Feeling Blue...and White

The Goodwill by my new place is amazing. I scored a solid wood coffee table with matching end table for $25. Both have little drawers, which are useful. Currently, the drawer contains a remote for a TV that I was given but isn't hooked up to anything and the IKEA catalog. My friend also gave me a beautiful Restoration Hardware catalog for inspiration. I was inspired to cut it into strips and weave them into coasters, because homemade coasters are the only thing I can afford out of it. Anyway....

Before

After

Here is the finished result of the coffee table makeover. Total time investment was about 8 hours over 3 evenings. The primer and white paint were left over from my sorbet kitchen table, so the only cost was the small tin of navy paint. If you want to see the step-by-step shots, keep reading.

I know, I know. The lamp is grannylicious, but hey. It was free and has a matching one. You can just see the sofa in the pic though, and that beauty was only $65.

The coffee table had a layer of grime on the edges and a few deep gouges, but was in good shape. The end table was even better. I sanded them down roughly and used a bit of wood filler to smooth out the worst ruts. When it had dried, I used a finer gauge sandpaper to smooth the filler and wiped it all down. Then, the tables got a coat of primer applied with a brush. The midget even had a go at priming the top. A girl is never too young to learn some DIY skills.

Deep gouge. Ouch.

Primed and ready. 

Making sure that the white and blue had crisp edges was the trickiest part. Because I have to cut costs, I decided to forgo masking tape and cut in the colors with an angled brush. I painted the navy portions, being careful to cut in cleanly with the edge of my angled brush. I waited until the blue had dried completely, tackling the white application the next night. I flipped the table onto its top to paint the first coat of whit on the legs to ensure that I didn't miss anywhere. On the third night, I braved doing a second coat of both colors without allowing the first color to dry. It worked pretty well, but it was harder to keep the corners clean. The drawer knobs got poked into a box that I pulled out of the recycling bin so that they could be placed upright to dry.

Knobs. Heh heh. I said knobs. 

Anticipating feet and drinks on the tables, I got up early in the morning and applied a coat of spray clear coat to protect them. What do you think?