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Salvaged | Old Coffee Table Makeover

June 27, 2019 by Denise - 33 Comments

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Hi, guys! Thanks for all the well wishes from Tuesday’s post. Although I’m still not feeling 100%, I do feel better.  So much better, I’ve included a short Dry Brushing Video in today’s post.  I’m sharing how fast and easy it is to dry brush furniture to get dramatic results —  just wait until you see this before and after!

Fixer Upper Curbshopped Coffee Tables

And even more exciting, it’s Furniture Fixer Upper Day and I get to share my friend’s makeovers too. I’ll link to them down below!

So, these old coffee tables are bringing me down memory lane as I’ve had them for 5+ years. When I first started my business, my sister and I would go curb-shopping aka salvage hunting.  On ‘bulk days’ when people put out their unwanted furniture, we would drive around and grab the “good stuff”. I’m grateful that it gave me the opportunity to practice my painting skills without spending money on inventory — but the best part was spending time with Andrea. We would crank our favorite tunes, do our best to avoid the raccoons and skunks, and our ongoing joke — my sisters’ compensation for hauling furniture was a large McDonald’s soft drink.  If you have a sister as a best friend,  I’m sure you’ll agree it doesn’t take much to have the BEST TIME together.

I kept putting off restyling this carved oval because I thought I needed to make an entirely new top. I don’t know how I missed seeing that the oval top on the other coffee table was an almost perfect match.  Better late than never, right?

Before I get into the how-to, take a look at this old coffee table now!

Salvaged Coffee Table Dry Brushed Gray Txt

THIS POST IS SPONSORED/CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USE.  YOU CAN SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.

SOURCE LIST::

    • DRY BRUSHING FURNITURE | COFFEE TABLE MAKEOVER:: 

      I started by giving both tables super good cleaning and then removed the oval top from the base and legs.

      Fixer Upper Curbshopped Coffee Tables

      Once the oval top was removed, I glued and clamped the carved oval table to ensure everything was tight and sturdy. Once the glue had dried, I positioned the oval top to the bottom to make sure it fits nicely but I didn’t attach. They are easily attached with a few ‘L’ brackets and screws and this can be done either before or after you paint.

      Claming and Gluing Curb Shopped Coffee Table

      When dry brushing furniture, the quickest and easiest way to get stunning and dramatic results is when there’s some sort of detail or carving on the piece — like this coffee table. For flat surfaces like the top, it creates a lot of depth and interest. The more contrast in the paint colors you use, the more dramatic the look.

      For the base coat, I applied two coats of this dark gray in Gravel Road.

      Base Coat On Salvaged Table in Gravel Road

      The dry brushing was painted in this lighter Driftwood gray.

      Here’s a quick video sharing how this coffee table was dry brushed in under 5 minutes.

      Side View of Dry Brush Painting Technique on Salvaged Table

      Close Up of Dry Brushed Painted FurnitureI haven’t top coated this piece yet. I debated sealing with a satin finish to give it an ever so slight sheen but then changed my mind. Now I’m thinking of leaving it as is and just using some Gator Hide on the very top so it’s flat out flat yet super durable and waterproof seeing as the top will be high traffic. I’d love your thoughts on what sheen you’d like to see. What do you think?

      Dry Brushed Coffee Table Top
      Dry Brush Painting Technique on Salvaged Table

      And now for some FURNITURE FIXER UPPER FUN!

      I know you’re going to LOVE what this creative team of girls do. It’s inspiration and techniques six-fold! 😉

      Furniture Fixer Uppers Logo

      Below are their BEFORE photos – visit the links underneath to see the amazing AFTERS and to learn how they did it! I’ll join you too. I’m heading over to take a peek right now myself! x

      Furniture Fixer Uppers 06/19- Before Pics

      1. Girl In The Garage

      2. Confessions Of A Serial DIYer

      3. Just The Woods

      4. Petticoat JUNKtion

      5. The Interior Frugalista

      LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS TABLE MAKEOVER AND THIS DRY BRUSH TECHNIQUE. I’D ALSO LOVE YOUR OPINION ON HOW YOU WOULD TOPCOAT IT. FLAT? SATIN? SEMI?… I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU. IT MAKES MY DAY! 🙂

      Happy furniture painting my friends!

