Someone Else's Project - Midcentury Side Table

Someone Else’s Project – Midcentury Side Table

The same day I found the oak bookcase at a flea market, I also found this cute midcentury side table. I believe it’s from the late 50’s / early 60’s. A nice solid little table that had a few issues.

The woman selling the table told me that she had bought it to refinish as a project but she never got around to it. She was selling the table, as well as a quart of dark blue chalk paint and two chippy brushes for a grand total of $5. The chalk paint alone sells for $25.

My project now! 🙂

I can see why there was a need to refinish this piece. The top was in terrible shape.

The second level of the side table was no better.

But those circles and spots were all cosmetic, there were no deep scratches, the legs were in fantastic shape, he had all his parts. He just needed some new makeup.

Out came my orbital sander one more time. With a grit of 80 or finer, remove all the old varnish and even out the color of the wood.

Hint – If you need to buy orbital sanding discs, do not buy them from the big box stores where they can be $1 each, buy from Amazon in bulk. The link I provided has 165 discs for $19.99.

In the corners, you’ll either have to hand sand or use a sander specifically designed to get into tight corners.

Since there is nothing wrong with the legs, I’m going to leave them be. As long as I can match the finish of the top to the legs all will be well and this will save me hours of stripping and sanding the legs which have lots of bumps and grooves.

Do I need stain? What would the finish look like with just a clear varnish or oil? Would it match the existing finish on my (I’m too lazy to strip) legs? Just wet a small piece of the top to see if you like the color. That is what it would look like with clear varnish.

Remove any sanding dust with a lint free cloth before applying any finish.

One coat of tung oil later, this is what the top looks like. The second shelf has one swipe of the oil. You can see how the oil completely changes the color of the wood.

While you’re at it, give the legs their own coat of oil, this will give them their own refresh.

Let the oils dry, then reapply. If there is any grit, buff with a fine steel wool.

I was not a big fan of the handle pull that came with this piece, probably because I’ve pulled them off of so many other dressers. I used this opportunity to swap it out for an older handle I had in my stash.