Refnished table #1

This is one of the two tables I’ve been wanting to refinish that are currently listed over there in the sidebar. I got this little guy off of Craigslist when we first bought our San Diego house and it has been patiently waiting for some attention ever since. Since it’s life began probably at least 50 years ago it’s been covered in some unforgiving paint and it has been scarred up almost beyond recognition. The last person who tried to resuscitate it took off the custom drawer pull and replaced it with these odd little plastic pieces that made the table look like it was constantly in shock. It needed a refresher.

I spent a few days trying to get all that black paint off. The wood underneath is still really good, but the poor table has been abused beyond my ability to repair. After a few tries with the stripping gel it became clear that it was either sand the table down until there was just a whisper of veneer left, or commit to repainting.

I spray painted this table with the same primer I used for the bathroom stand.

I went back for more trusty spray paint. I just love how the surface finishes. Instead of that overpowering black that was on the table before, I went with a dark gray with metallic flecks in it. I wouldn’t call it glittery, but it does have just a bit of shimmer. It really changes the look of this utilitarian dresser into something a little bit special.

For greater longevity, I finished it off with a couple of coats of a clear sealer.

Unfortunately, the holes in the drawer were not drilled at a standard length apart, so I was limited in my hardware options. I did not want to go for something round again, I was trying to get away from the face effect of having two dots above that big open mouth. Home Depot had these little glass knobs, and I think that the hexagon shape is as good as I’m going to get.

In the action photos I’m afraid that the table doesn’t look that much different. Especially nestled up to my poor destroyed arm chair. But living with it I can tell you how much neater and fresher the whole thing looks. It was absolutely worth the effort.