Ten Dollar Table (Part 2)

Here is where we left the table.

It looks a little pathetic upside down like this, doesn't it?

The coats of paint were all done on the body and it was time to add a fun little detail along the edge. Using an artist's brush, I took some white acrylic paint and highlighted the grooves that ran along the bottom of the table.

Once that was done, it was time to decide on a topcoat. I've experimented with several products over past year - furniture waxes, oils, polyurethane, water-based sealers, exterior sealers, etc. The topcoat that I choose usually depends on the finish I'm going for, the level of protection I'm going to need, and where the piece is going to be used. This table will be used indoors and the top will need good protection from TV remotes, cups of coffee, and good books you can't put down.

I decided to try a new product made by Shabby Paints called "Vax" on the top and Miss Mustard Seed's Hemp Oil on the body. The Vax went on pretty easily. Just dampen a sponge or paintbrush and apply. Let it dry and apply as many coats as needed. Simple, easy, efficient!

I used a technique called "wet sanding" on the bottom. I put some Hemp Oil in a small dish (do you like my paint-designated measuring cups from the dollar store?) and grabbed a brush and a sanding sponge.

I dipped the brush into the oil and "painted" it on. Hemp Oil immediately deepens your paint to a richer shade. This is one of my favorite aspects of using this product, aside from the fact that it's natural and doesn't have any odors. (Pardon the icky bristly brush in this photo. It's my "junk" brush.)

You can see the difference that Hemp Oil made. This part is always my favorite. After applying the Hemp Oil, I used the sanding sponge to gently massage the oil into the piece. The oil lubricated the sponge so I didn't take off a lot of paint, and it worked the oil into the wood. The process smoothed everything out and created a buttery soft finish that's hard to replicate with any other product.

After I was finished, I took a cloth and wipe away any excess. (Please note, in the picture, I'm not wearing gloves because Hemp Oil is a dangerous product. I just didn't want to get my hands oily.)

Once everything had dried, the time had finally come to put the table together and present it to the world. I flipped the table upside down and began screwing what I thought were the original screws into the tabletop. (Can you see where this is going?)

When I flipped the table right-side up, I discovered (to my absolute horror) I had used the wrong sized screws and had punched holes through the top of the table!!! My freshly stained and sealed table was ruined.

If you've ever been in a situation where you've worked so hard on a DIY project only to screw it up by doing something stupid, you can understand how I felt. I had to walk away from the table and I didn't look at it for a few days.

No joke. I literally didn't look at it because I was so mad at myself.

After I cooled off, I took a weekend and resanded, restained, and resealed the top. It extended the project another two weeks and you better believe that I will DOUBLE CHECK the size of my screws in the future.

And here it is!

It went from this: