A Coffee Table Joe Could Be Proud Of...

Not any Joe, ya'll, your cup of Joe!!

A mid winter trip to the city during a snowstorm in rush hour landed me another Craigslist Super Buy for a mere 15 smackaroos. Here is how this frumpalicious table looked when I first brought her home...

Kind of Blah and Boring but a hearty piece made of solid wood...I simply couldn't resist and certainly nothing a good coat of white can't fix!! Of course, since then this baby has been drifting from room to room in hopes of a decent makeover. First the family room, then the living room, then back to the family room for a party, then back to the living room where she sat undisturbed for at least 2 months. Well, the time has come. Time to rip off the braces, trade the glasses in for contacts, and tame that frizz. It is makeover day here at LBR!!

First things first...Start sanding! I use a Ryobi 5 inch orbital sander...I bought it a few months back for the door project and, though it isn't as powerful as one would hope, it gets the job done.

OK - you caught me...the first pic is from the door project but the camera was charging and you know I have patience to wait!! Anywho, I had to take to hand sanding to get the legs and sides done...

When painting it isn't necessary to sand the finish down to the wood - all you need is a good scuffing. I did the top REALLY well because I know it will be getting a lot of use and I wanted the primer to have a good hold of the wood. I may have gone a bit overboard but I was soooo in the zone!

Once she was sanded I dusted her off with a tack cloth and went to priming. I used 2 coats of Kilz Premium Primer with a few hours in between. You will notice I didn't take too much time fixing up her imperfections...wood putty is super stinky and for this piece I didn't mind showing off a bit of her past life...she is an antique, after all! Here is the first coat of primer...

and the second...

After that I waited 48 hours for the primer to cure REAL GOOD before I painted. I Waited and Waited...and waited. Have I mentioned how impatient I am...yeah, I thought so...

Since the weather was crappy outside I had to paint inside...painting inside = NO SPRAY PAINT!! I had to hand paint it which I feared would cause brush strokes but I referred back to the Painting Queen, Centsational Girl, and got me some paint conditioner as suggested. This is my first time using the stuff and I have to say I was quite impressed! Using a conditioner gave me a little more time to fudge around and touch up if my strokes weren't quite even...or if i happen to notice one of about thirty Bubba hairs that wound up on my ticky tacky paint job. It just goes with the territory...

I added a few tablespoons floetrol to my trim cup and filled it up with some leftover white semi gloss I happened to have lying around. Mix mix mix and the painting began... SIDE NOTE - there was no exact floetrol to paint ratio with the small amount I was mixing so I put in about 1-2 TBS in my trim cup...refer to instructions for larger quantities but this seemed to do the trick just fine.

First coat of paint...plus a gratuitous Bubba shot....

Second (and FINAL!!) coat of paint...

It is still a bit wet in this picture hence the moussed up "wet look" we all aspired to achieve in the 80's but I can assure you she dried like a charm. I love that you can still see the wood grain even after 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint!

I used then brushed on two thin layers of SafeCoat Acrylacq for added waterproofing and durability. I use the same technique when making my old office desk so I was sure it would withstand the test of wear and tear....I can not believe I still haven't posted that project!! I am, like 6 months behind on that one...ooops....

Once everything had cured up and dried I took some time to put the original hardware back on. My original intentions were to paint them another color but, for now, I am going to try them on as they are.

Give me a week or two and I'll probably be spraying them either oil rubbed bronze or maybe something a little more fun like red, yellow, or green for a little pop of color...let's see where the day takes me! One thing is for sure, whatever I do I will certainly be keeping you in the loop! Here are a few shots of her all finished up!

How bout a close up of 2 of my favorite Joe coffee table books?

The perfect spot to stop for breakfast...oh, and a cup of Joe if you'd like...

Don't worry - Ill be including the recipe for these goodies sometime this week!! Stay tuned for that because they are SUPER simple and so so delicious!!

What were you up to this weekend? Any special painting projects? Did you take advantage of the super weather and get outside? WE DID!! Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what's happening in your part of the world!

Linking up to the following: It's So Very Cheri, Thrifty Decor Chick, Keeping it Simple, Today's Creative Blog, Organize With Sandy, New Nostalgia, All Thingz Related, Hope Studios, The Thrifty Home, My Backyard Eden, DIY by Design, Tip Junkie, At Home With K, Someday Crafts, Night Owl Crafting, A Little Tipsy, Beyond The Picket Fence, The DIY Show Off, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Stuff and Nonsense, At The Picket Fence, Tales from Bloggeritaville, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tatertots and Jello, The Shabby Nest, Home Sweet Farm, Finding Fabulous, Between Naps on the Porch, Dittle Dattle, Organize and Decorate Everything, Coastal Charm, Miss Mustard Seed, The Frugal Girls.

Bianca