Heart and Home: Coffee Table Makeover

I found a cute pine coffee table at the Goodwill store for $10.

It was a mess! Dirt, grime, and cigarette burns covered the top. I decided it would look better painted, so I began sanding it by hand to remove the shiny finish. After awhile, I decided to go the chemical route:

This is me, in my Haz-Mat suit:

Turns out, the chemical didn't work any better than good old-fashioned elbow grease (and my power rotary sander.)

Which got the table looking like this in no time:

After sanding, I gave the table a thorough cleaning, and then began painting it with my favorite paint color: "Atlantic" (Martha Stewart). It's my favorite because I had a big can of it left over from when we remodeled our bathroom. (Take a look, here.)

I gave it three nice, smooth coats of paint. While it was drying, I decided to redo the Family Room, to accommodate our new-to-us, larger, painted coffee table.

This is part of the room before. We've been using this antique trunk in here forever. It holds sweet baby clothes and birthday newspapers, and important things that I feel sentimental about.

But it has always been too tall and awkward for us to use when we want to eat in here, or play games. And it weighs a ton when I push it out of the way every morning before I do my yoga and exercises. ( I can tell from these pictures that it needs some TLC as well.)

I was looking forward to pushing a lighter, more colorful table out of the way, instead.

Here's the beachy makeover that I came up with. Nothing spectacular, but nice and simple. It's very livable for now, and fresh and new for the last part of summer. I'll change things out come fall, like I do every year.

I just threw a few different pillow covers and some more pillows on the loveseat, and added some of my big, glass vases, and a cotton runner for the table.

And of course, I included a bowl of my favorite sea glass and shells. (seen here.)

For now, I'm very happy with our $10 pine table, painted my favorite color. (And Miss Maggie likes it, too!)

Posted for Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage, and Tablescape Thursday, at Between Naps on the Porch. Thank you, ladies!

Until next time

XO

Heidi