Coffee Table Gets a New Look

by Sue Limpert

3 Materials

$45

1 Day

Medium

I had this 15 year old coffee table from Ikea that is big and clunky. It doesn't really match the decor of the table and lamp I bought so I decided to give it a make-over.

I know what many are probably thinking, the knotty plank wood is pretty just the way it is and I hesitated changing it. But after 15 years I was ready to put a new face on it. I used Behr Cottage White in satin as my color. It cleaned up OK but what you don't see in the pictures is that painting in white shows every little flaw in the wood, and in this case, was extensive. I should've taken the time to sand down the first couple of layers of wood with a power sander to really give this a new surface. Mistake number one.

This little brush is one of my favorites! The handle is a soft flexible rubber and is small enough to paint those cubbies without too much trouble. They were a bit of a bear though,it took 3 coats and a lot of table flipping.

Next, in an effort to help this table fit in, I added a little distressing to help vintage-ize it. I'm not big on distressing since it tends to look too deliberate in my opinion, but I did just a touch.

Finally, I gave the whole stucture a liberal coat of poly to seal it all in. I like Minwax products, especially for stain. This is used as a spray and goes on easily.

And here is the finished product! Truthfully, the table is too big for this room, this room is small! And it's a little too clunky to accessorize the much dantier, shabby chic side table, so I'm not sure it's a win. But the cubbies are a huge plus because they allowed me to add color and femininity with the baskets.