Modern on Monticello

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$20 Coffee Table Project

Furniture· Our Home

I have mentioned in a earlier post that I was in the market for not just one, but two, new coffee tables.  You can read the full post here.  I needed a new coffee table not only for my living room, but also for the family room of our home that we also call the “Front Room” (because it is at the front of the home).  My post covered some of the great, and inexpensive, options I had found online that could work in either room.  Before I ordered anything though, I wasn’t going to give up on finding something to save and update at a local thrift stores.  So I waited and kept looking and finally found a simple $20 coffee table project for the living room.

Actually,  I found two tables at the thrift store at some great prices and decided to just go for it on both of them.  You will see the second coffee table in an upcoming post.

 

This thrift store had recently received old furnishings from a hotel remodel and had all of these coffee and side tables stacked 20 or more high against the back wall.  All of the legs had been removed and were in storage containers so you really had to use your imagination on what these would look like.  Actually, there was nothing unique, stylish or even fancy about these tables, except for the curved legs.  The curved legs would match my side table.  With just a $20 price tag, I decided to give it a try.

To be honest, I think the look of the original table is a bit ugly, but the simple lines and curved legs were what I was shopping for to go with the more masculine vibe in my living room.  I decided this table just needed some white or creme colored paint to soften the look of the room.

And I can’t deny it the price for just too good to pass up.

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$20 Coffee Table Makeover

For this project I used the following products:

  • Waverly Inspirations Chalk Paint in Ivory (found at Walmart)
  • Waverly Chalk Paint Brushes
  • Deglosser
  • Waverly Inspirations Clear Wax
  • DecoArt Dark Creme Wax
  • 220 Grit Sandpaper

After bringing the table home and sitting it in the living room, my husband and I both decided that it was definitely too tall for the room.  (We strongly suspected they had given us the legs for a side table instead of the coffee table).  My husband was already working on cutting some baseboard trim pieces in the garage and just took the legs and cut about 3 inches off the bottom.  Problem solved.

 

 

Please ignore the dogs and the other tables in the background.  We are still working on two rooms at the same time and sometimes you just have to move things around a lot.   The dogs are just cute to look at.

 

A $20 Thrift Store Find Before & After

 

The first step in this whole process was to thorough clean the table and use a deglosser product to remove any old finish.  The top of this coffee table has a laminate veneer so I made the decision that chalk paint was the easiest way to cover it.

 

 

I ended up applying four coats of the Ivory chalk paint over a couple of days.  Then I applied one coat of the wax coating and waited for it to dry.

 

To be honest, I still didn’t love this table and thought I might have to start all over.  It was just too light and needed some character.  So, I took some 220 grit sandpaper and roughed up the edges of the top and some small places on the legs.  Then I mixed just a dab of the dark creme wax with the clear wax and applied a second coat to the coffee table to give it just a bit of an aged look.  I liked this look much better.

The coffee table is not “perfect” but I definitely like the way it looks in the room for now.

 

 

 

I have just a few more things to finish up and this room will finally be ready for a full reveal.

“I always let the Lord guide me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”  Psalm 16:8

 

 

 


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Comments

  3. Chloe Crabtree says

    What a great job you did on this table! I love the color, and although the legs needed to be cut down, you certainly got a bargain of a price! Thanks so much for sharing at Celebrate Your Story!

    Reply

  7. Sam @ Raggedy Bits says

    What a fabulous find and makeover! Love the colour you chose and looking forward to your full room reveal.

    Thank you for sharing your project with us over at Waste Not Wednesday!

    Reply

  10. Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says

    It’s amazing what $20 of paint and supplies can do! Your coffee table makeover turned out great. I love the ivory color. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty 🙂

    ~Lorelai
    Life With Lorelai

    Reply

  11. Melissa says

    Looks amazing! And what a score for $20!!! Looks like a great addition to the house – And your pups are super cute too!! #HomeMattersParty

    Reply

    • Donna says

      Thanks Elise. I seem to always find one of them in my photos these days. Love our fur babies though.

      Reply

  13. Nina says

    Hi Donna – just popping in from the #HomeMattersParty . . . we also just painted a couple of small end tables with the chalk paint and they definitely look better than they did before! Your table looks great – and you’ve inspired me to try refinishing a couple of other older pieces we have that are still in good shape but just looking kind of tired and tattered around the edges. So glad we can connect through the #HomeMattersParty! See you next week at the link-up. Nina @ Vintage Mama’s Cottage

    Reply

    • Donna says

      Thanks Nina. Chalk paint isn’t always my favorite to use but when I know paint will have a problem sticking to some surfaces it is usually the best paint to use. I am getting ready to start the second coffee table project this weekend. Good luck on your projects.

      Reply

  14. Lynn Woods says

    Looks like a completely different table! I haven’t tried chalk paint for a major project, but think I’m going to use it to redo my jewelry box. #HomeMattersParty

    Reply

  15. Kathy E. says

    Very nice! I think the legs have almost a modern look and the paint color is definitely an improvement! Cute dogs, too!

    Reply

  16. Carol ("Mimi") says

    Nice job! I actually think the curve of the legs looks better with 3 inches cut off the bottom. The table works really well at coffee-table height. The chalk paint finish looks quite lovely. What a great project at a frugal price!
    Carol (“Mimi”)

    Reply

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