What Is that????? The Reveal

Ok here the is cabinet with some of it's parts laying on the top.  A lot of you guessed this to be a stereo or old radio cabinet.  Nope!

This sweet cabinet is called an Expand-O-Matic dining table!! Yep those are the leaves on the top of this cabinet.  These were made back in the late 60's and early 70's.  The leaves stored in the inside of the cabinet.

The top draw pulls out and becomes the end of the table when extended.  As you can see the extension bars open up to any size seating from 2 to 12.  The leaves then fall into place and you have a table.
Here is one very similar to mine that I took off of pinterest.  You can see how it opens up to a full table.

These are the leaves before we sanded and painted them along with the middle table leg for support when the table is fully extended.

Terry sanded down the piece so it would take the cabinet paint.  Believe it or not I was planning on leaving this a light colored natural wood if it sanded nicely!  Nope it had sections as you can see that did not come out well from sanding.  Just years probably of poly and the different types of wood.  So white paint was going to take over!

We had to paint this inside due the house due to the cold weather we have here in Illinois.  However,  the sanding part was done outside in the garage!  Sorry Terry but trying to clean up all those fine dust particles for the next three months was not going to happen!  So outside this piece went to get her sanding.

My living room then became a painting room for the cabinet and all her parts.  

We used Lowe's special cabinet paint.  I love this paint.  It is specifically made for painting cabinets.  No primer needed.  It goes on like glass and the cabinets hold up very nicely.  We have used this cabinet paint on the kitchen cabinets and they still look great like the first day we painted them.  You can tint this to any color you want including the 100's of white shades.  I just use the semi brilliant white that it come in.

As you can see in this before pic the bottom of the cabinet was ok but I felt a little dated.  So Terry and his tools took some left over molding from when we made the island and finished this to make if feel more updated.  You can see this in the next picture.

Please excuse the grainy pictures but if I wait for good light and a sunny day it might be April to show you this piece finished!
I added new hardware for the upper drawer and left the hardware that was on the doors below.  Just gave them some white paint and sanded them for a distressed look.



The leaves all store nicely in the cabinet.  There is still room on the other side that I will put some serving pieces and a table cloth or two. 

Here is what the table looks like when you pull out the faux drawer.  You can see the mechanisms that pull out for each leaf.  This table expands to fit up to 12 comfortably.


I put in about 4 of the leaves to show you how this works.  They slip in and have little pegs that fit into the holes in the next leaf so the fit nicely together.



I love this piece.  Since I do not have a dining room in this tiny house this gives me a dining room table to entertain my guests when needed.  Then I can be put back away in this cute cabinet that does not take up a lot of space.

Oh how I wish I could get a better picture of this piece finished.  It really is pretty in this room and the finish came out really nice.  I guess that is the draw back of living in the midwest during the winter!  Some days we see sun but this week we are not going to see much sunshine.

Hope all of you are having a wonderful week.
Just trying to stay active and not feel the winter blues with no sun.

Have a great rest of the week.
Kris

54 comments

  1. That is an amazing table! I love it. Painted it is gorgeous!

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  2. WOW! It's beautiful Kris! You truly do have the magical touch... what a unique piece and how special it'll be to seat your friends and family around that table and make many wonderful memories. Thank you for sharing what you used. My kitchen cabinets are in desperate need of brightening up.

    Have a lovely Wednesday, Sweet Friend.
    XOXO

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  3. What an awesome piece, Kris...looks beautiful and it will be so useful! I would love to have one! Great job!

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  4. what a perfect piece of furniture for you guys. I've NEVER seen one of these before. That's what I don't like about dining rooms. they're wasted space except for a few days a year, this is a great solution. super job as always, Kris!

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  5. WOW! That table is amazing!! Just perfect for your home. I have never seen one of those before but now I wonder why they don't make more of them because it just makes so much sense. Great job on the re-finishing too. You guys are such an inspiration.

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  6. Wowzy wow-wow! That is one awesome piece of furniture! And you made it ten times better! I stand in awe of your talent, Kris!

