Thrift Store SCORE! Creating Distressed Beachy End Tables

I'm so excited to share this with you!!  I finally tried my hand at distressing a piece of furniture.  I have been buying lovely pieces at thrift stores near and far, with dreams of painting, distressing, and embellishing them!  I had been fearing the sandpaper and put off the distressing projects until recently.  All I can say is WOW!!  It's fun, easy, and very fulfilling, lol.

I wanted to start small, on a piece I wouldn't mind having to do over if I messed up (who ME? Mess up??  NEVER... ), so I chose a lovely little end table I found for $10.  Solid wood is the key, and an imagination, lol.  I fell in love with this the second I found it.  The scrolled feet, detailing on the legs and edges, and the Victorian-style pulls, which were in GREAT condition!

Okay, so the reason this is such an easy and beautiful project, is that you WANT the finished product to look worn and loved, and in no way 'perfect', which means you don't have to do a perfect job while working on it.  It's also a very cheap project with an amazing finished result!  Almost everybody has some sandpaper and some leftover white interior/exterior house paint laying around in the shed or closet.  Grab it.  Satin finish works best, but anything will work except high-gloss... too shiny for a worn, weathered look.  If you only have flat, you can always add a light coat of lacquer.  Remember, this is a meant to be an inexpensive project so keep it that way :)  Side note: Check Home Depot and Lowe's paint departments for their 'whoopsie' cans.  Quarts are usually a buck or two and a gallon is around $5!!  Perfect to have on hand for fun decorating projects :)

When it's a smaller, easy to handle piece like this, I'm a big fan of laying out a fabric/plastic backed tarp right in the living room, turning on the television, and having the pleasure of working while indulging in a good movie or binge show.  When harry Met Sally and some True Blood got me through three tables, lol.  So, find your show of choice, pour a glass of wine, and lets get started!

What you'll need:  Ugly piece of wood furniture in need of a face-lift, tarp, screwdriver, sandpaper, damp towel, paint, paint brush (or mini-roller & tray for a larger piece of furniture), patience & wine.  You may need lacquer & additional brush... see step #6 and decide :)

Steps are boring, but I'm a BIG fan of lists... so it's steps you're getting, lol...

1) Remove any movable parts (i.e. drawers) and any hardware.  If there are doors, it's your call if you want to remove them or not.  Personally, I do, so I can keep the hinges paint free and get a good sanded edge.

2) Do a quick all over sanding of the piece just to rough up the surface a bit, so the paint sticks nicely.  Seriously quick, like 5 minutes depending on the size of the furniture you're working on.  Then wipe it down with a damp towel to remove any dust from sanding.  Let it dry completely before moving on.

3) Start painting!  Yep, grab that brush and get to it.  I use satin finish (personal preference) and I like to apply 2 coats, so the color is solid (especially when I'm using light paint over a dark wood or pre-existing paint color like mine was).  Artist's choice if you want to get right into the cracks and crevasses.  I like to do a 'sloppy' job on those areas, so there's more of a old, worn look.  Let it dry over night or if you're anxious wait at least 6 hours.  Don't get over zealous and only wait a couple of hours.  It needs a good hard surface.  That's what she said :)

4) Grab your sandpaper (I like 80 - 100 grit), take a deep breath, and start sanding those corners and edges.  Press lightly at first, so you get a feel for how much elbow grease you need to use to take off your desired amount of paint.  And the deep breath was to get over the fear of messing it up.  You want to mess it up.  Believe me, you'll be happy in the end, lol.  Don't be afraid to really work those corners!  You get a very cool look when you get down to the wood; letting the layers of old, darker paint & varnish show through.

5) Keep sanding!  Yes, sand the hell outta that thing!  Get all the edges; more in some places, less in others!!  Focus on the spots that the piece would be handled/picked up/moved and sand those spots!!  Take breaks, step back, pour yourself a glass of wine and look at it from all different angles and distances (not the wine, the piece of furniture).  You'll start envisioning what you want it to look like... and then you'll sand some more, lol.  Once you've gotten it to your desired level of distress, wipe it down again with a damp towel and let it dry.

6) To lacquer or not to lacquer... If it's a piece that has a table top or will be used a whole lot (i.e. chairs), then you'll want to put a clear coat on the top (or any part that will be handled or have things placed on it).  For my end tables, I only lacquered the tops (two coats), but not the sides or legs.  I prefer using a roller over a spray can.  Spray cans are messy and can leave you with ugly streaks.  Bleck.

7) Let that sucker dry over night again (yes, over night this time for sure), reattach your hardware and moving parts, and VOILA!

8) Sip your wine, and enjoy your beautiful personalized piece of furniture-art :) 

I hope you have as much fun as I did working on my end tables.  I actually ended up distressing 2 end tables and a coffee table!  Lots of fun, lots of True Blood episodes and lots of wine, lol.  My next distress project is a gorgeous drop down secretary desk.  I'll be sure to post the finished photos and details of how it went.

Just remember, there are no rules!!!
Peas out :)