New Coffee and End Table

For our new living room, I could picture the coffee table I wanted.  The problem was, I couldn't find it anywhere. So, after a while I gave up on trying to find the imaginary coffee table I had designed in my head, and I started scouring Craigslist for a table that had the right structure so I could refinish it. I finally found these, I can't remember how much we paid but I want to say it was around $30.  I hated the green legs and the wood stain, but when I saw them I knew I could make them into my dream tables!

I knew I wanted a very dark wood top with white legs, but I was nervous because I had never used stain before. Since I was staining instead of painting, I had to sand the tops. This was a LOT of work. I know they make liquid strippers, so I will probably try those next time around. I ended up really liking the stain, I'll definitely use it again. It is more more treacherous than paint though, so be careful washing this out in your sink!

Before:

 During sanding:

I absolutely love how these came out. The dark wood looks flawless, the white legs give the perfect contrast, and I added a little "flare." I found a cute turquoise and orange knob at World Market that I put on the side table, it matches perfectly! Not bad for a grand total of about $35!

Final products in the living room:

Antique Armoire

I found this piece at a consignment shop, and after negotiations I got it for $22.  It was not a bad looking piece, it was in great condition and is very solid wood.  I decided to paint this piece white and antique it with black, and while painting it, I decided to do a gray accent on the doors and drawers.  I liked the look of the old hardware, so I kept the originals.  I love the way this piece came out, it still has the antique look but has a more modern feel to it.

Bi-Level Table

I found this table on Craigslist for $10.  I loved the unique design of the table, I had never seen a bi-level table. It was a dark brown laminate with a few dings.  Once I saw it I instantly had an idea for how I wanted to paint it. I started by sanding it to remove the smooth coating and even out the dings.  I decided to do a tape pattern on the large part, and a coordinating solid color on the smaller one.

I was going to list this table for $60, but once it was done I just didn't want to get rid of it, I really loved how it came out!  This was the color scheme of our old living room set, and I still have some accessories in those colors. So, I decided to keep this table and use it in our living room when we move.

 

Hutch

After negotiations, I got this pine dresser with a hutch on Craigslist for $15.  Not only did it have an ugly floral design on the front, but a little girl named Brittany had also written her name on the side of it in bright red.  I decided to paint this with the same 2 tone tan colors that I painted my sofa table with.  I did the lighter color on the top and edges, the darker color on the drawers and back of the hutch, and then used the lighter color again to stencil on a design. I also distressed the edges of this piece for more of a country feel. This piece sold for $60.

Nightstands

These nightstands win the award for the ugliest "before."  I got these on Craigslist for $5 total.  They were old, faded, stained, and just plain ugly. I even found a sock inside, thanks Craigslist people!  I had a ton of ideas for these, but decided to do a two tone, paint tape design. I also replaced the gross brass hardware with new silver knobs ($16).  These nightstands sold for $50.

New Bookshelf

Our book collection is getting out of control, and we were rapidly outgrowing our current bookshelf. So, I found an ugly oak bookshelf on Craigslist for $20 that I could paint.

We decided to put it in our family room that has a red accent wall, so I decided to paint it red and use a black glaze to give it depth and show off the designs on the doors. I also replaced the ugly old brass handles with some new black ones.

Early Beginnings

Unfortunately I didn't think to take before and after pictures when I did my first two pieces, so I'll have to just show the afters.  First, we got this shelf for free from our neighbors. It was a light oak color, and extremely wobbly.  The back of the shelf only had the horizontal bars, so I decided to add the vertical pieces of wood to stabilize it. However, I decided to pull off the little knobs on the side, and we were able to get to the screws and tighten the shelfs. Voila! No more wobbly shelf. I decided to put the vertical slats on anyway because I liked the way it looked.  I painted this shelf white, and painted light blue and green accents on the side vertical slats to match Aidan's nursery. I love the way it came out, it looks so great in his room!

The next piece is a sofa table we found at a garage sale for $20, which we bargained down to $15.  It was also a light oak color with a black and white checkered country border (ick).  I loved the legs on the table and decided to leave those alone. I knew I wanted a distressed look, so I used various tools to beat and scratch the table until it had some wear to it. I painted the table a light tan, and striped it with a similar but slightly darker shade. I also sanded the edges and corners to complete the distressed look. I really love the way this piece came out!