Monday, October 26, 2009

Coffee Table

Happy Monday!
I bought this great coffee table off craigslist a while back. I loved the piece with all the drawers and the little compartment along the back. It was fairly beat up, though, and 'poopy brown' is not my favorite color.
Before

After

I took off all the hardware and then sanded the dickens out of this thing. Then, applied several coats of primer on the bottom of it. Then, several coats of paint (Olympic "Heirloom Lace"). I did a little sanding around all the edges and then brushed on and wiped off the stain to rustify it a bit. Then, several coats of polycrylic. (LOTS of coats on this thing!)

On the top I sanded it down and stained it with MinWax "Dark Walnut". And then several coats of polycrylic. I put all the hardware back on and replaced a few knobs on the drawers (goodbye Lions head knobs).


There was another fix I had to make. One of the top corners looked like this...

Broken. I didn't really have a clue how to fix this. I thought about taking that piece to my brother (I believe he's known around here as "The Joe"), but I wasn't going to make it down there anytime soon. So, my hubby was cruising the Internet one day and found this stuff that was a daily special on ebay....


I decided to give it a try. Basically, you take a piece of this putty and 'activate' it by pushing it in your fingers a while. Then, you just mold it onto whatever you want, in whatever shape you want. In about a half our it is hard as rock and you can sand it, paint it, whatever. Here's the result on the corner...

I know, not perfect, but I'd say better than no corner at all. It was pretty cool stuff and I think I could make it look even better now that I've used it once.


And there you have it. What are you working on this week?



PS: If you care about my top coat experience, read on....


I ended up using Minwax polycrylic for the top coat. I saw that they had a spray version and after ALL the coats of paint, I couldn't pass up the opportunity for some beloved spray. The can let me do 2-3 coats on the entire table. I thought it looked great...no streaks, no brush strokes, no drips. Great! But, then I was putting a drawer back in and hit it on the piece just above it and a little circle of paint chipped off. AHHH! I was concerned about this and ended up brushing on (yes, MORE brushing) 2 coats (MORE coats) of polycrylic after fixing the chipped spot. Was the spray not good enough? Did I just not spray evenly enough and missed that little skinny piece of wood? Would the same thing have happened (will happen?) with the brush on? Time will tell, I guess.

****You all liked this table so much (thanks!), that I decided to join in to Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party and share it with the peeps over there. Have you ever been to TDC? She's got a million great DIY ideas!****

27 comments:

  1. Loving this table! It reminds me of an apothecary table from Pottery Barn I fell in love with years ago. And the corner fix isn't even noticeable! Yes better than no corner at all:) Great paint job too!

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  2. What am I working on?? Just a huge(to me)redo of a armoire with spray paint. I don't even know how to show it to you I'm so computer illiterate. I'm having fun being motivated by you and all the other blogs I've been cruising for a bit. *Ruth*

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  3. wow! had to click out of my reader to say how wonderful this piece looks! you did a great job.
    chipping :( Sorry about that. I hope the addtional coats you brushed on will protect this little gem.
    gail

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  4. That looks soooo great!!! I could definately fill up all of those drawers in there! Good Job!

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  5. Hannah!! That is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! I'm fighting back the coveting feelings!!! I LOVE it!! Such a find and you did such a great job with the restoration!!! Happy Monday!!

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  6. Love This table Hannah!!! You ladies are all such an inspiration. Can't wait to share my first coffee table project. Love This Blog......

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  7. It looks great. That putty stuff is amazing!

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  8. I'm so not a cofee table fan (little ones and sharp edges...) BUT if I had this table, I could definitely handle it! You did such a great job with it, and I LOVE all of the drawers and compartments. It just looks like so much fun! Good job, you!

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  9. Awesome job on the makeover. I just love what you have done with this table, oh, oh, oh I must start cruising craigslist more often.

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  10. It doesn't even look like the same table! YOu did a great job and I love the colors you used.

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  11. A SERIOUS WOWZERZ! That's beautiful!

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  12. What a great post! I found your link through A Soft Place to Land and have loved checking everything out today. Hard to believe that so many different and absolutely wonderful blogs link up in one place every week.

    I have so much to learn. :)

    -Francesca

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  13. This is absolutely stunning. I LOVE it!!! Great job.

    Cece

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  14. Great Job Han. How'd you get so smart and crafty!I'm a fan of all the little drawers.The whole thing is fabulous!

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  15. I love this makeover! Wow! The table is beautiful. Great job.

    pk @ Room Remix

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  16. I am drooling right now. That is the most magnificent coffee table I have ever seen. It should be in a Pottery Barn catalogue.

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  17. I really, really like that! Thanks for the tip about the fixer. I need to check it out.

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  18. You know, I just have to say it....you are amazing. Simply amazing.

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  19. Oh my she is beautiful!!! Those drawers are awesome. The storage possibilities in that thing are amazing. Jealous over here.

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  20. LOVE it! Seriously the storage in that table is to die for. Although my kids would have everything taken out of it in 2.5 seconds flat. Great job - I love what you did! :)

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  21. Wow! what a difference....great tip on the corner. i wouldn't have known what to do with that broken bit either.
    looks great!
    thanks for sharing,
    tamera@doubledelight

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  22. So lovely! This table looks fresh and serene. Great job!

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  23. I'm totally crushing on that table! You did a fabulous job, and though it was lots of brushing, it totally transformed the piece into a thing of coolness :o) BTW, I've never had good luck with spray on poly. I think the coats go on too thin and it takes a bazillion coats to get stuff protected.

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  24. You did an amazing job on this table! What a great vision you had for that piece. It looks sooooooooooooooooooo good!
    Blessings,
    Traci

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  25. Wow! Stunning. I love the walnut with the creamy white... it's beautiful!

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  26. I love the combo of the stain look on top and the painted distressed bottom. All the drawers-- such a great looking piece and good fix on the corner!

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~Andy