A Buy Nothing table for a Buy Nothing toaster oven
So, a while back I got a toaster oven from my Buy Nothing group.
But I really do not have room on my countertops for a toaster oven (perhaps in my next house!).
For a while, the toaster oven sat on the floor, which was not particularly convenient...we had to squat down on the floor to keep an eye on cooking progression.
Then I put it on an extra chair in my dining room, which worked as a stop-gap solution.
But then I came across a little table on my Buy Nothing group. It was a little beat-up, but it was real wood.
Not oak, but not particle board either.
(We know from recent history that I do not like working with cheap materials!)
It's a table with a rotating top, which is obviously a feature I didn't need for holding a toaster oven. But I figured it would be fine to use without taking advantage of the rotating feature.
I took the top off so that the refinishing process would be easier.
I have no idea when this table was made, but it is numbered on the underside.
I sanded the whole thing down, of course, using my trusty orbital sander.
I also tightened up some of the loose screws, which made the legs way less wobbly!
I didn't sand the base down to raw wood because I knew I was going to paint that part.
But I decided I wanted to stain the top, so I sanded it super thoroughly.
I couldn't get it entirely fresh-looking, but I did my best.
Next, I gave it a coat of stain. Happily, the dark stain covered any imperfections left in the wood.
After a few coats of polyurethane, the top was done.
I primed the table base, using my trusty Bin 1-2-3 primer.
And then I gave it a coat of one of the paints I'd gotten in my efforts to choose a color for my scuffed table. 😉
And then I put the table back together.
I kind of wish this paint was a darker color, but mostly I feel like that when I look at it in bright light. Inside, the table sits in sort of a dark corner, so the paint looks darker, and I feel fine about it.
So, now my toaster oven is at a nice counter height, and it's on a table, not a chair!
The purple-ish color and the stained top kind of coordinate with my kitchen table and chairs, which is nice.
And the table color does look less bright purple once it's inside.
Something kind of funny...I was noticing some imperfections in my staining/polyurethane job (I am super inexperienced with staining!), and I briefly considered sanding the top and fixing the issues.
And then I was like, "Kristen, really? The top of this table is barely gonna be visible! And it's in a dark corner!"
So then I decided to just roll with it and not stress. Done is better than perfect.
And since nursing school is comin', done is a higher priority than perfection! 😉
That came out lovely, and the rotating top is just neat! It should also make it easier to repurpose whenever you move. It would be an amazing craft project table, given the bonus rotation.
Thank you for the unintended encouragement, too! There are a few small painting projects around the house I’ve been meaning to get to, like highlighting the little finials on our 1890s baseboards with small touches of gold. The previous owners painted all the woodwork white, so some of the finer details like the finials get visually lost.
@N, I can't picture how finials work on baseboard. Sometimes I wish the comments could accommodate photographs!
I know, wouldn't that be fun? The closest thing we have is our Frugal Girl facebook group, where readers can start threads and/or post pictures. 🙂
@Central Calif. Artist, Imagine a stair banister newel post with a finial, just in miniature and tucked into each corner of the room, where the baseboards meet. I hope that makes sense! The baseboards meet on either side of the mini newel post, and the carved finial rises another four inches above that. Our finials look vaguely like over-sized chess pieces.
@N, that's fancy! Thank you for the explanation. While pretty, it sounds like a haven for spiders and a dusting nightmare.
Super cute Table! love the clean lines.
"Bright" purple, eh? I'll show you bright purple! 😉
Hahaha, ok, this is bright FOR ME.
OK, gang, next time Kristen goes out of town, we break into her house armed with Day-Glo spray paint. BWAHAHAHAHA! Maybe some glitter too.
@Rose,
You are too funny! I, too, thought "THAT'S bright purple?" 🙂 (Though I shouldn't say anything, since my house of full of browns and neutral colors because hand me up furniture. An Ethan Allen medium brown leather slim-line recliner? Yes, please!).
@Liz B., Start painting some of that furniture! Why not? I will once again plug Amy Howard paint because it is amazing for the lazy (ahem) among us.
