Console to Desk

 

Not a bad-looking table, but nothing jumps out at you. I picked this table up at a garage sale a couple of months ago. I didn't really have a direction for it except I knew I wanted to Shou Sugi Ban the top so I got to sanding that top. Unfortunately, the top turned out to be oak veneer and not solid oak but I was determined to make it work. 

I really like Shou Sugi Ban. For those who don't know what that is, Shou Sugi Ban is the Japanese technique of waterproofing wood siding. Mainly used on cedar, but woodworkers have taken to using this technique on just about any species of wood and the finish it leaves by bringing out the grain of the wood is just beautiful. I've used it on pine successfully but this was my first time using it on a veneer. I went in very light stages so as not to set the table on fire or bubble the veneer. Just look at that grain.

Once the whole thing was cleaned it was time to tackle the rest of the table. I wasn't sure what the legs were made of so I just decided to paint them. It starts with scuff sanding and a really good primer. I like Zinsser Shellac Primer, it sticks to just about anything and dries smooth. Another reason I use a shellac primer is that you just never know if the piece you are painting is going to have bleed through. That means that the liquid in the paint activates the tannins in the wood and it shows in the paint. It usually looks like yellow to reddish splotches in your paint job.

Now it was time for the fun paint. Painting. We were at Home Depot and I was looking at Behr's chalk paint line. After much back and forth I decided on Tweed Coat. I couldn't get a really good picture so I used a stock photo off Google. To me, it looks like a medium gray with a green base. I knew it would be just the right look with the Shou Sugi Ban top.

For the top, I used a paint wash using Dixie Belle chalk paint in Sawmill Gravy, as well as black, clear, and white waxes. 

It was looking good, but in my mind, it could be great. So I used the black wax on the legs and apron then I decided to take it up a notch.  

The apron has this routered design so I added gold gilding wax to dress it up. Unfortunately, you can't really see the gold wax well, because I stink at photography, but it's there, I promise. 

I was finished, or so I thought. I sent my mom a couple of pictures of the table refinish and she loved it. So much so, that she told me not to list it on Facebook Marketplace, that she wanted to buy it instead, but could I make a little change. Could I turn it from a table into a desk? Why yes I can. So, my husband got out the pull saw and removed the front base plate. The table was still balanced and level without it. I went in and sanded the area then primed, painted, and waxed the cut areas and it looked like it the front bar was never there. To make it a bit more comfortable for my mom, we added little bun feet which, after painting to match and glued on you would swear they had always been there.

All that was left was to find my Mom a chair and deliver it to her house. There was a bit of back and forth on Marketplace over a chair but in the end, I won the battle and got the chair. It was in great shape, very clean, and only needed a few touch-ups on the stain where it had bumped up again a table or something. It was just what my Mom was wanting. 

This is the only shot of the chair that I have.

I also forgot to take a photo of the desk with its new feet. I need to make a checklist and I need to take photography lessons. I love how this flip turned out and I know it's going to be lovingly used.