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You are here: Home / Featured / Side Table Redo

Side Table Redo

March 30, 2013 by SmartGirl 14 Comments

I bought these tables on Craigslist over two years ago for $15 (total for both) because I needed bedside tables.  This is one of them.  Date on picture is Nov 2010.  Wow, I take procrastinating to a whole new level!

craigslist deal furniture makeover smart girls diy
I sanded the tables right away, then brought them inside. But that’s the only thing I did right away.
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They stayed in the bedroom (unpainted) for about a year, then I decided I didn’t like how they looked next to my modern platform bed, so I brought them downstairs, because, well, I needed side tables in the living room too.  The main reason I waited so long to paint them was that I couldn’t decide on a color.  So they just sat there.  With no knobs.  Yes, for two years. Don’t judge. (The birch tree wall stencil post is here.)
unpainted side table project
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This, my friends, is what my living room looks like on a typical day

Well, I am still not sold on it, but I started to paint them silver, because I had silver paint.  It’s still too cold outside, so I painted them in the kitchen.  First, some more sanding…

Two coats of primer…

First coat of metallic silver…

Painting furniture with this paint stunk.  You can’t feather it and it looks either streaky or globby.  It took several careful coats.  But don’t worry you can’t even buy the paint I used anymore, at least not at Home Depot.  It is Ralph Lauren paint I had left over from the wall stencil project.  HD has since replaced the RL line with a Martha Stewart line of paints and  Martha does make a metallic.  The other alternative, is Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch 32 oz. Flat Metallic, but I have never used either.  Always read the directions carefully and use the correct roller or brush!

Here’s the other one…

Here it is without any knobs.
furniture before and after
Since the hardware was long gone, I replaced it with new knobs from Hobby Lobby.  I felt like the tables needed a pop of color, especially if I was going to put them back in front of the metallic stenciled wall.  What do you think?  I LOVE TURQUOISE!
Smart Girls DIY blog metallic side table redo makeover
Read about all the knobs I got on my first trip to Hobby Lobby here

I didn’t paint the inside, just taped off a line.  Right now my son’s train set, stored in a cardboard box {no really}, fits in there perfectly!  The other one stores vases.  Amazing how this storage space went unused for so long while the tables sat there in limbo.

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One more project I can cross off my list!  Yay!!

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Filed Under: Featured, Furniture Tagged With: before and after, craigslist, furniture, paint

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julie @ Being Home says

    April 8, 2013 at 4:40 am

    Beautiful! Love the sheen of that paint!

    Reply
  2. Smart Girl says

    April 9, 2013 at 1:48 pm

    Thanks Julie! And thank you for being my first official follower!!

    Reply
  3. marty (A Stroll Thru Life) says

    October 21, 2013 at 3:47 pm

    Oh I think this is fabulous, I love the pretty shine and the knob is wonderful. What a great makeover. I would love for you to link up to my Inspire Me party that will be live this afternoon at 2:30 PT. http://www.astrollthrulife.net Hope to see you there. Hugs, Marty

    Reply
    • Smart Girl says

      October 21, 2013 at 3:49 pm

      Thanks Marty! I would love to link up. See you later today! ~Liz

      Reply
  4. Mel {MamaBuzz} says

    October 21, 2013 at 5:16 pm

    These are beautiful! I love the color, and the knobs you chose fit so perfectly, giving an extra pop of color. Oh, and I’m loving your coffee table with the toy storage underneath. That.is.awesome. Pinning these, and featuring you in this week’s issue of Inspire Me Wednesday! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Smart Girl says

      October 21, 2013 at 7:38 pm

      Thanks for the feature Mel! That’s awesome!! My son calls this the “Lego Room” not the living room. And I’m just happy it gets used, so many living rooms don’t. I can’t wait to see Inspire Me Wednesday! Thanks again, ~Liz

      Reply
  5. Mel {MamaBuzz} says

    October 21, 2013 at 5:18 pm

    Oh, and as I sit here commenting, I have a project sitting in my hallway, halfway done, no knobs whatsoever. I just have to finish it…. procrastinators unite, right?:)

    Reply
    • Smart Girl says

      October 21, 2013 at 7:39 pm

      I’ve got stuff in every corner of my house!! We should start a support group. 😉

      Reply
  6. Shelly @A Creative Space says

    November 14, 2013 at 9:39 pm

    Are you kidding? These are fantastic!! The creative process takes time, and perfection is definitely a creative process. I like the way they blend with the wall project. Le sigh…… 🙂

    Reply
    • Smart Girl says

      November 14, 2013 at 11:25 pm

      Thanks so much Shelly! I should make myself a sign that says that… “The creative process takes time.” My husband would definitely get a laugh out of it. 🙂

      Reply
  7. Linda Kennington says

    November 14, 2013 at 10:00 pm

    I love this! I just painted my dining room hutch with silver metallic paint. Very trying. Can’t get it perfect. Almost ready to put it back together and see what it really looks like. The Martha Stewart metallic is hard to use also. I used it on a picture frame. I also tried a Benjamin Moore metallic glaze. All very difficult if you are looking for perfection on a large area. Your table looks great! And probably only you will notice the imperfections. At least that is what I am telling myself!

    Reply
    • Smart Girl says

      November 14, 2013 at 11:28 pm

      Thanks Linda! And that’s so good to hear. I’m glad it wasn’t just me that had a hard time with it. Since this project I use silver metallic spray paint whenever possible. The imperfections don’t bother me one bit anymore. It’s the rest of the room that does! Lol. And with all the imperfections you can definitely tell they’re hand painted and not mass produced. All in all, not bad for $15!

      Reply
  8. Linda Kennington says

    November 14, 2013 at 10:01 pm

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    Reply
  9. cindy says

    March 26, 2018 at 9:10 am

    The knobs are beautiful. I think it would look even better with that middle part painted the same color as the knobs.

    Reply

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