Free End Table Makeover

Don't  you love when you find a great bargain, or better yet, a freebie that just can't be beat? Especially when it allows you to be a bit creative.

This little, old end table was sitting on the curb in front of a house, and the young lady said she was getting rid of it, and it was free.

In all honesty, as you can see from the picture below, it was pretty nasty looking. It looked pretty neglected. But it had such potential.

Such details on this little table. The sides reminded me of lyres, the curved legs were sweetly feminine, but not overly, and the nice mix of straight lines and curves was just perfect. But it wasn't going in my house in this particular state.

It's amazing what a little cleaning and some chalk paint will do for a piece of furniture. I had some black paint leftover from an entertainment center project for my son. Chalk paint dries fast, making it a good medium to use for a project to complete in a day or two. Unfortunately, this project was started, then set aside for sometime and finished at a later date due to an injury. 

After 2 complete coats of chalk paint and sufficient dry time, the decision had to be made to distress the piece or leave it as it was. This is always a difficult decision for me. When left in tact, furniture looks so nice and perfect. Although some pieces look too perfect, like this table. 

Some pieces aren't meant to be perfect. Their perfection lies in the imperfections of it. Old items need to maintain their character and the more I looked at this table, the more it seemed to not have enough character. 

The fine details were not popping out, it seemed a little.......flat. My decision was made. It needed some distressing. Just enough to bring out the details and catch your eye. 

After taking sandpaper to the edges and details, giving it a good coat of wax paste, and some buffing with a soft cloth, it looked much better. It had more character and it just looked.....right. It was supposed to have some scuff marks and look a little worn. 

Much better! Now it had some pop. Now it didn't look too perfect. Sometimes you just need to use some sand paper. I love the details on this table. 

The lines of it stand out now. That's one way to determine if you really want to distress a piece or not. Ask yourself if distressing the piece will help to bring out the details. Although this piece is not heavily distressed, it's just enough to draw attention to the edges and curves. 

With a little paint, wax paste, and elbow grease, there is now a new addition to my living room. Finding a bargain is always good. Finding a free item is even better. 

Now that this project is finished, I can get started on all of the projects and tasks that I've gotten behind on due to a setback. Don't you love that? What can you do? Just dig in, get it done, and start checking items off of your list. Now... The first thing I want to check off of my list is decorating for Christmas!! Yay!!!! 

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