Barn Wood Top Coffee Table
It must run in the family. The thrifting gene.
Because actually, years before I ever really could appreciate it, my mother taught me everything I know about being a frugal penny-pinching diva. (And I mean that in the most loving way possible.)
Last week, I got a text message from my bestie/maja/older twin with a picture of this shabby little guy:
It had peeling veneer, a scratched top, and was covered all over in dust, but my fingers couldn’t type “GET IT!” fast enough to make my thrifty heart happy. My mom might be as much of a thrift store addict as I am. And she just knew I’d be all over this abandoned coffee table. She was so right.
This one was easy, and I’m sorry to say I was so speedy about it that I didn’t even write a tutorial about the makeover process. I’m slacking y’all! I love you, I promise.
All it took was a quick cleaning, some wood putty for the damaged corner, two coats of Valspar Blackstrap paint, and a few 1×4 boards finished with my favorite DIY stain, and this baby was ready for a new life.
Ahem…do you see that AMAZING wood beam doorway behind our sofa? Just wait, friends. That’s a comin’.
If it weren’t for our dire need of toy storage in our living room with our card catalog coffee table trunk, I would have been ready to keep this one.
But its new owner will be picking it up tomorrow. I’m sorry, little table; it’s me not you.
Moral of the story though: If you ever come across a table that has veneer peeling up and a horribly scratched top, wood planks and wood putty are your best friends.
It almost reminds me of those steel and reclaimed wood tables I see everywhere now.
I really don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this DIY wood stain finish. I use it on everything now! Plank walls, mail organizers, growth charts, you name it.
After trying this method out, I’m wishing I’ll find more tables with scratched tops on every thrifting trip.
Is this one for the books, ya think? The more furniture I makeover, the more I want to keep it all. It’s totally normal for a living room to have two coffee tables, right? I mean, we don’t really need to walk around in here or anything, do we?
One day, when we’re past the toy storage stage, maybe one like this can happen.
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LOVE this table! Wish I knew how to do this kinda stuff myself! This is the exact coffee table I’m looking for. Can you tell me where those curtains in the background are from please? Thanks so much 🙂
Absolutely! The curtains came from Kirkland’s a couple years ago. Here’s the link to them: http://fave.co/1mxeMOr
Do you sell?
Can you please write a post about some paintings tips and techniques. I love redoing furniture, but I feel like I always have paint drips in my pieces. Or if you have already done a post similar, can you point me in that direction please? Also, what are your favorite products? What steps do you use?
Absolutely! I actually wrote about my step-by-step for painting furniture in this post: http://www.blesserhouse.com/2015/03/distressed-duck-egg-dining-chairs-makeover.html and this post: http://www.blesserhouse.com/2015/11/french-provincial-china-cabinet-makeover.html
Hi,
I love your gray stain…however, it looks different in the three projects I saw–the bathroom, the height chart and the coffee table. What’s the formula for the light gray stain of the coffee table? And did you add a clear coat to the top? Thanks!…I’m VERY new to all of this haha.
Hi Brooke! The stain will vary depending on A. what species of wood you use and B. how long ago the stain was mixed. For some of these, the stain I mixed was only 24 hours old and for others I mixed it a week before. That is the downside- you can’t really predict exactly what it will look like since it’s a natural weathering process, just sped up. For all of these projects though, I did add a marine grade polyurethane on top after the stain was dry (about 24 hours after). Hope that helps! 🙂
Great, simple makeover! What kind of velspar paint do you use for your furniture??? It looks great! I recently painted dining chairs with a velspar semi-gloss (three coats over a primer and a 6 week drying time have made me not want to repeat that fiasco) Thanks for all your inspiration Lauren!
I can’t remember which kind this was but I believe it was the flat finish Valspar Signature. I sometimes mix Chalky Paint Powder in flat paint to make it into a chalk paint. So sorry about your chairs! A lot of times the weather can play a factor in how paint dries. If it’s really hot or raining or humid at all outside, it can take a long time to cure. If it’s raining, I don’t paint at all. We plan to paint our kichen cabinets in April or May next year when the weather is typically mild in our area.
Thanks will try a flat paint next – I read somewhere else that semi-gloss was not the best – after the fact of course. They are ok now but it took FOREVER!! Looking forward to seeing how the kitchen cabinets turn out – good luck. Getting ready to try your home mad stain this week : )