My Habitat for Humanity Rescue

Catherine
by Catherine
$45.00
Easy
It is very hard to find second hand matching bedside tables but my son was volunteering at our local Habitat for Humanity store and I came across these matching, scruffy tables (circa 1975 would be my guess). However, they are heavy and sturdy and made in Canada and would be perfect for said son's bedroom in his new place. I decided that I would try and revive them using only what I had on hand at home and Habitat products. The tables were $34.00 after the volunteer discount (it's Canada, our stuff is always more expensive) and they were selling 5 gallon acrylic flat white paint for $25.00 (did not include this in the cost as needed it to repaint the interior of my garage anyway). Two weeks later they had a 50% off sale on everything so I picked up a small tin of dark grey paint, 6 sheets of mosaic tiles, unsanded grout and no more nails glue.
Before - sturdy but dated and stained.
At home I had some left over silver spray paint and a can of matte acrylic sealer and some plaster of paris. I whipped up my own chalk paint courtesy of the lovely folks on this site, cleaned the night stands and mixed up a nice shade of what I call dove grey and gave these beauties three coats of the chalk paint. I did not sand back any areas to age them as my twenty something son doesn't care for anything that looks old (that sometimes includes me). I spray painted the brass coloured handles silver and when everything was good and dry I gave everything four coats of acrylic, sanding in between coats. I left the very convienient hole as is so that my son can run any wiring through it to the outlet nearby.
I then cut up the sheets of mosaic tiles and glued them to the bottom edges (protection I hope from the rarely used vacuum cleaner) and around the perimeter of the table tops. Grouted cleaned and done. The addition of two black fabric storage boxes means he has more hidden storage. I quite liked the end result but better yet helped a good cause and recyled what in the past might have gone to land fill - cringe. I made the map picture after by covering an old canvas I had picked up at a local charity shop and spray painted the wooden travel sign with the same silver paint and glued it on with Gorilla Glue but said son thinks it's too girly for him. Win some, lose some.
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