Side Table Re-Do

In the past few weeks I've managed to help put a brand new grill together, move our bedroom to a different floor, build a crib, and even re-do a piece of furniture. It's been a while since I've gotten my hand on a lovely piece of trash and turned it into something pretty.

Cue this nifty little side table, scooped up from the curb while there was still snow on the ground...

He sat in the garage for several months, just waiting for me to find the motivation to get 'er done. Of course I had to wait for the weather to let up, but once we started planning our relocation to the "lower level", I knew I had to make this piece worthy of our new space.

I cleaned him up and sanded him down, then went off in search of some paint. There's paint cans galore throughout this house, some of which belong to us and some to the owner. Not all are usable and I ended up opening a couple that needed to be tossed. Luckily I stumbled upon some white paint that would do the trick.

I did the first coat with a really coarse paint brush and hated the way it came out. So I whipped out the sponge brush and got to work applying the second and third coats, which made for much nicer, smoother coverage. Sponge brushes are my new favorite thing.

The top of the table wasn't in bad shape, and once I had the bottom painted white I knew I wanted to stain the top.

I used one thick coat of Minwax Special Walnut and let it sit for about 10-15 min before wiping it off. Then this little guy sat in the garage to dry completely for another day or so before he made his debut downstairs.

Stella wakes up from her morning nap to get in on the action.

I was worried that without some kind of sealer on top we would ruin the finish, but so far so good. The table was free and all supplies were on hand, so even if he does get a little banged up I won't be sad. This project came in at a grand total of $0, my favorite price!