Chubby Checkerboard {Accent Table Makeover!}

I bought this square accent table from a guy at work for $5. Isn't it beautiful? I mean, who can resist the orange stain and overindulgence of shellac? Pay attention to the brass "buttons" in the corners, for I will magically make them disappear!
We removed all the legs and removed the brass caps from the bottoms of the legs. Then I worked diligently with an orbital sander to taper them down so they were nice and smooth. Occasionally I had to stop for a brownie break to keep up my strength.
Remember the brass buttons? Drilled out!


We filled the holes with wood filler and got to work sanding down the top.


Isn't it gorgeous now??
So what's with the chubby checkerboard title? Well, I had a vision to turn this into a checkerboard table, and I just happen to be chubby right now, okay?


I gave the table a coat of clear poly (NO stain, just the natural wood) and let it dry...


So I just realized that kinda looks like....never mind. What has been seen cannot be unseen.
Measured and placed the vinyl decal:
Then I stopped for the ever-important ice-cream break before peeling the paper backing off the vinyl:
I used frog tape to give it some more interest...
Then I sprayed primer over the whole thing! Wow. What a transformation!


Haha just kidding. :)
A couple coats of black sprayed on...
Then before the paint dried, I started peeling off the vinyl and tape!
I had tried adding a red edge, but that was a total fail. I was seriously considering a swan dive off my little table.


Luckily my husband swooped in and saved the day with some silver automotive striping which covered up the red debacle and saved me from a possible stubbed toe. The silver looks so much better than the red would have!
After everything dried, it got another couple coats of clear poly and it's finished! This was one of my very first furniture projects, and it's still one of my very favorites!
I love the wood/paint combo.
Thanks for visiting! The full (and quite poorly-written) original blog post can be found at the link below!
Delusions of ingenuity
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Donna Donna on Mar 19, 2015
    Wow, great job...I hope it's not your last job. Keep it up, this is gorgeous.
  • Carole Carole on Mar 19, 2015
    Great idea and very well executed!
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