DIY Day: Ugly 1970 End Table Makeover Amazing Transformation

Really ugly old 70's tables after I started sanding 

I spent all weekend working on a couple of projects, this being one.  My grandmother had some of these tables when I was a kid.  I think maybe she had square ones but I remember loving opening the doors.  Anyway, because I have that 1970 house, I have been dying to add just a touch of period piece to the home.   Nothing crazy like green shag carpet or orange counters.  I am not going for the Brady Bunch, just a little nod to the homes time. These tables were perfect! They were ugly dark and perfect.  Originally I thought I wanted to stain the tops of these but the more I started working with them, the heavier they felt and the more I realized I wanted them light and airy feeling because of how heavy they feel.  Something about these tables and the thick, carved, dark wood that made me feel weighted down. 

Light and airy!

So normally I mix my own chalk-like paint.   I usually use a flat latex and add calcium carbomate which is chalk and some water and get the perfect chalky finish but I had some wonderful Maison Blanche paint on hand and I LOVE Maison Blanche paint because Annie Omar who is the creator of the brand lives in Frisco, Texas which is a hop, skip and a jump from me and the lady I buy my paint from, the wonderful Melissa AKA Dumpster Diva  is always so helpful when I go in with a problem.  (Just wait until I blog my second project, nothing but a problem!).

Hardware back and finishing  touches in works

So the paint I used from Maison Blanche for this project is Creme De Menthe and Franciscan Gray for the base, mixed in about a 2-1 ratio and the top is Maison White.  I used a polycrylic top coat to seal it and then I added brown wax to antique both the top and the base.   I am going to be honest here, the doors on this piece were a pain but aside from that, this project was easy peasy.

So adorable!

These tables are in my *formal living room and my only regret is that somehow I lost one piece of the hardware when I was working on the tables in my garage and I am going to have to crawl around on my hands and knees until I find it so I can hand the final knocker.  Yes, people, I lost my knockers!

So what do you think?   I love the tranformation.   My tables turned out so adorable.   These were so simple.  The project I am going to share later on maybe this week has been a royal pain by comparison and the piece turned out amazing but it isn't mine. ;( 

I know I say this all the time but I just love turning old and ugly into knew and pretty!!!

*By Formal Living Room I mean the space we don't have a TV.  This room has the fireplace and originally my thought was 'reading room' but it is right next to the family room and the TV and honestly, very rarely does anyone sit in there.  In fact, when I was changing out the old glass and metal tables I had for these, I noticed a layer of dust on the sofa.  No, I am not even kidding. :)