How many of my friends here love them some Pinterest?
Here is a super easy, fun project for you…and something you can do to give your current furniture a new feel. A little time can make a HUGE difference when you are selling your home in DFW. When the house flows nicely, and buyers aren’t distracted by three-legged coffee tables…it leaves a lasting impression on buyers.
Look around your house and see if you have any tables or desks in lousy shape. Did you find one? Now…is it real wood? This is a wood project, so to play along, you need a real wood table. If it is heavy, there is a good chance it is wood. Look at it carefully…especially in the places it is dented, chipped, or damaged. An excellent way to tell if it is real wood is if below the chipped spot you see splintered composite wood. If you do? That isn’t real wood. Your solution? Go to your nearest Good Will, Salvation Army, or a resale shop, and if you feel like takin’ a ride on the wild side…hop on over to the free Facebook community groups and sift through the junk to find a piece of yuck table that is labeled “wood table.” Many times you can tell by the looks of it from the picture if it is real, but sometimes, the items in the background will send you straight to the nearest Salvation Army instead. Don’t feel bad. We are all a little scared of the Facebook give-aways…every gift comes with a risk.
So now, we are at a Good Will or Salvation Army. Do your very best NOT to judge the book by its cover. Remember, you are doing an upcycle project. You need it to be ugly; otherwise, it isn’t nearly as rewarding in the end. Trust me...this is a feel-good project. This project is your opportunity to turn broken into beauty with no experience needed. With that said, I want you to keep in mind; you will be sanding this table. So try to stay away from tables that have too many curves and creases. Those are tough to sand for your first project. If you can find a table with metal legs, consider this a win. The first table I used I found at the Good Will store in the clearance section for $8.50. The second table I found at the same Good Will store NOT in the clearance section for $12.50. Who can say no to that?
Pay for that table and know chances are it goes directly into the rich man’s pocket (as opposed to the needy that you THINK you are helping out)…move past it. This is about you. Shove that table into your vehicle and head over to your nearest Home Depot/Lowes. I personally like Home Depot better…only because Lowes employees seem to hide behind wood stacks when they see someone needing a little help. Head over to the paint section where you will find the cans of wood stain. It is your choice here what stain you want to use. My personal favorite is Ebony. I used Ebony on the first table and then used Oak on the second table. You are going to sand your table down to the original wood, so you can pretty much start fresh with any look you want. You also want to grab a can of finish and a paint brush. Now, if you have a husband that has a hand sander (which I think most men have tucked away somewhere), then it is a good idea to find out what kind of sander he has so you can grab some of the adhesive refill sheets while you are at Home Depot. You really want around an 80 and maybe another around 120. They come in packs so there are multiple in each. Very inexpensive. I think you can even buy a pack with multiple in each package. If your husband is one that doesn’t have a manly sander laying around? It is okay, don’t panic. It just means you need to step up and be the man this time (and make sure to tell him that as you walk through the door with your new sander). It is worth $40 because, after this, I KNOW you are going to be addicted.
Last but not least, grab a sander mask (it will cover your nose, and mouth-it should be right there with the paint). They are about $4.00. So now you have your stain (water based), finisher (my favorite finisher pictured below), paintbrush, sander, sander sheet refills, and mask.
Take a deep breath, now the fun begins...more next time.
Top North Texas Real Estate Agent - Brenda Debus
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