Coffee Table Redo: From Stuffy to Slatted!

A free coffee table is nothing to sneeze at, even if it is covered in dust!

It was also covered with scratches and nicks but otherwise in good condition. But, as you should all know by now, I’m not a big fan of just plain brown furniture. I had a plan…

Step 1: Paint

There was no need to prime this piece since it was going to be painted black. First, I filled the nicks and dings with Elmer’s® ProBond wood filler. Then, I gave the piece a scuff-sanding to create an adherent surface for the paint and dove right in. After a couple coats of Farmhouse® paint in “Black Noir,” I added one coat of Minwax® Polycrylic to the entire table and then an additional two coats on the flat surfaces since they’d get the most wear.

Step 2: The Drawer

A plain black coffee table just wouldn’t be my style. I needed to jazz things up. For the face of the drawer, I decided on a natural slatted wood pattern. I cut a stack of thin wood craft sticks, sanded them smooth, and adhered them to the drawer front with E6000® glue.

Then I goofed up and accidentally smeared paint on some of them. Grrr… So, off those came and I repeated the effort!

Step 3: The Hardware

I wanted a black handle for contrast with the light drawer slats. Recently, I was given a large bag of contemporary silver pulls, so I spray-painted one with Rustoleum® for this purpose. I rigged up a useful suspension system to allow me to paint the whole handle at once instead of one side at a time. (You’d be amazed at all the uses for chopsticks in my workshop!)

Then it was time to put everything back together.