Hi Friends! This dark end table was surely headed for the trash heap. If you like a good before and after, you have landed in the right place today! I didn’t get a picture of the cracked marble top, but you can imagine it wasn’t very attractive or functional. I think that’s where most people would decide the table’s useful life was over. Instead, this is where my friend Terry decided that I needed to inherit this table and somehow give it a second chance. Terry is the same friend who passed along this adorable sewing chair.
I started by painting the wood base of the table because I know how to do that. For the top, I was waiting on my husband fix-it guy to build something. I chose Dixie Belle Buttercream as the color, and painted 2 coats. A little sanding around the edges and details really brings them out.
Now the table was looking about like this. Hmmmm, something was missing.
I got tired of waiting for the hubs to build a top for it. Truth be told, I don’t think he felt very confident about it, and that results in lots of foot dragging. I decided to do a quick Facebook post, asking if anyone could create a planked top for me, and the size. I got a bunch of replies! I chose a builder-guy, Kevin, who will hopefully become an on-going member of my team. He built this top for me in no time. I think he did a little more planing, sanding and making it perfect than I really needed, but we made it work. I had these cup pulls on hand, but they were a bright shiny silver. To make them look more time-worn and appropriate for this vintage table, I spray painted them with oil-rubbed bronze.
Here you can see what the raw top and new hardware looked like.
The top got a coat of Tobacco Stain all over, followed by a coat of Up in Smoke gray stain. These water-based stains come in a squeeze bottle, so I just squeezed a ribbon onto the top and spread it with a shop towel. After it dried for about 24 hours, I sealed it with Flat Top Coat, using the blue sponge applicator. I didn’t want any sheen, so it would keep its rustic appearance. You can see the wood knots peeking through.
There were a few elements that took this piece in the direction of farmhouse style: the creamy neutral color, the distressing around the edges, the oil-rubbed bronze cup pulls, and the rustic stained top. If you are a lover of farmhouse style like I am, I would love it if you could share this post on your favorite form of social media. If this isn’t quite your thing, you can check out these mid-century modern tables from a prior project.
Here are the products I used for this project and staging:
- Small end table (gifted)
- Paint brush “mini”
- Blue sponge applicator (for clear coat sealer)