Furniture Makeover :: My Pretty Purple Table

As promised - here are the pictures from my 2nd furniture makeover (and the first one I did all by myself!)

This piece started as a banged up end table that Rusty found for $10 back when we lived in Michigan. It used to sit in his "mancave" (ie - the basement) so I didn't care how bad it looked! I planned to send it back to the thriftstore when we moved, until I saw the pretty lion head hardware on each side and fell in love with the detailing! So we brought it to Alabama, and it's been part of an extra little sitting area in our living room ever since.

The problem though, is how beat up it looked! It's real wood, and while I wished I could bring the original finish back out there was no way I wanted to sand, strip, and re-stain the piece.

I did want to paint it black to match the chairs next to it, but to get a true match I'd have to hire the lady we bought the chairs from (and she charges more than I wanted to pay for an end-table).

So it sat, and sat, and sat.... and when I found out that Annie Sloan had a muted purple chalk paint, I thought - why not?! (We have purple throw pillows and some really cool antique purple art in our living room, so I figured it would work!) Since it's such a small piece, I was able to get by with just a sample pot ($11).

First I removed the hardware, wiped down the piece to get rid of any dust and dirt, and then I painted 2 coats of Emile colored chalk paint. It took a little longer than I expected because of all the crevices and details!

Next, I decided to distress the piece. I didn't want to "age" it with the dark wax, I just wanted a shabby look to it. Most people suggest doing this after you do the clear wax but I wanted to try it pre-wax. Because the paint is water-based, I decided to use a couple of techniques. In some areas I sanded it. In others, I rubbed a wet-wipe over the areas I wanted the paint to come off. Sometimes I did both (sanding followed by a wet-wipe). I found that when I sanded it, the natural wood showed through. When I just wet-wiped it, the darker finish (from it being stained/sealed) showed through. So I now have areas of light brown and a brownish/black peeking through the paint!

Of course I finished it with the clear wax, and buffed it after 24 hours. And here's the final piece!

And here it is back in my little sitting area, between my shabby black and burlap chairs! (Don't you love those gorgeous handmade pillow covers from India?!)

I haven't decided if I like it or not. I think the piece turned out beautifully - I'm just not sure if it really "goes" with my living room or if I should sell it and buy something else. I think I would like it more if the Emile were a little darker. But honestly I can't complain over such a quick, cheap makeover! It definitely looks better than the beat up piece it used to be!