Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Trash to Treasure #1: Coffee Table

I hope that this can be a series of posts.  I am super thrifty and have found so many online tutorials about how to revive old worn out pieces, that I think it’s going to be a habit that I try to stick with.  The plan is to only buy essential pieces for our home, and everything else will be hand me downs that have been refinished or thrift store finds that I bring back to life.  A lot of this will depend on Jason’s patience with me and my creativity.  I get the feeling that the first one will wear out quicker that the latter.
But  anywho, here is our first project: a revived coffee table

Backstory: Jason owns a beautiful cedar chest that we will NEVER part with.  We used it as our coffee table for the first year in our house.  But after 12+ months of fighting with the remote signal to reach the cable box over the coffee table, I have had enough.  Plus, this is about the time that I started reading a bunch of craft blogs.  Funny how that works, huh?  So one Goodwill trip, I come home with what has to be the ugliest coffee table in the history of America.  JASON COMPLETELY AGREED.

BUT IT ONLY COST $4!!!!!!!

$4! YEP, LET ME SAY AGAIN, $4!!!

So it was mine.  It sat in the shed for a month or two and after a recent trip to Lowe’s, aka, my favorite store ever!, we had supplies to bring this baby to life.  (Sorry I don’t have pictures of the before)
But here is the after:


What we did:
      1.       I hated the grove around the top that you can still kind of see.  So we filled it in with wood filler and sanded that down after it dried

      2.       All of the legs, the frame and the top were sanded down
3.       The legs and frame received about 2 coats of primer
4.       I painted the legs and frame with Krylon Hotel Vanilla spray paint.  The top received a total of 4 coats of a mahogany stain and then a couple of coats of wood sealer/protector

5.       Jason cut me a second shelf and fit it in.  This is why he’s super handy to have around, and as long as I let him play with power tools, he doesn’t complain about my crafting quams.  Plus, he normally gets a new toy out of the venture.  I have a feeling that will eventually come to an end.  But then again, those guys at Black and Decker are pretty innovative.

6.       The second shelf was painted and sealed

       7.       Everything was put together

The end result:

Oh yea, I did distress it a little.  I kind of wish I had done a little more distressing.  But it was my first project and didn't want to go overboard.  Live and learn

You're dagum right I straigtened up and dusted and even lit a candle before I took these pictures


Zeus got nosey, so he got to be in the picture

Yes, we do have a subscription to both of those magazines.  It's my attempt to be both fashionable and fit at the same time.

Hahah!!  Both of those are gift subscriptions, who am I kidding?


BTW: When Jason called his dad, who is a manager at a furniture plant, he said the following: “I’ve been making a coffee table.”  Pssh!  WTF, I did the hard part, I spent the $4!!  (Love you baby, thanks for the help!)
At first we thought: Gosh! It sure it short.  The cedar chest was so tall and that was the problem, so it took a little while to get used to, but I love it.  And after the inital reaction, I haven't heard Jason say anything about it's short stature, so I guess he's become accustomed to it to.  Just food for thought.

 What do you guys think?  Are my trash to treasure ideas good or should I just leave the furniture making/painting/reviving to the professionals?  AKA: Target and Bed Bath and Beyond

Love and Seasons Greetings,

Meredith

9 comments:

  1. LOVE IT! Wish I was this crafty!!!

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  2. Love it lady, what a great idea.

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  3. Okay, well this is just beautiful. What a great project to take on and look how it well it turned out! You are a crafty queen, Miss Meredith. How much did the project cost total with supplies? I bet it would still be much cheaper than if you had bought it from a department store or furniture store. The whole look is very southern chic. Job well done! Kudos to Jason, too! You all make a great team.

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  4. Ashley, I think we spent around $40 on supplies. Maybe a little more with brushes and pans. But we had some of the paints and the wood filler left over to use on other projects. And yea, I'm thinking that I wouldn't be able to find a semi-distressed, two-toned short coffee table with two shelves for less than $50 anywhere close buy. And I like the idea that I didn't have to throw down the $ all at once.

    Thanks for the support ladies!!

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  5. I think that it looks wonderful. Can't wait to come over and see it(soon I hope). Love you guys! And again nice job!

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  6. I think it's ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUl!!!!! Help me be crafty Mere!!! love ya!

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  7. Kali, Just find us a project and we'll find a way to do it!

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  8. $4 is amazing! I did a simpler revamp over the summer (you can check it out here: http://www.lifeonmarsblog.net/2011/09/coffee-table-makeover.html) but it cost me $40. Yours looks amazing. I'm a new follower and I hope you'll follow me back!

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  9. Hi Meredith, what a great job you did on the coffee table makeover. Thanks so much for sharing and Merry Christmas. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris
    http://chelencarter-retiredandlovingit.blogspot.com/

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