Coastal Coffee Table

Wow it's July already, where is the year going!?  

On the plus side July is my birthday month and I fully intend to milk it for all it is worth...a week before my birthday last year I got influenza, wow it was awful and I hope I never get it again.  I had my first ever 'flu vaccine this year and will do so from now on.  It took me a good six weeks to feel completely normal again (as normal as I can be, lol), and now I have zero tolerance for people who say they have the 'flu when what they really have is a cold. 

SO not the same thing, as anyone who has actually had the 'flu knows!  

Anyway, the birthday month milking will start in earnest on Friday as we head to Sydney for a long weekend.  Hubby is going to a rugby test and I will be fitting in as much shopping as I possibly can...Birkenhead Point outlet mall, Pottery Barn etc group of stores, Victoria's Basement kitchen/homewares store...and a certain bike shop that sells the cutest bikes in pretty pastel colours...can't wait!

So onto the furniture project...my love affair with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® is growing by the day as I complete more projects and play with colour mixes.

I bought this coffee table online last week.  When I went to pick it up the lady was very apologetic about the state of it and said it was OK if I didn't want to take it once I saw it in the flesh.

It did come with drawers but I forgot to put them in for the photo.  Doesn't look so bad though hey?  What about this angle?

I thanked the lady for giving me an out but said that it didn't bother me at all as I'd be refinishing it.  In fact I was glad it looked like this on top, it probably put a lot of people off ;)

I got to work with my heat gun, stripping the finish off the table top.  It was raining when I was doing this which was quite a good thing as the bits I was scraping off kept catching on fire! 

(Don't worry I was working with a roof over me!)

This is as good as I cared to get it with the heat gun, 120 grit sandpaper on the orbital sander made short work of the rest.

For this piece I chose not to completely sand all the dents and dings out, I wanted to keep a bit of character in the table top.

I did my usual on the table top, then played with a couple of my Annie Sloan Chalk Paints® - Duck Egg and Old White.  I *think* that it was either equal parts of each, or 4 parts of Old White and 3 parts Duck Egg.  Pretty sure it was the latter but if you are wanting to try it, just do equal parts of each, mix well to check the colour, if you don't think it is light enough add one more part of Old White.  When I've been mixing colours I just do it using disposable tablespoons and a plastic disposable plate.  It does pay to be careful to remember your mix, particularly if you have to make up more than one batch for your project.  For this coffee table, my 6 or 7 tablespoons was exactly the right amount for two coats.  Which was lucky for me given my lack of concentration while I was mixing the colour!

After distressing, waxing and buffing, here it is (looking right at home in my family room I might add!)

I love these porcelain crackle knobs, them seem to look great on anything!

Here are some of the dings and dents I left in the table top for character :)

I have used Annie Sloan Wax all over this table, including the top.  The other day I mentioned that I had four tables in my home that I've done in this finish - two of them are sealed with water based poly (two coffee tables, one of these lives outside) and two are waxed (both dining tables).  They all get a hammering, particularly one of the small dining tables as the kids eat their breakfast at it.  It gets plenty of spills and lots of wiping but the surface remains perfectly sealed.  I can't say it has remained in perfect condition however, due to the amount of little kid handwriting that has been indented into the table over the years...grr!  Lucky I know how to refinish tables, aye ;)

I wonder what the lady who owned the coffee table would say if she saw it now?

This is for sale has sold, thanks.
Sharing at Lilyfield Life, Savvy Southern Style, Miss Mustard Seed, Blue Egg Brown Nest The Happy Housie and Elizabeth and Co