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  7. Wow, what an incredible piece....I have never seen anything like it before!!! It looks so beautiful all painted out in white. Love it!!!
    ~Des

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  8. I didn't even know these existed, but I LOVE it!!! You've got me thinking...this would be the perfect solution to my desire to turn my dining room into another living room. We only use our dining room twice a year, so I'm always toying with the idea of putting the table in storage and buying a love seat and a couple of chairs and a coffee table to turn it into a living room. But then I'm always wondering if I would miss my dining table during the holidays, plus we need it for all the seating. If I could find one of these expandable tables, it would solve my problem. Something to think about, at least. You did a wonderful job of restoring it and I'm glad to hear that cabinet paint works well. Good tips!

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  9. OMG!!! You are AmaZiNg Kris!!! I've never seen such a practical piece for small spaces!!! It fits in just perfect - AND you made it WHITE of course!!!

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  10. It turned out beautifully Kris. Now I can't wait to bring my MIL's piece home and refinish it!

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  11. Kris, I am in love that piece. That is exactly what I need. It's a win-win piece of furniture. Nice as a cabinet and amazing as a dining table. I really like the make over that Terry did at the bottom. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie

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  12. Wow! What a fantastic old piece. It looks really good painted white, too. I have seen only one of those tables that I can remember. I bet they are a rarity today. You are right- it is perfect for your house where you don't have a lot of room to have a dining room table. You can use this when you need it and have it stored neatly away when you don't want to eat up the extra room leaving it open. Perfect!

    Have a wonderful Wednesday- xo Diana

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  13. Well, I have never seen or heard of this piece of furniture before. What a cool find. Perfect for your new home on saving space. Looks great!

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  14. I love it. So perfect for your space. xo Laura

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  15. Never seen this Before but it was real smart.
    Have a great Thursday.
    Love Elzie

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  16. What a perfect piece for a little house! You two made it so beautiful. The molding at the bottom is so clever.

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  17. Well blow me down! I've never seen such a thing but I think it's a great idea!

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  18. Oh, Kris, I had to call Jerry in to see this. He guessed it was a record cabinet!! I had no idea and it is the neatest thing I have ever seen. Especially for you not have a dining room space, what a jewel. It really looks pretty being white and with your pretty things on top. I can't believe you even found this piece!..xxoJudy

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  19. I have never seen one of these tables - this is so cool! I would love to have one of these for my living room, as we also don't have a dining room - just an eat-in kitchen. But neither me nor my husband are handy or good painters like you and your husband are. You and Terry did a great job of painting this piece!

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  20. Thank you for stopping by. I do come to visit, I don't leave messages and I should. I love all that you have done in your new home, I so enjoy seeing all of your projects.

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  21. Wow!! just wow!! you did an incredible job..

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  22. What a perfect solution for our smaller homes. I never heard of the table before...but now I'm on the lookout for one! Can i ask what lucky resale online shop are you talking about? It really took on a whole new look with the new bottom trim and painting. If you and Terry should wake up one day and its missing I'm headed home with it.

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  23. Wow, Kris, this table is an amazing piece! Your makeover brightens it right up and I can see where it can come in handy for entertaining. I'd love to find a table like this!! You and Terry are quite the team! Another beautiful project you've completed to add to your new home. I love it! xx
    Linda

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  24. Wow! What an amazing piece - I've never seen anything like that before. Great score Kris!!

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  25. Love this piece. It would be perfect in a sewing/craft room, doubling as a dining room. I've never seen one; what a fun find.

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  26. Well now, isn't that cool! I've never seen one before! What a great piece to have for your little house! It looks great - you'll have to show us a picture of it when you do get some sunshine. Glad you went ahead and shared. The suspense was killing me. Lol.
    Hugs,
    Cecilia

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  27. I've never seen such kind of a cabinet table before. This is such a clever piece of furniture and it's just perfect for small homes. What a great find, Kris! It looks so much better in white. You two did a wonderful job again!
    Hugs,
    Julia

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  28. You and Terry blow my mind. First of all, as a busy fire fighter, that he even puts in the time to redo the furniture is ONE THING....then both of you work on the redesigning of the piece...it looks fantastic. This is the trick of living large in a small space: rethinking how a piece can function in multiple ways. I LOVE IT!!!

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  29. This is an incredibly versatile piece, Kris. I love how Terry used the molding for the toekick. It turned out really great.

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  30. Kris!! What a wonderful piece of furniture. It is perfect for your house. Love the new molding around the bottom.

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  31. WOwowowowowow! I love this - never seen anything like it. Thanks for the tip on the paint too. I've not tried that. I painted my laminate cabinets two years ago with chalk paint then decided waxing was too much work so went with a semi-gloss paint but eventually they'll need a touch up.

