When we got our coffee table a while back, I liked it a lot, but the finish on the top never floated my boat too much. It wasn’t terrible (obviously, I’ve lived with it for a few years now! ;), but it was always one of those projects I had in the back of my mind to tackle. That day finally came! The kids are on Spring Break, and we’ve had a couple pretty days where they’ve just been out riding bikes and playing with the neighbors, so I decided to take that bad boy outside and cross it off my to-do list – better late than never, right?!
Here’s the before – just a little orangey to me, and the finish made it feel almost seem fake? It didn’t have the rustic charm I was hoping for. It’s hard to tell from this photo, but trust me on this. I have a girlfriend who has the same table and thought (and then did) the same thing!
You can sorta tell what I’m talking about in this shot:
It wasn’t a tough project, and I don’t know WHAT took me so long. I just carried it out front (1. sanding = mess and 2. stain = SMELL!) and got to work sanding it with my new Ryobi cordless orbital sander! (One of my gifts from Ryobi for winning the 2015 Best of DIY Contest over at Not Just a Housewife! Still can’t believe that happened…)
Once I wiped it clean from all the dust, and it was dry, I got out my trusty can of Minwax Special Walnut. Use that thing TO DEATH!
I planned on putting a coat of poly on it, but I’m actually digging the raw texture and feel of it, so that’s on hold for the moment. Probably would be a smart idea with kids around and sweaty glasses of lemonade leaving rings and such on the table…but I kinda dig that lived in character. Is that weird?
ANYwho, here it is now!
Best part is (other than the fact that I LOVE it now!) since I had everything on hand, it was a freebie upgrade! Love those.
Ahhh, so much better! (Though my husband can’t even tell the difference. *face palm*)
So there’s my ‘new’ coffee table…NOW it’s perfect. 😉
The coffee table looks great. I am so happy you won that contest–I voted for you!
Thank you so much, Susan!!