Introduction: Table Transformation
We worked to redo a tired, old side table. You can do this with pretty much any wooden piece of furniture, a little time and some creativity. We started by coming up with the theme (antique-rustic). And bought:
- wood stain
- polyurethane
- a sander (optional, but more than pays for itself through the course of the project)
- new knobs
- 1/2 yard of fabric (we chose suede)
- pillow stuffing
Step 1: Sand
You have to sand the furniture completely, leave only the bare wood as that will absorb the stain. Be sure to stain in the direction of the wood.
Step 2: Remove the Slats
We removed the ugly slats to replace it with beauitful, new inlays. It was unfortunately more diffcult than we had anticipated to remove the center slats, we actually had to cut them out!
Step 3: Making the Inlay
We had a thin sheet of wood laying around that we used to make the inlays. Simply cut a a piece of wood to the appropriate size, lay some pillow stuffing evenly between the suede and wood layer then attach. The wood doesn't have to be expensive, heavy-duty stuff..... unless you have destructive pets and children :)
Ours was thin enough that we could attach the suede to the plank using a generic office stapler.
To secure the inlays to the cabinet we simply cut a piece of the same wood, larger. That laid over the backside (giving it a nice finished backing) and we used small wood nails to attach it to the cabinet. The inlays are actually tightly caught between the cabinet and this back support.
Step 4: Voila!
You're done!!!
Make sure whatever stain you use is sealed after, we used polyurethane to seal ours.
A tip: lay several coats and make them thick. Once you're finished, go back over the furniture with a fine grit sand paper (we used 20) to take the rough edge off and give it a nice finish.
Protected and smooth!
Be sure to check out blog for more great ideas!
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8 Comments
8 years ago on Introduction
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9 years ago on Introduction
i've recently thought of going into the business of refurbishing furniture to pay for college and I would love to check out the link to your blog but it's not working, any chance you moved your blog or can send me a few links to refurbishing for noobs? thanks :D and btw love what you did to the table, would have never thought of adding a cloth inlay to the cabinets, such an inspiration
Reply 9 years ago on Introduction
Thanks for keeping us on our toes! We changes our URL a while ago and forgot to update some of the old links. You can find our blog post here: http://www.myhomelifemag.com/2012/04/29/table-transformation/
10 years ago on Introduction
Looks awesome. I know you didn't like the look of the slats, and cut them out before staining but I think it might have looked good if the slates where kept a light color similar to what they were original with the rest just dark. But it looks great with the suede as well.
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
Thanks very much, Gunther! Having the slats a lighter color would've certainly looked good also.
We appreciate you leaving your comment!
11 years ago on Introduction
Thanks so much for leaving your comment and moreso the encouragement! Have a great day!
11 years ago on Introduction
I really like the new look!
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Thanks so much Penelopy! We thought it come out great!