Skip to Content

Scuffed Table Updates! (the middle)

Usually, I don’t do a post about a piece of furniture until I’m all done with it, but since everyone is quite invested in this $5 Facebook Marketplace table, today you get a post that is neither a before nor an after. It’s a…middle.

In case you are just joining us, I saw a $5 table on Facebook Marketplace, and hilariously, it was described as having a “scuffed top”.

torn-up end table.

I joked that no one in their right mind would pay $5 for it.

And then…I bought it, just for the heck of it.

end table in Kristen's van.

I had some free time to start tackling this project recently, so I got out my orbital sander and went to work.

Sanding really improved things!

two drawers; one sanded and one not sanded.

I used a putty knife to scrape the veneer off of the top.

veneer scraps.

And I sanded the wood underneath.

scraped veneer top.

That was a big improvement, but those broken edges on the front really were too far gone for repair.

Sooo, off to my dad’s garage I went. 😉

When he started taking it apart, he found this inside. Hmmm.

bullet in Kristen's hand.

In addition to the damaged top, there were some cracks inside.

interior cracks on table.

And my dad, not ever being one to do things halfway, thought all of that should be fixed AND that the table needed a new top.

So, I left the little table with him, and an hour later, he sent me pictures of what he’d done.

table with clamps.

wood in clamps.

Here are three pieces of wood he glued together to make a new top.

three pieces of clamped wood.

He had me look at his router bits to decide what edge to make.

router bits.

We picked out the one that seemed closest to the original and we agreed it was the bottom row, second from the right.

Yesterday, my dad dropped my table off with this lovely brand new top!

table with new top.

Yay! Also, the table is so so much more sturdy now that the cracked insides are fixed.

Next up, I need to repair the damaged veneer on the sides.

veneer damage.

table with chipped veneer.

veneer chips.

And the drawers, which do have a lovely pattern in the veneer, also have some damage along the edges.

sanded drawers.

So those will need to be fixed.

chips in veneer.

My dad recommended this putty, so I went and bought a container at Home Depot.

putty.

Once I fix the veneer, there’s the issue of what color to paint this. Staining it is totally out of the question; there is waaaaay too much veneer damage for that to be a possibility!

As far as paint goes, I felt like I wanted to try something other than the black/white that I typically go for. It’s a small piece! Experimenting is a low-stakes proposition.

So, I went to a Benjamin Moore store, perused all the paint colors, and kept being drawn to the paint chips in the gray/blue/purple area.

paint chips.

I eventually decided to try Mythic, which is a grayish purple. I cannot manage to photograph the color accurately to save my life, though!

Benjamin Moore Mythic color.

I stopped by and picked up a small can yesterday.

Benjamin Moore display.

And it looks a little more gray than the paint chip.

Mythic paint.

I’m going to try it out first on a little item I rescued from the abandoned house, and then I will decide if I want to try it on the scuffed table. 😉

If you want to give me your opinion on what paint color would look good on the table, feel free.

But be warned: I may not listen.

Because even though Lisey specifically said that she didn’t think purple was a good idea, I still went ahead and bought a purpley-gray color.

Oooh, also: I’m gonna need to buy drawer pulls. The table came with only one original pull, so I’ll just replace both. I think I need to settle on a paint color before I can make a decision on pulls, though!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Jen from Ottawa

Friday 24th of March 2023

You and your dad are doing a great job with this! If you are going to paint it in a bold color, since it’s an antique, I think the knobs would be so lovely in white glass/ milk glass, like this: https://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/vintage-knobs-medium-hexagonal?quantity=1&glass=4

Linda Phillips

Friday 24th of March 2023

Before you even mentioned paint color, I was thinking a nice sage green would look lovely on that piece. Your father is a real gem.

Linda in Canada

Thursday 23rd of March 2023

As someone who does not have one white wall in my house, I'm all for any colour that you decide on. We are lovers of colour; all my doors however are white, as is some of the trim, and my ceilings are white. Anything that you rehab always turns out beautifully! you are very talented.

Jayne

Thursday 23rd of March 2023

I think whatever you do will be gorgeous! I re-did an old desk and lined the drawer with fancy scrap book paper. Cost me about $1 held it in place with tape. Fun way to add inside color only you see. Your Dad is such a blessing!

Susan

Thursday 23rd of March 2023

Just my opinion, but I think the color is dependent on where you are going to place the table when it is finished. If you want it in your bedroom, will the grayish purple color go with your decor? Or if you decide to put it in your living room, what color works the best?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.