Hooked

Our first project was a "freefind" side table I found while driving to work in the morning last May. With some help from a great DIY blogger, Centsational Girl, we gathered all of the necessary tools to get started.

Materials:
5 speed orbital sander, medium grit sand paper rounds, medium sand paper for hand sanding, fine sand paper for in between polyurethane coats, respirator (I have the 3M half face piece respirator 6000 series), gloves, drop cloth, painter's tape, plastic or newspaper (to cover the top if it does not detach like ours), primer (we used Rust-oleum's primer in a spray can), paint for the bottom (we used Valpsar's gloss white spray paint), pre-stain (we used Minwax), wood stain (we used Rust-oleum's Kona), polyurethane, finishing wax.

Here is the table before:

The first step was to sand the entire piece. Lucky for us, the top came off so we could split up the sanding. If yours does not, see Centsational Girl's idea of wrapping the top in plastic wrap and sealing with painter's tape. Spray paint first, then stain the top.

We used a 5 speed orbital sander with medium grit paper for the flat parts, and we hand sanded the edges and legs.

I used MINWAX Pre-stain for the top.

I used RUST-OLEUM wood stain in Kona for the top. It took about 3 coats for me to get the look I wanted. After I did the coats of stain, I waited a night and finished with the polyurethane. It takes about 4-6 hours for the polyurethane step, so be ready to start another project in between! Also, you can use the Polyshades which takes out a step.

While I was staining, my sidekick was busy priming and painting. We used a Valspar gloss white spray paint. 

The final product looks great in our living room! We skipped the finishing wax part because we were so excited to put it back together and take a few staged pictures with a variety of different accessories. Of course, now we are hooked on refinishing furniture!

One of our cats, Emmy, approves!

Happy finding! -C.