      Denise x

      RELATED POSTS::

      How To Apply Furniture Transfers

      How To Layer Chalk Paint

      How To Paint Laminate w/o Sanding

      Stop Bleed Through When Painting

      How To Paint Furniture – NO Brush Marks

      PIN AND SHARE!

      DIY Dry Brushing Furniture w Salvaged Coffee Tables

       



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Reader Interactions

Comments (33)

  1. Just gorgeous! I love it and can’t wait to try it on my coffee table. The brush set is out of stuck I just checked. Do you have any other suggestion for the brush?

    Reply

  4. Denise , Love the colors. I recently did a side board using 3 Dixie grays. I love,
    Layers with a dry brush look.
    As for top coat., I usually always go with
    Semi . That said …lately i’m on a gator hide
    Everything. I just love the finished look and feel.
    Thanks for being you!

    Reply

  8. Hi Denise. I am totally and absolutely IN LOVE with this coffee table. I can’t believe it was originally two different tables that you and your sister found in the trash! I wish I could find such beautiful free furniture around where I live. Although, only someone creative like yourself would think of amalgamating two broken coffee tables to make one gorgeous piece. Truly AMAZING! BTW, it sounds like you and your sister have so much fun together. I’m sure she would haul furniture with you even without the payment in soda. Lol

    Reply

    • thanks, Monique! I’m so happy you love it. It was a really fun project. And ya, Andrea and I ALWAYS have fun no matter what we do. Sisters are the BEST! XO

      Reply

    • Aw, thanks. I wasn’t going to do it because I wasn’t looking or feeling my best (hence the sniffles…lol) but I thought who cares. I have to start putting myself out there sometime and seeing as a cold isn’t contagious through video I think we’re safe 😉 And YES, I’m looking forward to using those sexy legs on another piece. Happy Canada Day to you my friend. XO

      Reply

  11. I wondered what you were going to do with the second coffee table. How lucky that the other top fit, The coffee table makeover is gorgeous, Denise, such a beautiful piece! Totally agree that the dry brushing technique on ornate details make them pop beautifully. To answer your question, I’d be more inclined to use the water repellent Gator Hide on the tabletop to protect that lovely finish.

    Reply

    • Thanks Marie! XO And that’s what I’m thinking too. When I first finished it down in my studio I thought a satin sheen might really make it pop, but now that I see it in my living room I really like the flat look! Happy Canada Day weekend to you!🇨🇦

      Reply

    • Thanks Kitty! And this paint technique is easy however when you’re new to a technique, it can feel a little intimidating. I remember the first few pieces I dry brushes – I couldn’t help but think I was going to ruin them but thankfully they turned out really good and I was hooked. 🙂

      Reply

  14. This is my favorite technique! I just love the look it gives so I Love this!! I also love the pieces behind you in the video. I think I would like a solid (not dry brushed) top tho with a satin finish? That’s my vote. But I Love this look and most all you do!! 🙂

    Reply

    • Thanks Megan, and I agree, dry brushing is one of my fav’s too! Yes! The solid top looked amazing (because I tested it with just the Gravel Road on top). But because this oval isnt a PERFECT match, it didn’t blend in with the bottom enough. The contrast made it apparent that the top was a few centimeters off on the ends. Thanks for chiming in re the satin finish.😊

      Reply

  15. Hi, this is a great project, and it looks lovely. So, for these two table pieces that you combined, you didn’t sand anything. You only painted and dry brushed, correct? Is the entire table made of wood, or are the sculptured areas made of something else? You didn’t have to be concerned with any bleed through of the dark finish? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Thanks Elizabeth! Yes, both the tables are wood. I didn’t sand for the exact reason you mentioned – I didn’t want any bleedthrough. I once I started sanding back the finish, I knew a sealer would have been required. Luckily the top and bottom were not a shiny or slick surface so the DB paint adheres perfectly. 🙂

      Reply

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