A Quick Furniture Makeover

I was looking for a new side table for the living room and was just about to head over to my favorite consignment store to see what I could find when I remembered I had an old table stashed in the basement. It was...humble to say the least and it's had a rather tough life.

 

We got the table because a previous owner had left it behind in our old house. No idea how old it is, but based on the rest of the furnishings that were left behind, I'd say it's from the 1940's or 1950's. We used it for the next 14 years and then it went through two hurricanes (Irene & Sandy), which flooded the whole house (2 inches from Irene and 2 feet from Sandy). Anyway, when we moved to the new house, it came with us, but it just ended up in a corner of the basement with the rest of the odds and ends. I thought it could use some TLC.

First, I sanded off the old finish on the tabletop. This took a while because the surface was so damaged. I mean I'm all for the distressed look, but this was BAD. There were rings from people putting down glasses without coasters, so I had to sand way down until I ended up with a fresh surface.

Looking better already! Then I stained the top a medium brown stain. I couldn't believe how good the wood looked once it was stained. When the stain was dry, I added two coats of Wipe On Poly in a satin finish.

I finished the legs with Annie Sloan Old White and then a wash of Paris Gray to tone it down a bit. A little light distressing and a coat of wax and I was done.

So this old table has a completely new look. And it works just fine in the living room!