Tuesday, October 23, 2012

THRIFT SHOP VANITY TO TV STAND

We have had  a frat house/bachelor pad tv stand ever since we got our flat screen TV.  I couldn't find something I liked and my husband seemed perfectly happy to use the ugly black stand we got free with the TV. Take a look, but I warn you it isn't pretty.
Yuck, right? I really liked the look of painted furniture stained a dark color on top with a distressed cream bottom that I had been seeing in blogland so I began looking for an appropriate piece that would work in our space.  I finally found an old vanity for about $50.  It was just the right height and shape and was in  pretty decent condition.
The top drawers were ok but the bottom drawers needed some wood filler before I could start.

Since I wanted to stain the top I stripped the existing stain (off the top only) using Smartstrip paint remover.  I really like this product because it is eco friendly and biodegradable. I easily washed it off in the sink and it worked really well to remove the old stain.  I found it at the local Sherwin Williams store.
I then re-stained the top with MinWax Jacobean brown.  I have never stained anything so I was so scared I was going to screw it up.  My sweet husband gave me some tips and I applied it with a foam roller.  I panicked when I saw there were all kinds of bubbles in it but my hubs calmly said just brush over it with a foam brush.  It came out beautifully after about 3 coats to get it as dark as I wanted.
I started out using a clear wax on the top but it left a weird residue so I switched to the Fiddes and Sons Rugger Brown and it worked great.  The top got three coats and buffed to a pretty shine.
Next, I painted the entire bottom portion with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in old white.  I used several coats on certain parts of this because the stain kept bleeding through.  I read that when this happens you should stop and spray with shellac but I just kept adding paint.  Don't know why.
I finished the bottom with one coat of light Fiddes and Sons wax and a light layer of the rugger brown in some areas to give it a vintage look.  I also did a little light distressing with fine grit sandpaper.

 So much better don't you think! Oh yeah, I switched out the pulls that were on it for ones I got at the flea market for 50cents each.  I sprayed them with Oil rubbed bronze paint.  I am not sure I love them but for now they are ok. Furniture Feature Fridays
A Diamond in the Stuff Photobucket Mod Vintage Life
Lil\'LunaFrench Country Cottage
Funky Junk's Sat Nite Special
Skip To My Lou

11 comments:

Courtney @ Ordinary Happily Ever After said...

Wow! This looks great! I love the contrast of the white and dark top.

The Joyful Thrifter said...

THIS IS AMAZING!!! I absolutly want to do this! What a great idea!

Smiles,
The Joyful Thrifter

Katie Drane said...

Amazing transformation! I'm so glad that I'm following you, love your blog!

Katie
www.funhomethings.com

Unknown said...

Looks fantastic!

Cynthia said...

Gorgeous! I just finished a similar one to yours. I have been tossing around the idea of tv stand, too.

Amy Johnson said...

Wow! FAbulous! It looks so much better than the previous t.v. stand. I have one of my t.v.s in an old dresser.

Danielle said...

This looks fantastic!

Unknown said...

I love this. Great job.

Peggy @ southscapedesigns.com

Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. said...

Beautiful transformation and quite an upgrade!

Karen at Bargain-ista.com said...

This is truly a work of art! You picked the perfect finish! And what a great find :)

mark said...

Wow! This looks great! I love the contrast of the white and dark top.
see more