DIY Painted & Distressed Coffee Table

Back in 2006, my dad hand crafted a beautiful custom-made coffee table for me as a Christmas gift.  It has been with me through 5 moves: an apartment, a condo, a house, a flat and finally, into our new house.  It has endured many scratches and nicks from baby toys, coffee mugs, beer glasses and remote slams.  I love this coffee table not only because it was a great gift, but because it has a unique feature that allows one to store and display items within a center, sliding drawer.  I love to read, so mainly the table has displayed my many fashion and decor magazine subscriptions over the years.

I've been wanting to revamp the table for quite some time.  I've had ideas of changing the old hardware with glass knobs and painting it a new color.  While on a recent visit to Michael's Crafts, I stumbled upon a nifty little product that I have also been itching to try: skinny rolls of contact paper.  They are found in most craft stores in the "General Crafting" aisle and feature all different types of designs to suit your personal taste.  I had picked up a pretty antique green color a few weeks back that featured soft Victorian designs.

 

I wanted to incorporate this paper into the new table design.  I was inspired by a recent search I did on Pinterest for "fabric furniture" in which I found this awesome photo:

Source: finances.msn.com via Shannon on Pinterest

LOVE the fabric on the side of the dresser!  So unique and eye-catching!  Thus, the following project was born!

You know the drill.  Sand, Wipe, Prime.  I went with the antique, baby blue I used for the repainted, shabby chic frames featured on this blog here.  Took me one coat of primer, plus 3 coats of the baby blue paint which I applied with both a soft-tipped brush and a foam roller.  The foam roller was used on the top of the table, which cut back on time.  I did not like the effect the foam produced on the surface, however, so once the initial coat was laid with the roller, I went back and quickly brushed the surface over with my soft-tipped brush.  I used a Martha Stewart foam roller brush and you can learn more about that product here.  It came stored in it's own mini paint tray and an extra roller!  Pretty nifty!
Once the three coats were on and dry, I slowly went around the table with some sand paper and distressed the edges and corners, a little here, a little there.  I know from experience that this coffee table will endure a fair share of natural distress as time goes on, so I didn't go crazy with the sand paper.
It should be noted that I painted every surface of the table except for the flat ends of the sliding drawer.  This is where I wanted the contact paper to go. This product is amazing, let me tell you!  Easy to use and such pretty results!  I just cut the amount I wanted to use, peeled off the protective backing, and smoothed it onto the surface.  That simple!
Once the contact paper was on and in place, I softly traced the paper with my finger until I found the screw hole for the drawer knob, and used the end of the screw to push through the paper and insert the glass knob.  Can I just say, that I am obsessed with all things knobs right now!  Many craft stores don't carry a large selection but I did some research online and found that Hobby Lobby carries a huge assortment and you can order online or pop into any of their stores.  They have a whole aisle dedicated to knobs.  I could get lost in there... (sigh)
Anyway!  The knobs I had chosen for this project were an antique glass and you can find them online and in any Hobby Lobby near you! 

So let's take a look at some before pictures, shall we?

The pull out drawer.

The plaque inscribed by my sweet Daddio.  Best Christmas gift ever.

Some of the nicks.

Full view. 

Aaaaaand, now for the after!

Love these glass knobs!

The magazines are piled on top for now, but pretty soon will be back inside the table.

Teal socks with some grey tennies.  Stylish, no?

Daddio's plaque, still intact~

This was a bigger project; the table is quite large and so the sanding, priming and painting took most of my Saturday.  But the end result was worth the time because now I have a lovely, old "brand new" coffee table!  The contact paper and knobs can be picked up at any craft store and the paint was purchased at Lowe's.  (I know this because of the label on the paint can; remember, this is paint that was left over from previous owner's at our new house).  If you're looking to start at project like this, remember to pick up good quality paint tools and do some research before you start.  And remember, practice only makes you better, but it doesn't have to be perfect!  This is about starting from a point of inspiration within, and creating something that satisfies your senses.  My coffee table is well-worn, well-used and a treasure to my heart.  It just needed a little of my time and a lot of creative love to become a little more "happy now".