Entry Table Revamp

I found this beauty curbside with a nice "Free" sign on it. I did a U-turn in my little Volvo wagon and somehow shoved this long entry table in the back, even with a car seat and toddler in tow.

I wasn't sure at the time what to do with it but it was FREE! Plus, we have like no furniture that goes with the vintage style of our living room. I thought this had potential.

Here is how it looked before! I hated the black.

I stripped the top with Citristip. That stuff works pretty nicely and doesn't smell horrible.

Yay! There was wood underneath. I didn't know if it was particle board or veneered.

I then sanded the top with a belt sander. I started with a coarse sand paper, then moved to medium and finally a fine paper. I then taped the top and spray painted the bottom a semi-gloss white using Rustoleum Painter's White. I then sanded the edges a little more on top.

I had never stained anything before but it was actually pretty easy- and fun! First, I applied a Minwax Wood Conditioner as directed and then applied two coats of Minwax Gel Stain in Walnut as directed.

Lastly, I applied two coats of Mixwax Polyurethane in Satin. I love it! It matches our dark trim almost perfectly.

I found the knobs at Lowe's and thought they looked like a great fit with this piece. Very simple yet antique looking. At first I had some knobs from World Market, but the styles didn't quite mesh. (World Market is a good place to find neat-o looking cabinet hardware at a fraction of the price compared to Anthropologie!)

We are very happy with how it turned out. I still hate that our living room is so hodge-podge looking but that will change with time. I also wanted to add some white pieces to the wood to brighten it up a bit. We are currently searching for some nice curtains and I am also sewing sheers for our living room. We have lived over a year with no privacy!!!

 
I can't wait to refinish other found treasures!

On a side note, I did paint the living room. It is a very subtle change but the color we picked is called "Parachute Silk" by Behr and really brings out the warm tones of our dark trim. I am happy with the color choice after buying way too many samples to test. I just have the hallway left to paint.