thrifting – Old Things New

“What do you want to do today honey buns?” Mr. OTN asked as we sat on the screened porch enjoying our morning coffee.

Okay . . . so he didn’t really call me “honey buns,” because we don’t talk to each other that way. Not insinuating that it’s a bad way to talk if that’s how you choose to show affection for your sweetie. Our endearments are a little less mushy and generic, like a simple “honey” or “sweetie” or “darling”.

Darling: That’s his name for me when he’s feeling particularly fond of me.

Anyhoo, it was a beautiful Spring day that was meant for a drive in the mountains. So we set off on an adventure, and in no time at all we came across a REAL gold mine!

…

You know I love you right? Really I do, and I’m going to prove it today by sharing with you how to create a Pottery Barn finish on any piece of furniture in less than two hours! Yup! I transformed this scratched and dented thrift store trestle table by giving it the Pottery Barn look, and I’m going to tell you how you can do it yourself!

I was smitten the moment I saw this oak trestle table hidden among the other furniture in the back reaches of Habitat for Humanity. It was marked at $24. Yes, $24! As an older gentleman (near as old as me) loaded it into my car he exclaimed over and over what a great buy it was. I guess whoever marked the price on this was a youngsta’ who thought old meant outdated and not valuable. My oldish table-loading-friend and I knew better.

The top was in bad shape and that would have been an easy fix with a sander but I knew from the start that this one would be the perfect table for the Pottery Barn finish I’d been longing to try.

And those legs though!

This is my inspiration photo, a very expensive PB media cabinet!

So let’s get started:

I began with plain old black acrylic paint from the craft store, which I mixed with calcium carbonate (per measurements in my chalk paint recipe). Since the paint will be sanded heavily and smoothness is not an issue you could use any of the three recipes in that post.

After painting two quick coats and allowing the table to dry thoroughly I sanded back heavily with my electric sander.

After brushing off the paint dust I applied Annie Sloan dark wax which darkened not only the paint but the wood as well, causing this beautiful warm color to shine through.

Note: Lately I’ve been using Min Wax Finishing Wax mixed with a bit of Min Wax Wood Finish Stain to create my own less expensive dark wax. It isn’t as easy to spread as soft wax (unless you heat it up a bit which I’m not telling you you should do, but it is something I just might do), but I like the end result much better than soft wax. It buffs easier, dries to a harder finish, and doesn’t get streaky weird like soft wax can sometimes do.

Painting, waxing, and buffing in less than two hours. Super easy for a super look!

Do you want to see a few more pictures? I knew you would because you are so amazing and love to humor me.

What do you think? Do you like the PB finishes? Do you have a piece of furniture you might try this on? Remember, it took less than two hours!

Don’t forget to PIN me, and if you like my new look please share it with others!

We keep this table in our Seahawk/Bonus Room. Most of the time it’s set up as a library table but I can also open the leaves quite wide to create crafting or sewing space. A couple of people who have offered to buy it, even when I gave them a very pricey Pottery Barn price, but in the end I never could actually let it go.

Now while I do “heart” this sweet table of mine it isn’t near as much as I LOVE y’all! Thank you for being my friends, for letting me share my creative exploits with way too much ramble, and for allowing me to show you more pictures than you ever hoped to see.

Blessings dear friends,