Scavenger Chic

Curbside Rescue, Rattan Coffee Table Recycle

• By Joan
• July 28, 2021
• 11 Comments

Curbside Rescue, Rattan Coffee Table Recycle

Waiting patiently by the curbside for bulk pickup I found this little fellow.  Like a little turtle stuck on it’s back, with his little legs in the air,  just waiting for his rescue.

Without getting too close of an inspection, I’m seeing some nice rattan and his main selling feature, an iron frame. He doesn’t deserve his junkyard fate.

Sorry bulk pickup you waited a little too long.  He’s mine now!

The top of the rattan coffee table  was telling a different story than the bottom.  The top definitely puts the ratty in rattan.

He still was worth saving, at least some of him was, and more importantly I had already dragged him to my car. We’re doing this!

The entire top had to go.  I did like the wood frame that the rattan was attached to, but the rest definitely had to go.

The bottom rattan shelf had mostly remained intact.  There were a few broken pieces and this bare iron bar on the side.

All of the rattan had weathered and dried.  The top was beyond help but I gave the bottom shelf a coat of Watco Danish oil. (dark walnut).  The dry rattan just sucked up the oil.

As for the iron rung that had lost its rattan…I soaked a couple of long rattan pieces, salvaged from the top, in water for a couple hours.  The rattan was then pliable enough that I could wrap it around the rung tucking the ends into the underside of the shelf.

The iron frame had seen better days as well.

It just needed to be taken outside and given a quick spritz of black satin spray paint.

I really did like the existing wood frame and since I had scavenged some old oak hardwood flooring from the dump pile at my local salvage yard, why  not make a oak table top in between the existing frame.

From the bottom, I’m nailing the oak hardwood flooring into 1×3’s I had salvaged from my basement wall I had disassembled.

As an added frame I ran 2 additional long pieces of oak floorboards thru a table saw to get rid of the tongue and grooves.

I mitered the corners of the long oak pieces and nailed them to my coffee table.  

Sand the entire table getting rid of all traces of polyurethane and softening the corners and edges.

Time to finish, this is where the oak really shines. 

The entire table got a coat of dark walnut stain.  Rub on with a rag and wipe off the excess.  I love how the stain soaked into the original wood frame and made those pieces darker versus the harder oak flooring.

Once the stain was dry I gave the wood 2 more coats of the Danish Oil.

*Note, if the finish feels tacky, I have found that putting a piece out in the sun hurries up the dry time.

Attach the new wood top to the existing metal frame with metal pipe straps.

This piece was definitely worthy of a rescue, hopefully he’ll have many good years ahead of him.

Stay inspired.

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