Two Groovey Side Tables

Earlier this year I redid a garage sale coffee table that only a few months prior had been given a makeover.

That coffee table had two side table friends living in close proximity who also had been given a previous makeover, so then they needed to receive a makeover on top of a makeover.

Confused?  Don't be.


That just means they were updated twice in 8 months.

This is how the side tables started.  Once upon a time I had already sanded down the top and given it a darker stain.

Which of course showed ever scratch that kids, dog, and life were able to give it.

The two side tables are made by Lane and belonged to my mom.

My intention wasn't for them to live in my home for what has become the past fifteen years, but here they still are.

The tables originally arrived in my house in a set of three - two side and one coffee table.

The matching coffee table is used in another room and instead the $7 dollar garage sale table is in this family room paired with the Lane side tables.

For their first makeover they received a coat of black paint, and then a faux metallic grayed zinc looking treatment on the top that became the gray base for the current redo.

I didn't hate them, but they matched nothing and looked out of place.

I used the same painting process on the side tables as I did on the garage sale coffee table -  Fusion Mineral Paint in several colors.

Coal Black and Chocolate on the left are currently being used on two other projects around here.

I wanted to lighten up the black base, so the bottoms received a coat of Algonquin and were eventually distressed down to the black.

But there was a problem with the side tables..... they were out of sync with the coffee table, not in the same groove.

Because they literally had no grooves on top - the side table tops were flat.

So the man with the power tools taped himself up lines on the table top with a piece of wood as a guide, set his router to a nice groovy depth, and enlisted the help of a four year old quality control expert.

The top colors are Fusion Soapstone, Ash, Algonquin, and Sterling to give each new groove it's own tone and then sanded to distress.

The Fusion paint is excellent on furniture.

I didn't distress as much as the garage sale coffee table, but I can tell you the nice thing about the side tables compared to the solid dark they were - the dust doesn't show.

And any new nicks and scratches become part of the patina.

Which is important in a well used room. 

Minimal upkeep means less fuss, and less fuss means go ahead and set down your cup of coffee or soda can.

The tables in the family room are meant to be used... and they get abused as well.

But the four year old quality control expert is just fine with that.

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