I got a free table from work because they cleaning out the "old" stuff. They were going to throw it away but luckily my boss stopped them. {Or followed them out to the dumpster saying "don't throw it away! Valerie does furniture!!}
It definitely needed some help, but I loved the shape and the size. It's a lot bigger than your average end table but smaller than a coffee table. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do...all I knew was that I wanted to stencil the top and try glazing. I also wanted to do it ASAP because I was just that excited.
I found a FREE downloadable quatrefoil stencil from Tatertots & Jello. I absolutely fell in love with quatrefoil. I want to quatrefoil everything I own. But I promise to exercise some restraint.
Since I wanted to glaze the table I picked an antique white. I also decided I was going to skip sanding and try out spray paint. I picked Krylon's Ivory.
I liked spray painting for the quickness of it, but it makes it way harder to do touch ups unless you have a color that matches it perfectly.
Primed and painted...already looks WAY better.
For the top I wanted a color that would provide contrast, but also blend with other colors well. Since I don't exactly have a place for it yet I wanted to make sure it would fit wherever it eventually ends up. I chose Martha Stewart's Gabardine, kind of a blue-ish, gray-ish, green-ish? I had second thoughts leaving Home Depot, but as soon as I started painting I was in love!
I printed the stencil on cardstock and cut out the stencil with an exacto blade and craft pad {or whatever those things are called....} It was actually way less painful than I was expecting! I used those 50 cent foam brushes to paint over the stencil. It wasn't the easiest technique and it did leak under the stencil a little, but I managed to hide that towards the end. It was worse when I started to get lazy near the end....
Next up was the glaze! I was so excited to try this technique, but also nervous because I was already in love with the table and I knew I could potentially ruin it. I read almost every tutorial I could get my hands on and went to work.
Those first few brush strokes scared the you know what out of me! But I stayed calm and wiped away with one of Jacob's old {or brand new, but it was the only one I could find...} t-shirt.
I used Martha Stewart's metallic glaze in Mocha Coffee or Dark Coffee...or something....
I LOVED it. It seriously gave the table so much more character and charm. And, bonus, it hid all the imperfections from the stencil mishaps!
I am SO happy with how this table came out. I can't wait to find a place for it. And now I am more addicted to refinishing furniture than ever! I still have a shelf headboard sitting in the garage begging for a face lift. I think quatrefoil will be involved....