@Rose, which Amy Howard paint do you use? The One Hour Miracle Paint? And do you have recommendations for paint that would hold up well on frequently-used dining area chairs?
@Kris, I love the One Hour Miracle Paint but I have used it only on my kitchen cabinets and living room paneling. I do not know how well it would stand up on heavily used dining chairs.
The paint does go a long way, so I would try it as an experiment. Worse comes to worst, you could always easily touch up scuffs kids etc leave.
My philosophy is, it's just paint. If you hate it or it doesn't wear well, it's easy to remove.
@Rose, thanks!
It is lovely and it works really well in your kitchen!
But a rotating tabletop - when would you need that? Unless you want to turn the table on someone ?
@JNL,
I would use it to put a plant on. I rotate my plants towards the light, so each side gets equal sunlight. Or it could work as a game table for kids.
@Steph, great answers. I was also curious about that feature, particularly on a square table.
@JNL, Maybe it once held a TV. Rotating would make it easy to position for different viewers in a room.
I am being forced to paint my kids' bathroom. My son's room is on the other side of the wall from it, and he put something up in his room with four GIANT nails that actually came all the way through the wall, so there was an inch of pointy nails coming through into the bathroom, just by the sink. I was not into that aesthetic, and told him he needed to fix this. The offender cut them off with an angle grinder, but obviously, it still doesn't look great. I hadn't painted that room when we moved in, and it needs it, but I haaaate painting. I considered having the child do it, but that would be even worse than me doing it, quality-wise. So, I will have to paint.
All this to say, I would never have that internal conversation you had about imperfections, and it's a good thing you'll never see my idea of a good-enough paint job. 🙂
Oh man, I wish I could come paint it for you! I'd do it in exchange for dinner. 😉
Love it!
This looks very similar to a TV stand my grandmother had. I kind of miss the doily she had on it.
You find great items on your Buy Nothing group! I have given many things away (especially lately since we moved), but the new area we live in has a dismal Buy Nothing group...and some not great thrift stores. I miss thrifting!
Oh man, that is a bummer! I love my group. I give away a lot of things and also receive a lot of things. I think it helps that I live in a heavily populated area; there's just gonna be more traffic in Buy Nothing groups in such places.
I'd say the table top could use another coat of stain, but you can always do that at your leisure. And, as you say, the table is in a dark corner and has something large on top of it, so it's not an issue at present. Congratulations on yet another successful furniture rescue!
Finally, thanks for making me smile this morning with "Done is better than perfect." That was one of DH's mantras.
I did put a couple of coats of stain on it, but for some reason, some of the areas did not seem to absorb the stain as well. I don't know if it's because it wasn't a raw piece of wood? No matter how much you sand wood down, it's never quite as porous as it was the first go-round.
But yes, a tabletop that gets covered with an oven is a perfect place not to stress too much. Ha.
@Kristen, try a wood conditioner - particularly on soft woods it helps even out the stain. 🙂
It's beautiful!
I like it! I can see you sitting at your dining table, working away on something, and you rotate that toaster oven so you can keep an eye on the food...
I believe done is better than perfect, too. I have a friend who will do things over and over again, striving for perfection, until the work becomes dreary and the pleasure derived from "perfection" doesn't justify the time involved. I highly recommend doing it the Kristen way, not my friend's way.
One question - will the stain and finish stand up to the heat of the oven?
Well, I figure that it'll hold up at least as well as the chair would have. lol
Also, I have noticed that my toaster oven doesn't have a lot of heat that radiates through the bottom. The top definitely gets hot, but the bottom stays fairly cool. We shall see what happens!
But if worse comes to worse, I can always refinish the tabletop again. And since the toaster oven and the table were both free, I'm not risking a whole lot. I love low-stakes projects!
@Kristen,
If the bottom ever gets too hot, just find some kind of large hotplate to set the toaster oven on. But most of those tabletop appliances have little rubber feet underneath to keep the hot part from touching the tabletop or counter below.
The table looks nice. You did a great job on sanding, that's hard work even with the orbital.
