I love Garbage Day! I enjoy the remote chance that someone may have thrown out something that I can turn into a treasure. I found this table at the curb last year and I brought it home with Shabby Chic sugar plums dancing in my head! I sat it in the back yard and then forgot about it, it went through a couple rain storms.
Table found at the curb on garbage day
BEFORE - Tabletop
When winter came, I considered hauling the table back to the curb because it was really looking shabby, but much to my husband’s dismay I found some space in the garage and hauled it there instead. Spring came early in Michigan this year so I pulled it out of the garage onto the driveway and started sanding and scraping. Because it was in bad shape to start with and because it had spent some time outdoors it really was a mess, the paint was flaking and there was a wasp nest on the bottom. I got disgusted with it and hauled it to the curb on Garbage day. The next morning I looked out the window and saw it sitting on the curb, I heard the Garbage truck coming and just couldn’t bear the thought of my table in a landfill so I ran out and carried it to the backyard. My husband thought I was nuts.
The next nice day I made another attempt at scraping and sanding – let me be honest I will do almost anything to get out of cleaning my house! Then I remembered that I own a power sander and things started looking up. As I sanded, I found a layer of green paint and a layer of brown paint under the white paint but there was also some ugly silver primer.
Sanded table ready for paint
Once I got all the flaking paint off I had to decide on the next step. I still wasn’t sure if this was an extreme waste of time or a piece that I would be bragging about. I didn’t want to invest any money so I pulled out the blue paint that was left over from the coffee table to bench redo. Unfortunately the color just seemed too bright and I was starting to lose interest – so the table went back into the garage again!
This is somewhat unrelated but my hot water heater broke. I was stuck at home for several hours while waiting for a repair person, it was a beautiful Spring day, what could I do? I sanded the desk I’m refinishing for a bit and then I saw the table, what the heck why not paint it? The worst that could happen was another trip to the curb!
I painted the table Mosaic Blue, I accidentally kicked the paint can and painted the driveway Mosaic Blue. Then the wind picked up and blew all sorts of tree stuff onto the wet paint on the table…the curb was looking like a real possibility! With all these set backs I have to say I was getting a little disgusted with this table.
A quick word about the paint I have been using for painting furniture. I have been having really good luck with Behr Premium Plus Ultra, I have used it on several pieces and been happy with them all. I also used this paint to paint the brick on my fireplace and I have gotten many compliments on how it turned out.
Painted table before distressing
Once the paint was dry I decided to use the power sander to distress it, as soon as I started on the first leg I was in love with my table! The layers of paint that were revealed looked so good and the blue suddenly looked like the perfect color.
Sanding revealed the layers of paint underneath
The top of the table was already pretty distressed when I found the table so I only sanded a few spots on the top and exposed some of the bare wood on the corners. I decided to add a little stain to darken up the bare wood, I had a 20 year old can of Minwax Ipswich pine stain so I dabbed some on the corners. I noticed that the stain took the brightness of the blue down a notch so I rubbed the whole table with stain. Then I realized I was actually using a polyurethane stain and sealer all in one so I wouldn’t have to worry about a sealer, woo hoo! The table looked better than I had imagined it could ever look.
Tabletop
AFTER
Today was Garbage day and when I heard the Garbage truck rumbling outside I gazed lovingly at my painted table nestled next to the fireplace and sighed happily.
Rescued table nestled next to the fireplace
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