furniture refinished

I love projects. Well, specifically, I love FINISHING projects. A couple week ago, someone in my apartment complex left this cute little table in the mailbox area, free for the taking. I quickly adopted it. It had an awful dark-colored stain and varnish which gave it an old-fashioned feel. Can't have that in my clean-lines and mid-century modern-inspired home, so I decided to paint it.

step 1

I sat out on the balcony in my swim suit and hand-sanded the varnish and some of the stain off every millimeter of the surface. When that was done, I wiped the dust off with a couple damp paper towels and took a picture of the table with my beer for scale.

tres petite, non?

step 2
I covered my dining room table with a drop-cloth made of Shopper Stoppers -- to what better use could they be put? -- and retrieved my supplies, including a brush...

... and bright blue latex paint made by (and here's how shameless I am) Disney. They actually have a very nice line of super-saturated colors. I think the one I chose is called "Donald's Shirt Blue."

I, too, like to wear a hat and shirt with no pants

Upon close inspection of my flipped-over table, I discovered these ancient Masonic engravings. Probably pre-historical. Or, as my roommate and boyfriend claim, probably created when the spindle base was clamped into the carving tool. Whatever. I like my version better.

spooky, eh? 

step 3
Apply one coat of paint to the underside of the top, and to the spindle and each of the three legs.

step 4a
Keep an eye on Curious George.

step 4b
And if you can't do 4a, then be prepared for him to take a stroll across the wet paint...

George's balls

... and to then have his cute little footprints preserved in the paint forever...

tra la la, just taking a stroll across mommy's project

... but not in the carpet forever. Did you know the Bissell Spot Bot will take LATEX PAINT OUT OF CARPET if you get to it fast enough? That's a fact, Jack.

in ten minutes, the carpet was good as 6-months-old

step 5
Apply two more coats to the entire surface. I didn't take any pictures of this because IT WAS LIKE WATCHING PAINT DRY.

step 6
Apply a clear surface protector. I chose this Krylon high-gloss spray product. Follow the dang instructions, too. Turns out, applying one thick coat is not the same as applying several thin coats -- the stuff will drip.

any of the dads at your local hardware store can help you find the right product

Set a 10-minute timer between clear-coats. I applied about 3 total coats to the entire table.

when the Marimba alarm rings, I dance for a minute before shutting it off

step 7

And this is an important one, so pay close attention. Let the clear-coat cure for a little while, maybe an hour or two, while you sit by the pool reading a mediocre book.

yes, I did this whole project while wearing a swim suit

step 8
Take a slightly off-kilter photos of the finished project! I bought the lamp separates -- acrylic base and tweed shade -- at Target for about $30.

that's John's coffee cup, but not his torso (which is still attached to the rest of him, and is much larger)

here's a little closer view

and really, really close where you can see the texture I achieved by alternating directions of paint strokes

step 9
Figure out the cost of this little project

table	$0
sand paper	$3
paint	$8
paint brush	$4
beer	$7
total	$22

step 10
Happen to stumble across almost the EXACT SAME TABLE at Target, for sale for $59!!! Quickly do a little Girl Math and realize you now have $37 to spend!

SRSLY. Twinsies, right? 

fin.