Have you been so excited about a yard sale find that you totally didn’t notice some major flaws until after you got it home, took a before photo, and then started working on it? This little end table doesn’t look so bad at first glance (I got it at the same time as this antique end table that I posted about recently).
Do you see the flaw? The table wasn’t wobbly at all, so the broken foot was mostly just cosmetic and not structural. But it was still a big pain to deal with.
**Friends, today is Trash to Treasure Tuesday with four of my creative blogging friends. Follow along below to see their makeovers at the end of this post! Also, this post contains some affiliate links, at no extra cost to you, so that you can easily find the products I use and recommend.
The top had some chipping veneer which I wasn’t too worried about.
But that foot. Ouch, what a pain. I’m going to be completely honest here and tell you that I thought about scrapping this project completely. There’s a curved foot missing; how on earth is that fixable?!
I figured “what the heck.” I’d make an attempt at this end table makeover and if it didn’t turn out, then at least I tried. (I don’t like to back down from a furniture challenge.)
But when I laid the table on its back side, I discovered a huge crack on the bottom of the shelf. This table keeps getting better! It wasn’t noticeable from the top at all, but any pressure on the shelf made it curve low. I thought about trying to brace it, but with all the issues adding up, I needed an easy fix. So I killed the shelf. I hammered and smashed and yanked until it was just a bad memory.
To fix the missing veneer on top, the big holes in the legs where the shelf used to sit, and to try and recreate the missing curved foot – I used Minwax Wood Filler (find it Here).
I worked in small layers, letting each layer dry and lightly sanding it smooth, over and over again, eventually making every wonky part look like it was mostly normal. Was it perfect? No. Was good enough to look like a gently time-worn antique end table? Yes.
The table was primed with my favorite shellac (find it Here) to prevent bleed through, painted in lovely Paris Grey by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (Here), lightly distressed, and protected with Fusion Tough Coat (Here).
This table needed some femininity, so I applied floral scrapbook paper with Mod Podge for surprise decoupage drawers. Finally, I left the original hardware as-is.
Notice the foot? Would you really have noticed if I hadn’t told you all about it? 😉 And you can’t hardly tell there was ever a shelf there either.
This piece was finished just in time for my last market; I hardly had time to take any photos!
Hello, lovely flowers…
Here’s a before/after comparison again:
I would love to hear your thoughts – so please tell me! Would you have gone through with this end table makeover, knowing all the issues it had? Or would you have gone about transforming it differently? I’m happy to report that it has a new home, and thankfully it didn’t end up in the trash pile!
If you love a good trash to treasure makeover, you have to see what projects my friends have this month:
Below are the Before photos – click the links underneath to see the Afters and to learn how they did it.
1. Confessions of a Serial DIYer
2. Prodigal Pieces
3. Artsy Chicks Rule
4. Bless’er House
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Now Available: Huge master list of all my favorite DIY products! Click Here.
Larissa ~ Prodigal Pieces says
What a save, Jen!! That table was a hot mess and is beautiful now. Yay!!
Mariele Storm says
You did a great job salvaging it! 🙂 Salvaged Inspirations did a post on fixing missing feet–she used Bondo. I hear it works great! Another thing to add to your repertoire, right? 🙂
Sheila DelCharco says
I think it looks even better without the shelf! Well done!
Marcie Lovett says
Don’t you just hate it when you find a fabulous piece and it turns out to be a nightmare? I have given up on some furniture that turned out to be more work than I wanted to take on. This one? Totally worth the save. I thought you’d cut the feet off, but wasn’t sure if it would be too short. Someone is going to enjoy your hard work for a long time!
Debra A Wise says
Beautiful job! If you hadn’t shown us the flaws, I’d never have been able to tell! Great save!
Jen says
I’m not very familiar with Bondo- I’ll look into it. 🙂 Thank you!
Jen says
Thanks so much, Sheila!
Jen says
Awww thank you so much, Debra!
Kathleen says
I’m impressed with your save! Especially the missing foot correction. Nice work.
Carolyn says
I probably would have gotten rid of the broken shelf too and maybe just cut all the legs off to make it shorter.