Today isn't Thursday but I'm thankful for the humor in your posts. I hope you and pray you don't lose in the grind of things.
Done IS better than perfect :).
I love it!!!!
I love it! I wish I could post a picture here, but I recently refinished a solid wood nightstand that I got at a thrift store. It was my first project like this! I used Kristen's blog posts about painting furniture as a guide, and I had a lot of fun doing it 🙂
I wonder if any of you more experienced furniture-refinishers can help me with a question..... I used an oil-based stain for the top, and a clear polyurethane over it but it's been 2 days and it still feels tacky!!! Do I blame the southern humidity or did I do something wrong?
@Elinor, likely humidity. Or you didn't let the stain dry thoroughly.
Boy, two days does seem like a long time for it to still be tacky.
This forum is saying you need to let the stain dry for a long time before you do the poly coat. https://woodworking.stackexchange.com/questions/2068/can-i-apply-water-based-polyurethane-over-an-oil-based-stain
I inadvertently waited a long time just because the weather was so terrible I didn't feel like working on the table. Heh.
@Kristen, thanks for the info! I did let it dry for 24 hrs, but maybe it wasn't enough time in this humidity. I'll leave a fan blowing on it and see if it helps 🙂
@Elinor, Ohhhh, this group is so proud of you! Pats on the back for tackling a new project.
I have no thoughts, as I don't enjoy furniture painting (tried it once, no thanks), but good for you for trying! I'm glad you had fun doing it, too.
@Molly, thank you!! I really enjoyed the process and I'm aiming higher... I found a free wardrobe-style entertainment cabinet ony local Buy Nothing Group that will be a great rehab project for our game room 🙂
That came out great! Can't imagine what the purpose a totating top for such a petite table might have been, but it's a cool artifact
It looks good and I'm sure it functions great. A done something is better than a perfect nothing. (:
Well done! Looks awesome!
That is a huge toaster oven. I found my little air fryer does everything I used a toaster oven for except toasting stale chips, they fly around and burn. I made a baked potato in my air fryer for the first time and I don’t know if it was the potato or the air fryer but it was the best tasting baked potato ever.
It is a little on the bulky side but hey, it was free! 🙂
I've seen some toaster ovens that are a lot wider, so I am grateful this one is more of a square. A wide toaster oven wouldn't fit on this table!
@Kristen, Ahh, the siren song of free! I’m really working at not listening to it but it is hard. I don’t have your refurbishing skills or a place to work on things so that helps. But I do have a Goodwill bins store just down the road,
{{{danger}}}
I still buy more groceries than I need mainly because of the savings on larger sizes of everything. Still learning how to cut back. Sometimes the frugal instinct is hard to say no to.
@Tiana, I know what you mean about buying larger sizes because the price per unit is less. What helps me avoid this is simply looking at the total cost. I can spend less and not have to store things. On the other hand, if I have the storage room and the money, then I will choose the less expensive per unit package.
It looks so good!
I love the table, and the how to’s! And that’s really a compliment from me, because I have severe arthritis and could never actually do the work LOL.
And now for a vote of confidence:
As far as nursing school challenges, I think you will be challenged, but not overly so.
You have done MUCH better than most do in the “weed out” A&P courses, and in the dreaded chemistry. And you did this while running a busy household and very successful blog - and also navigating an enormous personal challenge that, from what you have said, went on for years.
You will be an outstanding nursing student who has time to still enjoy life!
Aww, thank you so much for the encouragement! I had a thought along the same lines recently...if I had barely passed the pre-reqs, I'd be much more nervous about nursing school. But since I hovered at nearly 100% in those classes, that makes me think I will be ok in nursing school.
Like...it's gonna be a challenge, but I think I will be up for it.
And you are right; I don't have to deal with my challenging marriage while I'm in nursing school! So that will be a new and fresh experience. 🙂
@Kristen, When it comes to free toaster ovens and free side tables, good enough is certainly ... good enough! But when it comes to nursing school and your nursing career, anyone who has ever read this blog knows that "good enough" will not be "good enough" for you. You will be an absolute star, and a gift to the profession.
