DIY Console Table Reveal

Last weekend we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and turned our garage into a workshop as we measured, measured again, cut, assembled and sanded the boards that would result in this beauty ....







To say that we like it is an understatement!  

This journey began with the need to replace our drastically undersized original console table and you can read more about that HERE.



Our inspiration was Ana White's Rustic X Console.  We followed Ana's wonderful free plans to construct the frame using 2" x 2" and 2" x 4" boards.  These were the only boards we had to purchase, as we had the two shelf boards (1" x 12" each) and three tabletop boards (2" x 6" each) on hand.

The finished dimensions are a whopping 76-1/2" x 18" x 32" - a little over 6 feet, making it much more appropriately sized for our 18' long wall (our original console table was only 42".)

You'll notice a few additional foyer changes as well.  The wall was refreshed by adding horizontal painted stripes.  Read more about that HERE.



A bamboo typography mat for our front door also received a revamp and details are HERE.

Decor Steals



Now for the table build ... please be prepared for lots of pics!

We started around noon on Saturday and completed the build on Sunday evening.  Add in a couple of days for finish sanding, staining and adding hardware, and the new table was cozy and comfy in the foyer by midweek.

Be sure to check out Ana White's site for a detailed supply list, cut list and plans.   

You'll notice that we opted to not include the "X" on the sides of the table.  








 
  
We made lots of pocket screw holes with the Kreg jig.  

Hubby veered from the plans a bit and crafted shelf side braces that allow the shelves to drop into the braces.  He's creative that way! :)






We then installed the shelves and at that point, I couldn't resist moving it to the foyer to determine if the finished size was as we envisioned.  Fortunately, it was!




After the build, the next decision was whether to stain, paint or a combination of both.  

We stained the tabletop with General Finishes Gel Stain in Java.  




Honestly, this is amazing stuff!  No drips, spills or mess - it's a thick gel and goes on super nicely - just apply with a soft cloth or a brush and wipe off excess.  Let dry and you can apply as many coats as you like until you reach the color intensity you desire.  For this project, only one application of the stain was needed - it provided a rich dark tone, but was transparent enough to allow the wood grain to show through. 


In the end, we went with stain for the entire table and love it - it adds warmth and contrast against the light neutral striped wall.  

We also added hardware - corner braces - to the tabletop.  To find out how we gave the bright zinc plated hardware a distressed look, check out my post HERE.


Here are a few closeups of the stain and wood grain:




The round mirror on the wall was another DIY - made with wood shims.



And, one last glimpse ... 




As you can see, the table decor is constantly being changed and rearranged.  I hope you enjoyed seeing how bare pine boards were transformed into a beautiful and useful piece of furniture for our home! 


Thank you to Christine at Must Love Home and
 Wendi at H20 Bungalow for featuring this post!



Your comments are greatly appreciated and I look forward to your thoughts and ideas!  I try to respond to comments via email as soon as I can. If your email address isn't available, I will comment here. Thanks so much for visiting! 







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Distressing Zinc Hardware

The tabletop on the new console table for the foyer (reveal coming soon!) has decorative metal braces at each corner.  The original shiny zinc plated steel wasn't quite the look we were after, so we distressed them.


You can find these zinc plated braces in bags of 4 for about $4 - very budget friendly and they come complete with screws.

The zinc plated finish is super bright and shiny but we wanted a more distressed, darker metal - not quite as dark as oil rubbed bronze.

Of the many metal distressing methods shared online, soaking in vinegar was appealing as an environmentally friendly option.

To start the distressing process, I lightly sanded the braces with sandpaper and placed them and the screws in a clear plastic container and covered with distilled vinegar to soak overnight.

The next morning, the screws had turned dark brown, almost black.  But, unfortunately the braces were only slightly less shiny with very little change in color. 

After discovering that salt can also be added to vinegar during the soaking process, I added salt and left them for one more night.  They did turn darker in areas, but still not what I had in mind for this project. 


There would have been no harm in soaking them longer, but I was slightly impatient and moved on to Plan B!

I lightly sanded the braces again and then rubbed on a layer of Metallic Lustre in Iced Espresso.  This is such a neat product - it's a water-based, nontoxic metallic wax.  Just apply with a sponge or cloth (or your fingers!), let dry and buff.  So far, I've used it on wood and metal and it leaves the surface with a really nice metallic sheen.  You can also seal it with a coat of varnish if you like.


The result was a beautiful dark gold-brown metallic effect. 

Guess you're wondering what I did with those too dark brownish black screws?  All it took was a quick light sanding and they were good to go.


The corner hardware was the last step in our console table build and now that they're installed, it's truly totally complete!  It turned out great and we're super pleased with it.  Working on the post and pics to share with you soon.  :)


Your comments are greatly appreciated and I look forward to your thoughts and ideas!  I try to respond to comments via email as soon as I can. If your email address isn't available, I will comment here. Thanks so much for visiting! 





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Thoughts from Alice

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Painting Wall Stripes

With plans to build a new and bigger console table in the works (read all about our plans HERE), I cleared the foyer and removed the framed photos from the gallery wall.  What I was left with was a fresh slate ... the long blank foyer wall provided the ideal canvas for painting wide wall stripes!




This wall is 18 feet long and 9 feet high and needed a touch of whimsy and a little visual interest.  Why not stripes?

I began by determining that I wanted to keep the current wall color (Sherwin Williams Softer Tan) as my base coat, and add three wide white stripes, for a total of 7 stripes.

By leaving the very top and bottom stripes (the one along the ceiling and the one along the baseboard) the color of my current wall color, it made this project so much quicker - no cutting in with a second color (white) near the ceiling or along the baseboard.  

I measured from the top of the baseboard to the ceiling (if we had crown molding, I would have measured to just below the crown molding).  This measurement was 105".

I divided 105" by 7 (number of stripes) and got 15".  That gave me the width of each stripe - 15".

I then measured 15" from the ceiling and used a pencil to place marks on the wall about every 3 feet across.  I repeated this process for the rest of the stripes, measuring down from the ceiling in 15" increments.  

When all the stripes were marked with pencil, I outlined every other stripe (the ones I wanted to paint white) with green FrogTape.  To avoid confusion, it helps to place small pieces of tape (I used blue painter's tape) every few feet across on the stripes that will not be painted (the ones that will be left the base color).  



To ensure the FrogTape adhered well to our wall texture, I used a dry sponge to press the tape against the wall.  

Next was the quick and fun part of the project - painting!

I mixed two leftover partial quarts of white paint that I had on hand - one was a satin and the other eggshell.  Fortunately, it dried to an eggshell finish - which matched the base coat.  Happy surprise!

I rolled on two coats of white and immediately removed the FrogTape after painting each stripe.

Was fully prepared to do lots of touch up painting where the paint seeped under the tape, but there was only one small spot that needed touch up.  I honestly was totally amazed that the FrogTape worked so well with textured walls.  


If you want instant impact on a budget, this is a great option.  Hubby and I agreed that if we didn't like the stripes, we would install ship lap.  Fortunately, we're really pleased - will be a great backdrop for the new console table.  



I'm happy to report that the console table for the foyer is now completed and I'll share a post and pics really soon!

Have you tried painting stripes on your wall?

Thank you to Kathryn at The Dedicated House for featuring this post!!!




Your comments are greatly appreciated and I look forward to your thoughts and ideas!  I try to respond to comments via email as soon as I can. If your email address isn't available, I will comment here. Thanks so much for visiting! 

***I was not compensated in any way for this post - simply sharing my personal experience.  :)  ***

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