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  32. Ok. So the question is...how much can I bribe you to have you send that over?

    xxx

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  33. So amazing!!! I 've never seen a cabinet table like this one. Hugs

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  34. Oh darn! I wish I was you! Such creativity and energy, not to mention a handyman husband. Should you ever come across another item like this, please email me because this would be perfect for my limited space condo. Keep your creative ideas coming.

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  35. The table is the perfect piece for a cottage, or any size home for that matter. I have seen those before but kept thinking it was some sort of storage unit. Great find and I love what you and Terry did with it! xoxox.

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  36. I was pretty close on guessing. This was such a smart idea. They should make them today. Great job. Very pretty.

    Cindy

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  37. Gorgeous piece! I never would have guessed what it was. You are doing an excellent job of getting multi purpose furniture for your home.
    Brenda

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  38. Amazing piece and so handy for a space when you need more dining room table!

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  39. Oh Kris and Terry! Amazing job! As many others have said, I've never seen something like this! I remember that tables you could attach to the wall and pull it down and have the legs come out and sit on the floor, but this... this.... this... is just amazing! You guys did a fantastic job on it, and I love how you've turned your living room into your "paint studio"!!!! That's what I would have to do here, at least during the winter. I was just wondering what kind of paint you used, as it is so crisp and white! and the next photo was the can of Valspar! Our kitchen cabinets in this fixer upper house are dark brown, but they are real wood so just want to paint them white but was uncertain what to use. I didn't like the idea of chalk paint either. What are you going to do when you run out of things to paint??? I swear, you and hubby should have your own TV show! You two rock! Your cabinet looks so neat with your pretties on top.. and how great that with all those leaves inside, you still have room for storage. Like others said, "they" (whoever "they" are) should be making these types of cabinets today with all of the people in this country downsizing and trying to live small. We use our dining table all the time.. we sit there off and on all day long, with our "stuff" spread out on it. It is NEVER cleaned off unless we have company coming, but we would be lost without it there all the time! If I didn't have the dining room, I would love something like this. Take care... stay warm! xoxoxo Marilyn

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  40. I am amazed!! I have never seen this kind of table before. I too live in a home with no dining room and have had to get creative, but this is a genius piece and you are a genius decorator! I think it's perfect and love the way it looks in your home. I can't wait to see it set up for a big family dinner one of these days! Enjoy it. xoxo

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  41. Beautiful!!! I have seen tables like this before and what a great job you did transforming this piece into a thing of beauty!! I used th same paint on my Kitchen cabinets..
    Hugs,
    Debbie

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  42. I didn't know that this was a thing! How brilliant for a tiny cottage! I'm seriously amazed, and of course I love the white paint and molding. This is so cool!

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  43. You two always amaze me with your transformations....I have an antique table that is also a "slider" ... a Wisconsin slider . . . built in the late 1800's....I think this is such a fantastic piece for your home! It's beautiful!!!!

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  44. That turned out fantastic! It’s very generous in size and I love how it tucks away! Great investment!

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  45. Perfect for your cottage. I have never seen a table like this before, so this really is a unique and special piece. This was the piece made in Wisconsin, right?

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  46. That is a really neat piece of furniture, and I have never seen anything like it! You could even use it as a desk or work surface since you can adjust the size. It's a great idea for your home. We only have a dining area and the table feels like it is the way a lot especially with the little dogs. xoxo Su

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  47. Not sure how I missed this post. This is perfect and what a fabulous find.

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  48. Perfection Kris. I love the cabinet painted white. What a great team, you two make. Truly an amazing piece of furniture for those who do not have the space for a dining table. Enjoy your new find. Happy Sunday. Xo

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  49. This is such a great piece of furniture for your Cottage. When it's fold in, it really ties in the style of your home.

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  50. Are you kidding me? I have never heard of one, but what a great piece for a small house. And of course you and Terry made it completely JCC worthy.

    I love the bags you made for your birthday celebration - my next birthday will also have a 0 at the end!

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  51. I have never seen this type of table before but it couldn't be more perfect for Cottage III and what a difference painting it white and adding lovely trim made!

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  52. This is amazing. It's perfect for your house.

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  53. So looking forward to the reveal! You keep good company and make me smile!
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