Upcycled console table

devonlong

This is a console table I got for free off marketplace and did up for my front entry way on the cheap. A couple new techniques for me:
1 - It was my first time using a tan wash to highlight the natural character of the wood, while removing unwanted yellow tones
2 - It was my first time using peel and stick wallpaper the line the drawers and give the piece a bit of extra colour

I'm thrilled how it turned out, and wanted to share 🙂

Materials

• Old console table from facebook marketplace (free)
• Wood putty
• Cabothane clear
• Sandpaper (rough and fine)
• Hammered nickel handles
• Tan paint
• Tropical print wallpaper

Tools

• Makita Orbital Sander
• Makita Drill
• Screwdriver
• Padded drop sheet
• Paint brush

Steps

Step 1

Clean, remove hardware, and rough sand

I removed existing knobs, gave everything a good clean and did a rough sand all over to remove the existing finish.

Step 2

Fill hardware holes and imperfections

For this project I am replacing the knobs with two point handles, so I used wood putty to fill in the hardware holes. There was also a bunch of weird holes and scratches so I filled those in as well. 

Step 3

Fine Sanding 

I gave the whole thing a fine sand so that I had a smooth, consistent surface that would look good with minimal additional layers. 

Once everything was sanded back - I inspected the timber. The good news is it had lots of character and I definitely wanted that character to show through. Bad news - the wood was pretty yellow. I decided to do a tan wash to neutralise the yellow but keep the character.

good pic of the photo of the wood once fine sanded

Step 4

Tan Wash

Next came the tan wash! I bought a sample pot of tan paint and mixed it 50/50 with water, applied with a paintbrush, and wiped off after about 30 seconds. The tan I bought was a kind of cream colour, and to be honest - if I were to do this over I would pick more of a taupe. I was really happy with the finish. 

Step 5

Protective Coat

I put on a layer of cabothane clear. It looks nice but yuck, couldn't get it off of anything and ended up cleaning up with turps. Next time will be using benchtop clear or something else water based. 

Step 6

Line drawers

I lined with the drawers with a tropical peel and stick wallpaper that I bought online which I think looks just perfect. 

Step 7

Install new hardware and drawer tabs

Used my drill to drill two new holes in each drawer to support installation of the new handles. I also added in some drawer tabs at the back so my baby doesn't pull these drawers directly onto his head in a few months. 

JacobZ

Hi @devonlong,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for sharing such a wonderful project.

I love the new lease on life you've given this console table.

The tan wash looks fantastic and really brings out the natural beauty of the timber. Combined with the new handles, it gives a tasteful modern look to your console table.

The peel-and-stick wallpaper adds that little bit of hidden quirkiness to the table that really brings it to another level.

This is a fantastic project. I can't wait to see the next one.

Jacob