Side table face lift

As you know my Pop builds a lot of things from scratch. one thing he built was this neat little corner table for his outside patio. It was an outside table so he never gave it any finishing touches and it was made out of left over scrap pieces of wood. However after a few years he was tired of it and went to throw it out but being me, I snatched it up with a plan in mind.


He thought I was going to stick it on my patio and maybe spray paint it yellow which was not a bad idea but not what I had in mind. You see at the time we were living in a little town house in Louisiana that had this tiny little entry way. I desperately wanted a spot to stick keys, a mail basket and Mack-dogs leash. So to paraphrase Goldie Locks, this little table was not too big, not too small but it was juuuuust right! So I sanded, patched, painted, stained, used antiquing glaze and now I have a great little table! It was perfect for that space  and who knows which room it will call home in a month when we move again!

OK First things first, I always sand. My go to is my little mouse sander but this one required some hand sanding as well. Then I took a very basic (Elmer’s) wood putty and filled in all the little screw holes because like I said this had been an outside piece so Pop had never done any of the finishing touches. TIP: You fill in wood putty in a messy fashion with excess on top (shown above) and wait for it to dry. Once it’s dry you sand it down so it’s flush with the wood surface. Make sure you choose one that can be painted or stained over depending on your needs. Not all wood putties are created equal. 
Once everything was dry and all the surfaces had been sanded, until they were nice and smooth, I took out some old off white paint I had lying around. I started with the table on its top and painted the base with two coats.

Once everything was dry I flipped it and stained the top with some left over stain from my Morris Chair. Once the stain was dry I put a semi-gloss clear coat on it.

Then it was time to use the antique glaze. This stuff is actually very easy to use! I bought the Valspar kind because you all know how I feel about Lowes! Plus it was very affordable. The trick is to move quickly and don’t put too much on at one time. If you’re using a latex based paint it makes it easier because it doesn’t seem to adhere as fast. Use old rags and put a little into a paper bowl or something you can easily dip your rag into. I rubbed mine on with a rag but you can get different looks by using a sponge brush or a paint brush. Just play with it on scrap wood and have fun.

I love the way it looks all finished. I went a little extra dark on the antiquing because I wanted an extra aged look. This project took me 2 days (about 4 hours total hands on time, this did not include drying time.)

It was an easy way to update an old piece and it ended up being the perfect addition for that tiny entryway. Now we no longer live at that home but it has been a great addition in the guest room where we live now and I’ll be excited to see where it ends up in our new house come next month. That is my favorite part about moving I get to find new places to use old pieces.
Creatively Yours,
Christina Marie
(This post is NOT sponsored by Lowes. I just give them shout outs because they are always located near military posts and have what I need).