Bonnie Schulte says
I can say you certainly know what you’re doing. I probably would have sawed off the legs to make them all match, and by that time, the shelf would have been history, and the drawers wouldn’t open because they would be sitting on the floor, without any legs at all. Love what you have done with this, and everything else you work on too. You have a magic touch!!
Rhonda says
Great makeover. I would love to see pictures of how you fixed the foot on the table, amazing!
Carol Claremont says
Great job! If you didn’t know to look at the front foot, you wouldn’t notice it – same with the shelf. I think it is wonderful!
Sherry Stuifbergen says
Ditto…on recreating the leg…looks wonderful! I had to go back and look and look. Yes, I have used Bondo. It is a car body filler. It does a good job and fills in great when you are going to paint. Has a “great” odor but results are worth it. You attempt projects that seem insurmountable. You must be an optimist, easy to be around!
MaryJean says
Wow, it looks great! I agree with you on the shelf and you did a terrific job on the leg and top. Would never know it was damaged. Hats off to you!
Jen says
Thank you, Rhonda. I’m kicking myself for not taking any photos of the foot when I was working on it, but I really didn’t expect it to turn out at all!
Nancy @ Artsy Chicks Rule says
Would never notice the foot and what shelf? 😉 Great job Jen!! xo
Christy says
It looks fantastic! You can’t even tell there was a broken leg now! Love it! XO
Patty Soriano says
I would not have passed up that table! I might have rebuilt the foot, since I’ve rebuilt the corner of a chair seat eaten by a big dog. But my first thought was cutting off the bottom three inches. I know there are other ways to fix this, too. I have a thing for little tables, so this one would have been a keeper!
Jen says
Thanks Patty. I didn’t even think of cutting the legs shorter (wood filler seemed like the easiest option at the time), but that would’ve been a good idea too!
Jen says
You’re so sweet. Thanks Christy!
Jen says
Haha! I didn’t like that shelf anyway. 😉 Thanks Nancy!
Jen says
Thank you so much, Sherry! I will check into Bondo for future projects. I try to be an optimist most of the time. 🙂
Jen says
That’s so kind, thank you Bonnie! 🙂
Jen says
Yesss totally! Honestly I didn’t even think of cutting the feet off, haha. But that might have been easier! Thanks Marcie 🙂
Marie says
Impressed the heck out of me that you recreated the chunk of missing foot with filler! My first thought would have been Sculpey Clay. I’ll remember this one for next time I attempt a beast furniture makeover. Nice save, Jen and so glad to hear it sold! Pinned 🙂
Jen says
I’m not familiar with Sculpey Clay, I’ll have to remember that! Thanks Marie, and Merry Christmas to you. 🙂
Luann whittington says
A very nice finished piece, you didn’t mention how you finished the top
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thanks Luann! I mentioned it quickly in the post, but I used wood filler for the top of the table just like on the legs. Then I sanded over it and painted just like the rest of the table. Hope that helps!
Reagan says
What an impressive little makeover! If I were looking at only the final photo, I’d imagine your only challenge was selecting the paint color and drawer paper. Ha! That little beauty took some work. But, man, was it worth it — especially since your readers get the benefit without all the heavy lifting.
But I’m a DIY beginner with a lot to learn, so can I ask you a question? Maybe even two? Why did you decide to finish it off with the Fusion Tough Coat rather than one of Annie’s waxes? Is there a reason, other than time and trouble, you left the drawer sides and fixtures untouched rather than painting them too?
If you have time to reply, that would be great. Otherwise, I’ll subscribe to this blog and hope these topics get addressed in future posts.
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Hi Reagan, sorry I’m just now replying! To answer your first question – I have gone back and forth between Annie’s wax and Tough Coat. It depends on the piece and also my mood. Lately I have been using wax more. For example, I would definitely use wax on anything painted white – it will 100% never yellow, and some other topcoats might yellow even if they say they won’t. For your second question – mostly just “time and trouble.” 🙂 If a drawer is in great condition I typically won’t paint inside, especially if it’s a small piece that I probably won’t make much money from either way. It just depends on the piece and the condition of the drawers. I hope that helps some! – Jen
LORRI RAUSCHER says
Yes ..you did good..☺️ I kept on looking at the before and after pics of the leg..did a very good patching it up. Isn’t amazing what paint does to your makeovers. Love the drawer makeover…when opening up I bet it makes the owner smile.😍