over the weekend

My challenge this weekend was to turn this $15 flea market find

into a nightstand for our master bedroom. The plan was to end up with a white base and walnut top, similar to the Saarinen table I showed in last week's post. Here's how things went:

First, I had my husband resize it a bit to make it better for a nightstand. He sawed about 5 inches off of the legs. Next step was the oh-so-fun process of sanding. When I got to the tabletop I made the discovery that existing wood looked pretty cool, with deep grain and block edges. So I changed the plan a bit and decided to keep what was already there.

After sanding I painted it white using a non-toxic flat furniture paint. This took several coats since I was still going over black in some areas. Tip: using a paint pad instead of a brush gives a more even coat without brushstrokes. It takes a bit of time to get in the groove but it's worth it. I did use a brush to get into the smaller areas though.

And here it is in the almost finished state. I need to clearcoat it to protect everything, which will also bring out the grain in the natural wood a bit more too.