Frumpy to French Country

I love the way this sofa table turned out.  LOVE it!  This particular table was part of a package deal of furniture I bought a few weeks ago.   When I first saw it, I knew I wanted to paint the bottom and stain the top.  I find a two tone finish on furniture so rich and warm.  

(Click the pics for a closer peek)

The lovely brass "hinges" were only decorative and I managed to pop them off easily with a screwdriver!

I started sanding off the finish along the top and quickly realized that it was not real wood, but a manufactured wood product.  Staining that wasn’t going to work.  My next thought was to just paint the top a warm rich brown instead. 

Oh my...it looked terrible.  I wasn’t sure if it was the paint (it was a new color I was trying), the dated oval top or the combination of both, but I hated it!  I removed the top and set it aside so I could start on the base of the table.  

After a couple coats of primer,  I sprayed on a few coats of a soft creamy white.  Oops...I forgot to take pictures at this point.  It has to be one of my favorite creams.  It’s not a bright white, but it’s not overly yellow either! 

 

Back to the top.  I decided to go back to my original plan of staining the top and purchased a premade laminated pine panel to replace the oval. 

These pine panels are a bit rough in areas and they’re certainly a little more rustic with the knots, but I didn’t mind and thought it would add a little more character to the table.  

I found the panel to be a little longer than I wanted, so with my circular saw, I just trimmed off one side.  After some sanding and a coat of pre-stain wood conditioner, I started to apply a couple coats of chestnut colored stain.  I was a bit nervous as pine is a soft wood and stain can end up looking blotching and messy.  By applying the wood conditioner first, it helps to raise the grain in the wood which helps it to absorb the stain more evenly.  It was starting to look exactly as I’d originally envisioned.  Yay!

After the stain had set, I lightly distressed all the edges of the table base and applied a few clear coats to the entire table.  I think the soft cream color of the paint and the warm stained wood top complement each other quite well.

Not only will this table fit perfectly behind a couch to hold a lamp and a favorite book, but it could also be used in a front entrance to drop your keys and mail on the way in, or even in a guest room as a table/desk.  



This table is now available for purchase in my shop!

Thanks for stopping by!