Coffee Table Redo

Anthony and I finished our first home project--redoing our coffee table!  I snagged this baby at a yard sale last year shortly after we moved for a whopping $7.00!  The table was in great shape with no dings or scratches and to top it off is actually solid wood.  I wasn't crazy about the large tabletop or the color, but for $7.00 I couldn't pass it up.

My "vision" for the new house is somewhat of a shabby chic, Country Living, comfy cozy, serene type of vibe.  Before, this table didn't really fall into any of those categories and I just knew we'd be buying a new table once we moved.  Then Pinterest came into my life and I saw the possibilities for this table.  I got the project bug and wanted to see if I could transform it.

We started by sanding the top with our new handy dandy Dewalt Orbital Sander.  We used 80 grit to remove the stain (next time we'll be sure to use 50 or 60) and smoothed it down with 220 grit.  We sanded the edges by hand using 100 grit sandpaper, smoothing with 150 grit.

After sanding, I took a damp cloth to the surface to clean off the dust.  I ran a damp cloth with detergent over the rest of the table to clean off any dirt/dust to make sure I had a clean surface to paint over.  Looking back, I probably would've scuffed up the legs a little before painting just to make the job a little easier.

Next we applied two coats of Minwax Classic Walnut to the tabletop and painted three coats of Glidden Antique White to the legs, lightly sanding in between coats.  Once the final coat of paint dried we took 100 grit sandpaper randomly over the edges and legs to distress it.

**Make sure you use a Halloween table/drop cloth like mine for best results.

Lastly, we applied two coats of Polyurethane Clear Semi-Gloss over the entire table.  Boy am I glad to have this finished!

**Sorry these pictures aren't the greatest--I was so excited to get this post finished and show the finished product that they had to be taken outside.  I'll post more once Anthony gets home and can carry the massive table inside for me! :)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I'm so happy with how it turned out and can't wait to see how it'll look in our new home!

-Megan