Living Room Furniture Makeover

You might remember from last week's coffee table post that I mentioned restoring some furniture.  I was treasure hunting a couple of weeks ago when I found two pieces that would make great end tables for the living room.  One actually was an end table and the other a bookcase style shelf, which you'll see in a minute, but first I want to explain what prompted this whole endeavor.

When we were first married and living in a very small rental, we had an equally small loveseat couch.  It was the perfect size for the two of us, the two of us and a baby, the two of us a pre-schooler and another baby.....but then not so much.  The kids were getting too big and there was no way we could comfortably sit together anymore.  Plus, kids growing older means fewer larger plastic toys and so we find ourselves with a bit more living room space now anyway.

So when Husby found a nice couch at the thrift store (and thoroughly checked it out) he went ahead and brought it home.  It was darker in color than I would prefer, but a slipcover takes care of that problem easily.  I like that better anyway as now I can easily put the whole 'couch' through the laundry every couple of weeks or so, or in other words, as often as it gets covered in salsa....😄  Total cost for couch and slipcover: $70

After his success with the couch, Husby stumbled upon a large, barely used La-Z-Boy recliner.  At only $24, he went ahead and snapped up the chair too.

So now we had a couch and a chair, but no side tables.  I figured it was only a matter of time before I would check those items off of my list and actually found them both at the same garage sale.  Check it out:

Side Note:  I mentioned that Husby thoroughly checked out the sofa before making the purchase.  Anytime you are buying something used used, you want to check it out for obvious reasons, but especially items that can't go through a proper washing.  I have a list of things that I'll never buy used like socks, undies, etc but sometimes fabric covered furniture can be ok.  You want to check the item carefully for icky things like bugs, pet hair smells or questionable stains.  And when I say thoroughly, I mean under cushions, under the entire piece, behind the piece, etc.  Even when an item passes the cleanliness test, I still recommend cleaning it with a disinfectant like Lysol before it enters your home.

(You can click here to read more about the coffee table)

End Table

I liked this table right away for it's French style.  In fact, the legs, hardware and cut of the top match my china cabinet almost perfectly.  I managed to snag it for $7.

(You can click here to see the china cabinet)

Fresh & Pretty

A new coat of white paint paired with gold hardware (spray paint) and this end table is perfectly updated.

Bookcase

Also at the same sale was this bookcase.  I think it had been used as wall shelving as some of the hanging brackets were still in place and the top was painted green.  This piece only needed to be repainted in white and was $5.

Ready to Go

Once painted I tucked the shelf up against the wall near the La-Z-Boy chair.  I was looking for something both tall and narrow and this piece worked perfectly.  Now Husby has a place to set snacks, drinks and his phone while reclining comfortably.

Completed Living Room

Couch & Slipcover- $70
Recliner- $24
End Table- $7
Bookcase- $5
Coffee Table (Varnish)- $6
Paint- $10

That's an entire thrifted and made-over living room for $122.  Eat all of the salsa you want, nothing here is too valuable to spill on top of! 😆😆😆

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I hope you enjoyed this furniture makeover post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2018

Coffee Table Makeover

I've been working on restoring some furniture this summer, with my first project being our living room coffee table.  We've had this coffee table a long time now (about 17 years) and originally it featured a dark stained oak surface mounted on top of a black wrought iron frame.  It's been about 7 years now, but I had already painted over the black iron making the base white instead.  I liked the white base much better, but always wanted to lighten the top so that it matched the kitchen and dining room tables.  

(You can click here for a post that shows how dark the table used to be)

This table happens to be a very sturdy, well made piece of furniture, totally worth the effort of re-finishing.  And for whatever reason, this summer was the time in which I finally got the courage to try, check it out:

Wear & Tear

  You can see in this photo how dark the stain used to be.  This photo was taken after the kids and I spent some time with a pile of sandpaper, but you get the idea.  The table did have lighter areas where the surface stain had become quite damaged though.  I think that's what prompted me to finally do something about it, it was looking like a mess!

Chipped Paint

The coat of white paint was showing some abuse as well, with the original black coming through here and there.

Hidden Artwork

It was easier to repaint the base after first removing the top.  Not only did this make the frame much lighter, but I didn't have to worry about protecting the top from paint either.  I flipped the table over to start unscrewing and discovered this hidden 'artwork' that somebody decided to add with his markers.  Of course I'm leaving that little bit of history in place 😉

Sand, sand & sand some more.

Remember how I said the kids and I began sanding by hand with a pile of sandpaper?  Yeah, no, not happening! I quickly realized that this was a job for an actual power tool and consulted with Husby.  He didn't think his belt sander would be the best choice so I borrowed a palm sander from my Dad and was back in business.  Let me tell you, even with a power tool it still took a couple of hours to remove all of the old stain, but the work was oddly satisfying 😄

Now, I already had the white paint, brushes and sandpaper on hand and I borrowed the sander.  That meant that the only item purchased was a can of Minwax varnish for less than $10.  It took 3 coats of the varnish to properly seal the table, but I still have quite a bit of that left over as well (looks at kitchen table with contemplation....😁)

Project Complete

And there you have it; a nice, clean re-finished table for under $10!

There are a couple more items that I've fixed up and added to the living room as well, I'll share those soon.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this furniture makeover post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2018