Monday, March 14, 2011

Is It Still Sawdust If It's From Sanding?

I've probably mentioned that we have expensive taste, Eric and I.  We can't help it.  Show us 100 photos of anything, and without even knowing we're doing it, we'll pick the most expensive one.

And we wanted a new coffee table, preferably one on wheels.

See, last year for Valentine's Day, we bought ourselves a Wii and Wii Fit.  We both really feel like we need to be more in shape, and when it's not walking weather, the Wii is a great way to go.  Plus, it's really fun.  We're both competitive too, so we can easily "encourage" (read:  ridicule) each other to try harder on it.  What we had, though, was a big, heavy octagonal glass coffee table, which is not easy to move.  I had it from before we were married.  In the old place, our living room was formatted differently, and we could work around it.  Not so much in this place, cool as the house may otherwise be.

So... yeah.  Wheeled coffee table.

I did a quick online search, and found this table, at Restoration Hardware.  For about $1,000, with shipping.  Huh.

Well, Eric did a search, and he found this.


That right there is the photo that was posted on eBay, of the exact same sort of factory cart that Restoration Hardware uses.  We went crazy over it, jumping out of our skin to "win" it (or... y'know... win the right to purchase it, since that's what an auction actually is), and we got it for $305!!!

So we took a road trip out to PA and got it into the Jeep.


And then into our driveway.


It was ours!  Mwahahahahaha (can you see me rubbing my hands together like an evil genius here?) hahaha!



Every rusty bit of it!  Doesn't look like much, I know.  But wait.

First order of business... taking the whole thing apart.  Yikes.


Second, getting off as much of the rust as possible, with wire brushes, a wire brush attachment to a drill, and naval jelly.





It was a messy job.



And then we had to prime and paint the iron pieces.







We used an easier method for the nuts and bolts, letting them soak in a bowl of vinegar first.



The wood was in desperate need of sanding.  Scraping too, since it looks like somewhere along the line someone painted it with some thick oil paint.




I love the smell of sawdust (sanddust?), but I think I breathed an awful lot of it in.  That, combined with the advent of spring and the starting of leaf buds on the trees, gave me a very sneezy time of it.


When we turned it over to sand the bottom, we discovered something pretty cool.  Someone had written 7/6/27.  We know that these carts were used to transport large items in factories, like furniture, from about 1900 to the 1930s.  Could it be that this one was built in 1927?



Neat, right?

Anyway, then I stained it.  We chose Ipswich Pine.  We both have an affinity for reddish-toned wood but wanted something fairly light and natural.  It came out darker than we thought it would, but we love it, and it looks great with our other furniture.



We could have sanded it further, or even planed it down smooth, but we really like that it looks so weathered.  It's got history.  And you can't tell from the photo, but if you touch it, the wood is really soft and smooth from all the sanding we did do.

Once it dried, it came inside, and everything went back on.  It took a lot of muscle, so I left it mostly to Eric.




I touched up the flat black enamel paint on the cast iron, and waxed the wood to protect it.  So we went from this...


... to this.



Love!

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52 comments:

Okaasan said...

Just awesome. And the shape works much better with your couch than the other table!

Yanet @ 3 Sun Kissed Boys said...

OMG, it gorgeous! Great job and patience. But it certainly paid off. That table and the hardware look terrific.

Larissa said...

Thanks so much, guys!

Ronda said...

It is beautiful! (be sure to pick up some dust masks, they'll protect your lungs!). What an awesome restoration!

Anonymous said...

My heart just skipped a beat! Wow, love the vintage industrial feel of your table. I've seen similar at Pottery Barn. You guys did a great makeover! :) Michelle

Anonymous said...

Great job! I want one of those so bad. I like that they are rather low so you can put large items without it interferring with watching the tv.

Benita

Anonymous said...

WOW! What an amazing transformation and a great end result. You put more than a little elbow grease in that project. Great job!

Laurie
TipJunkie.com

Jennifer @ Rustic Renditions said...

Sweet coffee table! Such a cool project ~ thanks for sharing :)

Hi, I'm Suz!! said...

Wow, Larissa - That's beautiful!! I have had my eye on those carts for a while now, and like you, I WON'T spend $1,000's for one!! What a great find!! If you ever decide you don't want it anymore..... I'll be more than happy to send you my address!! LOL Love it!!!

I found you through Tip Junkie's linky party today!!

Hugs ~~ Suz
inspiringcreativeness.blogspot

Jessica@SewHomegrown said...

That turned out really well! i was just in Restoration Hardware the other day admiring this table - very cool.

Tammy @ Type A said...

turned out awesome. it was cool before you improved on it! i have a party that starts later today, i would love it if you shared this! http://typeadecorating.blogspot.com/

Melissa said...

I am ridiculously green with envy. You guys did a fantastic job, you should be proud!

Jon said...

Great table! Glad to see the elbow grease paid off!
Did your table rock or teeter at all?

Jon
Makeyourmove.blogspot.com

Claire Goverts said...

That table looks wonderful, you both did a great job restoring it.

Tammy @ Type A said...

thanks for sharing this at my party!!!

Sommer said...

Larissa you lucky duck! I've admired these for ages but I don't think there is a town anywhere near where I live that would be close enough to road trip out for one of these babies. It turned out BEAUTIFUL! I'd love if you could share this at my VIP party friday. www.designergarden.blogspot.com

Sommer

Sommer said...