Aww, thank you. Yes, I do not plan to have a "good enough" attitude about taking care of patients. Ha. People matter more than furniture. 😉
@Kathy L.,
Thank you for clearly articulating what I was thinking about Kristen.
Great job, Kristen! I am loving all your finds from the Buy Nothing group.
I am in awe of your furniture re-do skills!! AWESOME!!
Aww, thank you!
That looks great! It does go well with the table and chairs.
I’d love to see a tour of your house. I’ve been wanting one since you moved in! The little bits you reveal are so interesting.
Maybe I should do one room-by-room, kinda like I did with my bedroom, so I can show you guys all my secondhand stuff. 🙂
Like this: https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/a-tour-of-my-second-hand-bedroom/
@Kristen, Yes, please!
Loving your table! Looks so fun! Enjoy!!!!!
This morning I picked up a pi ice cube tray from a Buy Nothing member. Totally unnecessary, but it fills my dorky math heart with giggles. TEEEHEEEE!!
@Molly, freeze some orange juice in them and you'll have fruit pi. 😉
@Bobi, AHAHAHAHAHHA I LOVE IT!!!!
See now this gift is bringing other people giggles, too.
@Molly,
I saw a Facebook post (or maybe it was a reel, I forget) not too long ago of a "Pi" sign in a thrift store that was marked $3.14. 🙂
@Liz B., Somebody gets it. 🙂
Great job on the table. I am always amazed at what great items you get from your buy nothing group.
If only one could be so lucky here in NYC. Stuff is snapped up in a second.
And if you see something on the street, you have to grab it and go, which is not always possible.
I love that you decided you didn't have to resand and restain. You're right. Your time is precious as you count down the days till nursing school starts.
Yet another impressive makeover! You probably have enough for a book by now.
Your table looks great! And I agree with you and all the other commenters....done is better than perfect. It reminded me of when my hubby was rehabbing our ancient sail boat a few years ago.....I stained and polyurethaned the interior wood trim. It was a messy and tedious chore; I kept noticing drips of poly that had dried on the trim pieces....NO WAY was I re-doing it!. Done was good enough.
Wise words about not refinishing it again - my husband always tells me “Perfect is the enemy of good!”
I love your refinishing work! I joined my local buy-nothing group based on your recommendations. There is not a lot of activity there, maybe 1-2 posts per week. The stuff is always gone by the time I look at the post.
Well done on the table, Kristen! And I’m glad you gave yourself grace about the staining imperfections. Many times, I won’t even start a project if I think I can’t do it perfectly. It’s good to pursue excellence in what we do but not if the fear of not reaching perfection in the finished project keeps us from starting it in the first place. I struggle with this a lot so I’m always impressed with all the projects you attempt and complete! And they all look beautiful to me.
@Martha, I'm guessing your struggle with perfectionism is part of your artist self. I am not a perfectionist and have to force myself to be more picky on some of my more boring commissions.
In my world, you freshened up a beat-up piece of furniture and solved a problem by doing so--so that IS perfect. 🙂
It reminded my of my parent's house--they had a carpenter add on an extra shelf next to the countertop area to make a space for the microwave (that was back when microwaves were HUGE). Ya gotta do what ya gotta do to preserve precious work space. Would it win any design awards? No. Was it a functional choice? You bet!
Kristen, who knows, but maybe you will be able to buy your rental when all the sound, fury, and paperwork is finished with your "marriage deletion". You've put so much of yourself into the house to make it a home, and moving is HORRIBLE, so my hope for you is that you can put down roots (including chrysanthemum roots).
It kills me to cover wood with paint, and yet whenever you do it, the results are excellent!
Whatever happened to that wreck of a table that you actually paid money for awhile ago?
Funny you ask; I was working on my "scuffed" table today! It should be done soon.
My landlords declined to sell to the previous renters, so I'm sure they won't sell to me either. But it is ok; this house is probably more house than I need down the road as an empty nester!
I think it looks really nice. Do you know how many people are lazy and left it as is. Pat yourself on the back for the extra effort.
Wow! Gorgeous