Thrift Store Furniture Makeover (End Tables)

Who's ready for a Furniture Makeover Project? I have been meaning to share this DIY work with you for ages. Some of you might remember a thrift shopping inspiration post I did way back in February. I hinted that my friend Christy and I scored a great find, but winter weather and a few other hiccups got in my way...it was several months before the completed project landed in my family room. I'm so excited to finally share this fab Before and After Project with you today!

You may remember this shot from the thrift shop:

We were just about finished shopping when we strolled back past this set, marked at $69.

I paused and said, "You know, I really need a pair of end tables for my family room, but I don't need the coffee table."

Christy replied, "Yeah, I like the coffee table, but I don't need the end tables." 

{Light bulb moment!} It occurred to us that perhaps a wise decision would be to buy the set, split the cost, and each take the pieces we needed. This ended up being quite a good choice, as numerous people eyed us enviously on our way out of the shop.

Or maybe they were just wondering how in the heck we were going to use those weird sticky pieces. 

Yes, I said "sticky." On top of a layer of dull creamy tannish paint was a layer of sticky (!) brown stain or varnish. The previous owner had clearly tried his/her hand at faux finishing, and failed miserably. The finish was so sticky that the tables were really unusable. Our husbands were doubtful, but we knew we could succeed!

Here are a couple more Before and After pics to compare:

The first step was sanding. The amount of crud on the tables forced me to use T's palm sander, which did the trick! I highly recommend this, as opposed to trying to sand a large piece by hand! The hardest part was getting in all the little crevices on the drawer fronts.

See the difference after sanding?

I used some wood glue, clamps, and caulk to repair a loose drawer front and freshen up a few areas:

I used Elmer's Wood Glue Max, which I had on hand, and let the drawer sit overnight with clamps and a heavy toolbox on top to hold it down. 

For caulk, I picked up an inexpensive container of DAP Alex Fast Dry Caulk--important to go with fast dry! Caulking is important so the paint doesn't dry and show the cracks.

I was lucky enough to have several cans of Krylon Dual Paint and Primer on hand, so the knobs got a quick coat of flat black spray paint. I also primed both pieces with the same spray paint in white.

At this point, I knew I wanted a clean, smooth finish for the tables, but I also knew that the little ridges and lines on the drawer fronts would be tough to paint without globs everywhere (I am not the world's greatest painter). I enlisted the help of our friend Travis, who owns a really nice paint sprayer. Travis was busy with some of his own home renovation projects, but when he eventually did have time to paint my tables, I was so pleased!

The finish was so smooth and professional looking--like something you'd find in a showroom. Much, much better than what I could have accomplished with a paint brush.

The last step was to line each drawer with some wrapping paper in a modern print. I snagged it from the Target $1 section last year!

Operation Family Room Makeover is still plodding along! Here's one more before and after, with the old tables pictured:

It's not perfect, but it's coming along. The coffee table isn't scaled correctly for the furniture, but we work with what we have, right? I'm planning a gallery wall that will hopefully be a mix of old family "heirloom" photos and some fun whimsical pieces. I also have a slip cover that desperately needs to be fitted onto that couch!

Hope you'll forgive the long post, but I have been wanting to show you this makeover for the longest time!

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