Mission: Coffee Table

I am obsessed with Craigslist. I am often looking for great deals on cheap or free items that I can fix up and use. It really is one of the best ways to rehab furniture and home decor.When I knew that I would be moving, I decided that I wanted some new furniture to be excited about. First things first, I needed a coffee table. I found this coffee table for 10 bucks on Craigslist.

The first thing that I did was to strip down the top to see if the wood was quality. It is easiest to begin with an electric palm sander and then follow up with some sandpaper, especially for the edges. Make sure to wipe it down with a clean cloth. I was shocked to find out how beautiful the wood was under all that varnish!

The second thing that I did was to rough up the bottom of the table with some medium grade sand paper and then prime it with an oil based primer. After the primer is dry, make sure to sand it with fine grain sand paper and wipe it again with a cloth. Yes, more sanding. That is definitely my least favorite part of the process. I chose a really nice warm creamy-yellow for the paint (which is latex). 

The last step was to stain the top of the table. I decided to go darker to better contrast the paint and make it look less 'country.' After several layers of stain and even more layers of poly, I had my table. 

I am really happy with the finished product and can't wait to see it in my new living room. 

I love old school, vintage looking furniture so when I found this old phone table (also from Craigslist) for 30 bucks, I had to get it! I decided in order to make the look cohesive, I would put it through the same treatment as the coffee table. Even though the wood is slightly different I was able to tie them together with the paint color and I can't wait to see them in the same room together.

I have a couple of other furniture projects that I will be working on post move so stay tuned!