A little makeover happened in our living room – this table got a fresh new look!!!  I love love love the way it brightened up our whole space!  It seriously is like my little spot of happy in this room now.  That baby doesn’t hurt 🙂

Okay so back story on this piece….this baby I got for $25 at a yard sale in our neighborhood about four years ago.  Jeremy couldn’t fit it in our car at the time so we loaded it on the back of the four-wheeler and drove it down the street looking like proper rednecks.  There could been a wolf howl involved.  You gotta do what you gotta do.  Especially when pedestal tables are involved.

The crazy part about the story is….I didn’t really know what I had bought.  I was in such a deal-making-mood that I didn’t closely look at it.  I mean…when they said $25 I was completely blinded by the idea of getting it home that I didn’t really look for details. It happens.  Don’t judge.  So when we got it home, I was confused on how to make it over because it’s actually made of three different materials.  THREE.  The top is a laminate….

The apron (the lighter warm colored bits) are wood and the base is metal.  Metal that is made to look like wood.  So I froze.  It’s been sitting there for years just begging for a makeover and I didn’t make the move.  We were stuck in the friend zone 🙂  I think I have been frozen on the makeover for that long because three different materials usually means that you can’t just apply any paint.

Long story short, I was sick and tired of the mix-n-match look with the colors of it and the way that the top just looked cheap….so I went out to the garage and dug out some Rust-Oleum chalk paint in Linen White.

I haven’t been using chalk paint for that long….so it’s relatively new to me….but this was the PERFECT project for it.  Okay…so here is the low-down on chalk paint….

• you don’t need to do prep but you do need to do a protective coat
• the paint is velvety smooth when you sand it…LIKE BUTTAH!
• it comes in a variety of colors but some Home Depots only carry like three (mine included….c’mon HD!)
• you can make your own but the consistency could be off and you could end up having BAD coverage and terrible texture so it’s like a crap shoot.  Good luck.
• you can apply it to lots of different materials
• it has a matte finish that I think looks more expensive
• you shouldn’t expose it to wetness unless it’s well covered with a protective coat

I dusted the bunnies off this puppy and got to work.  My super-helper did a great job screwdriving (?) 🙂

This kid.  He is a ray of sunshine guys.  Seriously.  He is feisty and brave and RIDICULOUSLY sweet.  Like if you google ‘cute things kids do’….LJ does all of them.  And I know he is just regurgitating the things he hears but when I stub my toe, he is the first one to ask if I’m okay and give me kisses and tell me that “I made it all bedder!  You gonna be ok?  I give kisses!”

At first I considered leaving the table top dark for that cottage look but after a closer look at that laminate texture, I just could not.  I literally could not even 🙂

After giving it a couple good coats, I let it dry and then sanded it down.

In retrospect, I probably should have done this part outside….it’s not really the easiest dust to clean up….but eh. live and learn.

I sanded it with 120 and 220 grit for a smooth texture.  Also I did the top in both directions so that it looked worn and little dings and scratches would never be noticed.

The sides of it got a ton of texture too.

This I did with my little Ryobi cat corner sander (if you don’t have that tool….you really should consider it.  It’s amazing.) and I LOVE the distressed look with kids in the house.  It hides everything.

The base has that wood texture on the metal which is really brought out with the chalk paint too.  Before you never even noticed it but now, it actually looks like wood.

The entire thing got a coat of Chalk Paint protective by Rust-Oleum too….so that it can get wiped down with a damp rag without totally messing up the chalk paint.

I love the way it looks now.  It’s hard because our living room always just got the hand-me-downs and we haven’t really ever tried finishing this space.  I blame the kids.  They are little destructors.  This is their fort-building-toy-playing-jumping-till-the-cows-come-home zone and I love that….but it’s also REALLY hard on furniture.  I love having them so close….but I need to make smart decisions on the stuff in this area because the fact is….it’s gonna get abused for many many years to come.  Jeremy suggested that we build a concrete coffee table…which is actually a good idea…so maybe that will be a 2017 project.  I even had to move our new recliner out because they were starting to mess with it.  I am gonna put it in our basement living space so our guests can enjoy it 🙂

I also thought about maybe painting these doors dark.  Does that look weird?  I love the way it makes the table pop.  But I don’t know if it is odd because our windows have to say as is.

This is how it would look zoomed back.

And then maybe I could add curtains?  I like the way it makes the molding feel more balanced but that’s a lot of fabric.  My kids have a tendency to pull on drapes….so maybe I shouldn’t give my little Tarzans new vines to swing on.  It’s definitely something to consider though.  What do you think?

So there we have it….a Monday makeover for the masses.  Hope you guys have a great day!  Wish me luck – I’m finishing tiling today in our master bedroom (hopefully? maybe? ideally? let’s hope?)…and once it’s done, I am gonna celebrate with a shot of rum in my coffee.  I know.  I’m a wild party animal.  But seriously…it is already looking great and I ordered new stuff for in there….so I may be listing some of our old stuff on Craigslist for locals 🙂  I’ll share the links on Facebook once they are up!

And thank you for sharing these little makeover projects on Facebook and Pinterest.  You guys make this blog possible and I can’t thank you enough!  Happy painting y’all!