarding. In a previous article, I mentioned I had two rooms I needed to fill, one of them being our dining room.
The dining room had a color that needed to go, and my wife was quick to make this happen. My task was finding a table and getting it done as the holidays were fast approaching. I searched the usual sites, which included Wayfair, Overstock, Pottery Barn, and the list goes on. My wife and I even visited the local furniture stores. While the selections were decent, the lead times were not. January would be the soonest to obtain a table to satisfy our needs. We did not want to settle.
Out of frustration, and probably at the inspiration of watching too many DIY channels, I jumped on Facebook Marketplace. It amazes me the amount of furniture you can find on there. I found no less than ten options the same day, and I couldn’t believe my luck when I happened upon a post with this write-up:
Beautiful dining table and 8 leather chairs from Anthropology received as wedding present cost $8,000. Stayed in formal dining room. Selling for $800 table and chairs. Has two leaves and sits 8 comfortably. 6 feet by 4 with 2 leaves 2 foot each so can be expanded to 10 feet. 10 feet in total length when expanded. Also comes with a table protector cover. Divorce sale. Need items moved by Wednesday, Dec 1, by 12 noon. Table is very heavy. I will not be able to help you move it. No holds.
Dining Table (media by JC)
I have heard of the fabled “divorce sale,” and now it was a reality for me. Not to mention the table came with all of the chairs. I quickly reached out asking if it was available and immediately sent out my intent to pay the $800. My spirits soared when this came back.
Messenger Messages (media by JC)
I was on cloud nine, and then the following came over to bring me down to Earth:
Messenger (media by JC)
This did not come unexpectedly, as I have found this a common occurrence on Marketplace. Until the product is in your hands, don’t get too excited! I had a few more experiences like this until we landed on this one:
media by JC
It was a trestle table, and it included one matching bench. At $900, we both thought it was more than reasonable. I won’t bore you with pick-up and delivery details, but the experience was manageable.
In discussion with my wife, I joked that this “project” would be her gift as she has an early December birthday. I called out “project” because the table would need some work. It had some scratches and other signs of wear and tear. My wife’s “birthday gift” would include stripping the table of any clear coat, light sanding the surface, simple staining, and then following up with several coats of clear coat (Polyurethane).
media by JC
She took the above table, applied a little “TLC,” and the finished product became this:
Finished Table with bench (media by JC)
Overhead (media by JC)
On to the next project!
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