A short time ago, I would drool over certain catalogs (e.g. Pottery Barn) and wish that I could either move right in or recreate in my own home.  But somewhere during the wedding planning process I start to really think about my own personal style and less about what was being sold to me.  Wedding planning also helped me reconnect with that crafty / resourceful side, the part of me that gets an immense amount of pleasure out of creating something or putting my touch on it.  So naturally my current approach to nesting has been reflecting that and I have been much more interested in creating a home that is a curated collection rather than a recreation of a catalog.

Craigslist can be an awesome source for elements to fill out the home.  I find that it can also be incredibly frustrating as you spend time sifting through a lot of junk postings, but that makes a find even more exciting to land upon, right?  We really needed a side table (our lamp was sitting on either the ottoman or the floor) and everything in the usual suspects of stores was either way more than my budget or just not doing it for me.  So when I stumbled upon a cute little table that was real wood, just the right amount of retro, and had pretty lines I couldn’t resist it.  My husband was not so sure as it was pretty scratched up and was serious hike of a drive to get to… but I believe in the power of a coat of paint.  And love that giving a piece a new life is very eco-friendly living.

My original plan was to paint this tired little table a glossy white.  And I still think it would look pretty all dressed in white.  But while I am not against painting wood, this cheapo table turned out to be very pretty walnut.  And so fresh stain and polyurethane won over the white paint.

If you are up for restoring furniture, it can be a great project. And something small, without grooves is a perfect piece to practice on if this will be your first time.  Depending on the size and current finish, you can maybe get away with just sanding it.  But doing the step of stripping off the existing finish will give you a nice fresh starting point.  My husband and I did this project together but it could easily have been a one person project; we worked together on stripping the old finish and then alternated steps after that.

Here are the steps we followed with a few little tips/lessons learned included…

1. Strip off the old finish.  You can buy stripper (yes, it is called that and the jokes are way too easy) at a home improvement store along with gloves that will stand up to the chemical.  Even if you are doing this outside in your yard, put an old, flattened box underneath to catch the gunk.  After stripping the finish (using the stripper and a flat putty knife), use stripper wash (again with the awesome names) and steel wool to clean off any remaining reside.  Dispose of the containers at an appropriate facility in your area.  Now let the wood dry for maybe a day or two.

2. Time to sand.  I sanded a couple of times, once with a fairly coarse sand paper and then with a finer one for a nice smooth finish.  Use a tack cloth (sold at your local home improvement store- just ask a clerk where they stock it) to wipe off the dust.  If you really want a smooth surface don’t skip getting tack cloth.  It looks like a yellow cheese cloth and is (you guessed it!) tacky.

3. Apply the sanding sealer.  Dry. Sand. Wipe with tack cloth.

4. Apply stain and let it dry.  And you don’t necessarily have to use stain but if want to for color go for it.  Use a foam brush and try to minimize brush strokes.

5. Apply three coats of semi-gloss polyurethane clear coat.  In between coats, let it dry then sand and wipe with a tack cloth.   For this step use a natural bristle brush to minimize air bubbles and drips.

6. Polish with a finishing wax.  And done!  Step back and admire how awesome it looks now compared to the tired little piece that you picked up!

We are now hooked on the restoring / revitalizing idea and are watching Craigslist for a few more pieces that we need.  Anyone else trying their hand at restoring/ refinishing furniture?  Share your projects!  I would love to hear about your experience and hear what lessons learned you might have to share.

{All images from author’s personal collection}