UPDATE: I had to search ebay for these last night. I live in CO. I found one! Asked the the hubby... can we drive to MI? He says... What on earth for?! LOL He may seriously have me commited soon.

Anonymous said...

Wow! I wasn't thinking much of the before, but you made it look stunning. Love the top after you stained it. I bet it will be a conversation piece for years as your friends and family admire it.

Unknown said...

It's amazing! I love the looks of it.

Betsy@My Salvaged Treasures said...

Wow! What an awesome table. I'm loving the top of it with all that character. The reproductions may be easier to come by, but nothing can replace the beauty of the originals. Great find!

Stacey - Elle Belle said...

Wow that's amazing! It looks so great with your couch! The hard work definitely paid off!

Sandy said...

Very cool!

Larissa said...

Wow, thanks, everyone!

Hanna said...

WOW! this is a truly amazing project!! great work. It turned out soooo nice! Thank you so much for linking up to the handmade hog> I would love to see you next week as well:)

Hanna

Anonymous said...

That's gorgeous!!!

laxsupermom said...

Wow! That's so awesome! Even better than the RH one. We need a movable table, too. Santa brought an XBox with Kinect for the boys, and moving the coffee table out of the way is such a hassle. Thanks for sharing.

I'm hosting a Throwback Thursdays Party, and would love it if you swung by and linked up something you made/bought/did from before blogging. I don't know how many times I walk past something in my home, and think, "I wish I was blogging back then." I can't wait to see what you bring.

Hootin Anni said...

I am totally flabbergasted!! What a jewel! Your work and diligence really paid off well!! Super.


My Friday's Link:
My Handmade Lighthouse Dolphin Shelf

I do hope you'll find time to stop by for a visit with me. Have a super weekend!!!

tree-shades said...

i have been longing for a coffee table like this. i shall patiently wait to find one. amazing amount of work you guys put in and so worth it.

Sommer said...

Yay Larissa, thanks for linking this up! I'm still searching lol.

Jane @ Jane's Junk and Treasures said...

I LOVE IT!
My friend and I found one of these carts last summer in a recycling dump. The girl there let us have it for $20!

I love the date on the under side - that makes it more special!!!
Great find!!!

I just became a follower! Nice to meet you!

Michelle Smiles said...

LOVE! I want one of these carts but am not willing to pay the price - and seeing all of the work you put into it, I guess I better understand the price. My mom has an old wooden scale as her coffee table - it looks a lot like these carts but has a brass slide scale on one end. She bought it 25 yrs ago before these were in vogue so I know she didn't pay nearly as much for it as it is worth now. I keep telling her I'm going to steal it.

Unknown said...

You are so so amazing!! What an awesome job you guys did!!! Thanks for linking up and grabbing a button!

Pamma said...

An awesome piece! What a great job you both did on restoring it. Just fabulous!
~Pam
pamspaintparlor.typepad.com

Nicole@Thrifty Decorating said...

Gorgeous!!

Miss Mustard Seed said...

Wow! What a labor of love. You really treated that piece right and it will be a family heirloom, I'm sure.

Aaron said...

What a great find!

Unknown said...

That's a fantastic piece, I love it!!

Amy W said...

How cool is that?? It's a great piece - you've definitely put your hearts into it! :)

Cranes for Katy said...

Love this!

Funky Junk Interiors said...

You lucky duck you. What a wonderful piece! And I love the fact that it still looks nice and old after your refurbish. Awesome!

Donna

Becca Ross said...

That is SO cool! You guys did a great job. Thanks for linking up to Home and family Friday!

Becca

junkermidge said...

I am SOOOO drooling over that table! You guys did an amazing job refinishing it! I've wanted one for a while and our local online acution usually has an old cart every week, but they go higher than I'm willing to pay. One of these times I'm going to treat myself. Your table is SOOO gorgeous.
Midge

Kate said...

Wow... this turned out just awesome! It is almost exactly the same as the Restoration Hardware one! Looks like it was a lot of work buy you guys did great! I'm featuring you on Flaunt it Friday features, stop by and grab a button if you'd like. Thanks for linking up!

Keetha Broyles said...

That is way cool! Probably the coolest coffee table ever!

foreverdecorating said...

Great table. A client brought one of these to me to paint. I have a post about it and it was fun to do but work like you did to clean it up first.

Tammy @ Type A said...

i featured you at my party today, it'll be up in a while and you can check it out. hope you party with me again this week! http://typeadecorating.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

This is amazing. I love that you showed it step by step!!!!!

Screaming Sardine said...

This is absolutely beautiful! I want one!!

You're more than welcome to link this up to my Perfectly Prim Link Party, held on Sundays through Wednesdays.

Cheers,
Tracy All Thumbs Crafts

Beth said...

Hi! I found your link on MMS & I have to say that your hard work really paid off on this beauty!! I've seen some of these too, and we can't afford those high prices either. It is just STUNNING!!

Ginger said...

Very cool! Thanks for linking up to Mad Skills Monday!

SJ @ Homemaker On A Dime said...

Hi, Larissa and Eric! First, I'm a follower now. Second, I featured your awesome coffee table in my blog and you can see it here: http://www.homemakeronadime.com/2011/03/recognition-day-thursday-cocktail.html Please feel free to grab the feature button on my sidebar :)

Leda said...

I LOVE this! I really love that you kept it looking like the original. I hate to see old things painted to modernized them. What a treasured piece of furniture for you home! Great job!

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