The Details Make the Difference on These Vintage Side Tables

I love when furniture appears out of nowhere for me 🙂 My sister called me up one day and asked if I wanted these worn out, sad side tables that a friend of hers had found in a storage room.

Of course I said “SURE!” and eventually they made their way to my home.

The side tables were covered in dirt and stains but that kind of damage never frightens me. I instantly saw beyond that and fell in love with the beautiful little wooden flowers that adorned each corner.

I wanted to do something classic and elegant with these tables and decided that they needed a rich, dark stained top. I didn’t want the old damage to show through on the table tops so I sanded them both down before I began to recreate them. Once sanded down, the wood grain was perfect and smooth and gorgeous.

I had been hearing great things about General Finishes stains so wanted to give them a try on these tables. I chose the Java Gel Stain which is a dark, rich stain that gave the table tops the exact look I had been envisioning. I used a cloth to apply the get stain and it took about 4 coats to get the depth I desired. I let each coat try overnight before applying the next one.

(You don’t have to wait this long, it was just what worked with my schedule)Once the stain was finished and completely dry, I gave it a protective coat with General Finishes Gel Topcoat. Again, I put about 4 coats on but this time with a foam brush in order to achieve a beautifully smooth and clear finish.The remainder of the tables I painted in Annie Sloan’s Old White Chalk Paint and lightly distressed the paint to give it a timeless and aged feel. I absolutely love how the details popped once they were lightly distressed.I absolutely loved how these side tables turned out and it was the little wooden flowers that made them so special to me. I think it is always those types of details that make any piece extra special and sets it apart from all of the rest!