$15 Table, Found On A Run

Logan bought a table one day while on a run. It was a little water damaged and well loved, but we loved the lines of it and it fit perfectly in the front room of our last house.

We tend to buy things seeing what they *could* be. Then we get them home and it's almost like we start to see them the way we imagined they could be if only we'd commit the hours of work to the project. So we see a nicely painted desk in our dining room, you would probably see a shabby and kind of crappy desk. I think redoing our first house, has still sucked our will to work around the house.

While buying paint (around the block!) I saw this product. Howard Restor-A-Finish, it claimed to get rid of scratches and white rings on your wood surfaces by simply wiping it on.

I can wipe!

The thing I like about this table is its clean lines and the marks all over it made me think of a couple just like us who liked to have lots of people over. Lots of people who don't like to find a coaster, just like me!

But it was time to try to clean up the table a little. Logan tried the stuff in a corner, to see if it worked, we were not impressed with the results. So we bought some very fine steel wool, as directed on the container. I spent 15 minutes and ended up with a table that could still be totally sanded and refinished. But it's perfectly acceptable. More pictures. after the cut.

Top Image: Before Bottom: After

Top Image: Before Bottom Image: After

Before....after you get the drill.

In the room.

The only drag is, now I need coasters.

 

Comments

[Eric Hegwer]

Slap a coat of poly on it and you won't ever need to worry about coasters,

[cjh]

Wow, that looks way better! And I like that you still get to see a little love show through instead of perfection.

[AnEmily]

Wow, that is impressive! Just wait til you see some of the great coasters on etsy. I mean, not that I use them. But still, there are some nifty ones!

[MelissaS]

Ah! But on the bottle it tells you not to use Poly, it won't dry correctly with this product on your wood. I can use some sort of wax or something.

[Erin]

I must start running to find furniture like that.

[Jenn @ Juggling Life]

I have that IKEA tray sitting on my ottoman.

It looks great.

[Phil Van Dyke]

As a woodworker, I'm a fan of this product line for finishes. Perhaps one works for you.

http://www.generalfinishes.com/finishes/oil-base-finishes/oilbase.htm

[jo]

Get a sheet of glass cut to fit the top. Still see wood grain, glass reflects light. Easy to clean.
It looks great.

[Rayne of Terror]

That turned out super. I have a heck of a time keeping track of and using coasters.

[Linda]

I can't remember if I've commented here before (hi! love your blog!), but have been wondering about your brown Macy's couch. Do you still have it? I love the red couch as well, but haven't seen the brown couch in your new house. I'm just curious because I have the exact same couch (and love seat).

[ella]

Wow! I think it looks pretty good. A fairly easy DIY project.
Love the table too. Very clean and modern.

[die Frau]

Niiiiiice! It looks great!

[Sarah @ BecomingSarah.com]

That looks much better! Awesome! And now an excuse to go shopping: coasters =)

[Deena]

To get white rings off wood work take a clean dry cloth and place it over the spot then take your iron on it's highest setting (no steam, very important since your trying to get rid of the stain not make it worse) and put it on the cloth. Check every 30 seconds but leave it on there until the stain vanishes. I have removed many rings on many different types of wood with this trick.

[Elaine at Lipstickdaily]

Awesome! That's really amazing . . . well done.

[April]

I have that stuff. It works well, no? I used it to prettify a $15 night stand I got at a thrift store. High five!

[Heidi]

Yeah, I tend to date men that way -- for what they *could* be, not what they are.

Nice table!

[Cheryl K. Bennett]

honey, it is called "character." :-)
LOVE your pillow (on the sofa)
hugs, Cheryl in IN (Whosyergurl)

[MelissaS]

Linda: We sold that sofa this weekend. :-(

We don't have a family room and a front room. The red sofa is something I can replace for cheap, the pillows make it comfy and I don't worry about the kids and their friends ruining it.

I would have worried about the other sofa, so it was worth it to let someone else have it.

[hippittee]

ah, the benefits of running! might be enough to get me to lace up! nice job.

[Jill]

I like the glass top idea... although I have a glass top table and nearly drive myself insane trying to keep the kiddos handprints off of it. If it's dirty I would rather not know! Ha! Awesome table though... I have a piece of furniture that needs some of that stuff!

[Funkidivagirl]

Great table! I would have picked it up too!

[dewshane]

Wow, that looks great! Thanks for sharing, I'm going to try and find it and use it on our many wood surfaces that I thought I'd have to spend a week refinishing.