DIY $10 Living Room Table

One of the best parts about living in an older, small town, is all of the antique and thrift stores in the downtown area. Although often times furniture is overpriced or junk, there are always a few special items that can be turned into something nice. I came across one of these hidden treasures two years ago when I went to one of my local thrift stores that normally just boasts overpriced junk. After searching the store, I had almost given up when I came across a little $10 square-top table around the outside of the store. Although it was not much to look at originally, I figured with some paint I could use it in my room.

The Process:

1. The first step was to sand the little guy. This project was done before I got an electric sander, so I slaved over the table for a couple hours, sanding every inch by hand.  

2. Next, I needed to wash it off. 

3. This third step was optional, but I wanted the table to look old. I also wanted the table to look a little beaten, so I grabbed some scissors, a screw driver, and anything else pointy, and made some dents and scrapes on a couple of the corners, as well as along one of the legs. In order to keep these from being painted over I rubbed wax on them to serve as a sealant. For safe measure, I also put a very thin layer of Vaseline on the marks too. 

4.  To "age" it, I simply set a couple chunks of steel wool in a tub of apple cider vinegar for about two hours. After letting the vinegar soak into the steel wool, I took it out and scrubbed the wool all over the table. I did this twice, and by the second coat, the table turned a darker shade, and looked almost a little rotten. I let this dry, and for some reason didn't take any photos, so you'll have to trust me that the wood got darker.

5. Next, I found some primer that we had sitting around the garage and painted one coat on.

6. Finally, I grabbed some very light mint/blue paint that I'd used on a previous project, and put two coats on, let it dry, and wiped off the vaseline and candle wax to reveal my "beaten" table look. These pictures give you an idea of the change in color that the table made after spreading the apple cider vinegar and steel wool on. Unfortunately, I don't have the paint cans any longer to share exactly what type, brand, and color I used. However, I do believe that it was an Interior Flat paint.