Farmhouse Coffee Table Makeover

I’ve really been looking forward to the DIY Furniture Girls March Challenge.  If you recall, I’m a full-on traditional girl.  Not so much because I WANT to be traditional, but it’s just the life God gave me.  Traditional.  1990’s brick.  Yellow-orange oak hardwoods.  Huuuum. Yea.  By today’s decor popularity standards…….it’s a real
snooze fest.

Well, it’s OK.  And, for the long-term, I can work with that.  But, for this month, however brief be the moment in time, I get to shake off that boring traditional girl image….and live a decor dream in the super-fabulous farmhouse world.

OK. OK….maybe it’s not THAT dramatic, but it should be.  I mean, why not?  Don’t you ever get tired of your surroundings and wish you could be magically transported to another place and time?  Yea…….well since that really isn’t possible, I decided to do the next best thing…….to magically transport a piece of furniture from days gone by.

This coffee table is yet another rescue from inside my own house.  For the past 20-plus years, it has been in the basement with the boys and the pizzas and the colas and the video games.  When this challenge was announced, I knew it was just perfect for this little abused darlin.  And so, the updo of a life-time began.

REFRESH (not Refinish) the Top:

Earlier this week, I wrote a post about using beeswax to refresh dry, thirsty wood.  If you missed it and want to read about the product I used, you can catch the link here.  But, here’s the super-easy skinny about how the top went from dry, scratched, scarred, and circled …..to brand spanking new.

To start, the top was thoroughly cleaned and dried.  I just used a little soap and water and immediately wiped away the dampness with a clean cloth.  After the table air-dried for a few hours, an all-natural furniture polish made from beeswax was applied. In the photo below (left), the before and after is pretty amazing.

I just applied it with my hands and rubbed it into the wood like I was giving it a deep muscle massage.  Sounds crazy, but the heat from my hands and the friction from rubbing combined to thin out the wax so it could sink into the wood.  

Now, I won’t lie.  I rubbed for a while, y’all.  I mean, like 15-20 minutes.  The more I rubbed, the more the wax seemed to disappear into the wood. When I stopped, the top looked like the photo on the bottom (right).

After about a week, the top looked like this (photo below).  And does, in fact, still look just this good.  Yes, even with all of the use and abuse.  The wax, which cured to a matte finish, is holding up great.

REFINISH (not Refresh) the Bottom:

Now, about the bottom.  One coat of chalk paint that was made with latex paint and a chalk paint additive (link that reviews this product is here) was applied.

And then……..it was distressed with 80-grit sandpaper.

Yep, 80-grit sandpaper provided the deep distressing and was followed with a buff using 240-grit.  This combo came together to make the finish look rough, but feel totally smooth.

Add Some Farmhouse Bling:

Galvanized containers were added to the lower shelf…..

……And some pretties on the top.

And this down-trodden little table was suddenly…..and magically transformed……from traditional drab to farmhouse fab.

Thanks so much for visiting the DIY Furniture Girls March Challenge.

If you appreciate this easy makeover, I do hope you’ll share it with your friends.

CHECK OUT MORE GREAT FARMHOUSE MAKEOVERS FROM THE GIRLS…..

ALSO SHARING AT THESE GREAT PARTIES…..

Moonlight & Mason Jars via Cherished Bliss

DIY Like A Boss via Designer Trapped in a Lawyer

DIY Collective via Average But Inspired

36th Link Party via The 36th Avenue

Inspiration2 via LiveLaughRowe

Create It Thursday via Lamberts Lately

Best of Weekend via Sweet Pea

Share It One More Time via The Everyday Home

Silver Pennies Sundays via Finding Silver Pennies

Before and After via Thrifty Decor Chick