Sewing Table Refresh and Repurpose

I recently inherited a small solid wood sewing table that was perfect for refinishing as a side table in our living room. It was beautiful!  The beauty of old furniture is that it adds character even if there are broken pieces, scratches or dings--they're one of a kind! It was perfect minus a few details that were quickly remedied, it just needed to be refreshed and re-purposed.

One leg was splitting so I fixed that with a small nail on the back side and a little wood glue for stabilization.  There were also some visible dings and the color didn't match our decor.

I worked to hand-sand the table with a medium grade sand paper (#120 or #150) to remove some of the old paint and sand down some of the dings. Always be sure to sand in the direction of the grain of wood so there are not noticeable sanding marks. Wear a mask especially if the furniture is older as it may have lead in the paint.

Next I used a light grade sand paper (#220) to lightly buff out any sand marks. Before painting, I took a damp wash rag to the table to get any dust off from sanding. I used a primer to paint over the top for good coverage and only put one coat of paint on top. I liked the way the white from the primer and the black from the left over paint showed through in spots.

I decided on a grey blue color to match our decor and loved it. The only problem was we bought way too much paint. Hopefully we can use the paint for other crafting projects--I'm looking for a dresser to refinish as a entertainment storage for under our TV.

Here is a close up of the finished project. You can see in the detail work where the primer still shows through. Some may say that it's unfinished, but I adore the way it turned out!

This was a cheap (obviously) and fun project for even a newbie at refreshing and re-purposing furniture! 

What have you refreshed or re-purposed in your house? We'd love to hear about your projects!