A Rehab Project: Thrift-store Table

Remember that time we painted the Union Jack on our coffee table/trunk?

I was thrilled with how well it came out.  As The Old Man would say, “It looks like you knew what you were doing.”  Thanks, Dad. 

The paint job was amazing.  The size of the trunk, however, left something to be desired.  It took up a nice chunk of space in the living room, and its sharp corners are just at the right height to catch you unaware and leave a nice bruise on the leg. 

A few weeks ago I passed our friendly neighborhood used furniture store.  Sometimes they’ll put some pieces out on the grass in front of the store to lure in prospective shoppers.  I saw what appeared to be a small, round coffee table that looked like it needed some love, and made a mental note to go back at the weekend and check it out.

It was love at first sight.  Bear in mind, I was already looking past the early 90s whitewash finish and planning a sequel to the trunk.  I cautiously asked how much they wanted – $15.  I couldn’t pull the money out of Joey’s wallet fast enough!

We took a quick look around to see if there was anything else that tickled our fancy (there were two beautiful chairs that would have looked fantastic in the study, but they were well out of our budget).  So we loaded the table and went on our way.

Once we got it home, I wiped it down with warm soapy water and let it dry thoroughly, then it was time for her facelift to begin.  We started off with the power sander, which took care of the whitewash glaze in just a few minutes. I wiped the dust off and then we brought her inside for phase two – primer.

I’m not a professional painter by any means, and I don’t own stock in Kilz, but if you’re going to paint wood – any wood – I strongly encourage you to apply a good coat or two of Kilz.  We used it four years ago when we re-painted our kitchen cabinets, and they look as good as they did on day one.  The paint has held up through bumps and scrapes, dog paws and numerous scrubbings.

Then came the fun part – at least for me.  This is another project where I’m thankful I married a draftsman.  He patiently laid out the flag design in AutoCAD (again) and drew it out by hand on the tabletop (again). 

You can see the lines and notes about the color – and also the big smudge were we messed up!  My dad decided to drop in while we were masking the top and saw the Frogtape container.  “Are you going to tape some frogs?”  he said.  Sure thing, Dad.  Sure thing.   No frogs were harmed in the creation of this table. 

St. George’s cross was finished, and it was time to add St. Patrick’s cross.  It was easier to apply the colors in stages, so we started with red.  The blue background with the white cross represents Scotland, and we masked off the appropriate areas and went to town with the blue. 

Except it was wrong.  Someone, who shall remain nameless, wrote the wrong color in a certain area of the layout,which caused a problem with the tape came off.  Oops.



Thankfully it was an easy fix, and after letting the “mistake” dry we added the correct color. 

 

I still have a few minor touch-ups to take care of.  The Frogtape is WAY better than the el-cheapo tape I used on the trunk project. 

As for the trunk, it found a new home in Ally’s room.  She’s planning to re-decorate her room in a British theme, and the trunk will fit in perfectly.

And I won’t hurt myself walking through the living room anymore.  What a happy ending!

Linking up with:
Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality
Frugal Friday at Shabby Nest