DIY side tables

So a million years ago we snagged these old side tables at a yard sale with the intention of re-doing them and then, there they sat.... and sat... and sat....

With a week break before school (yes, I have 2 more classes, psych!) and work start back up, I thought I'd use one of those days to re-do these side tables. Silly, silly, Valerie. 1 day turned into 5 and almost a week of sanding, painting, and varnishing later, they are done!!!

So much sanding....

and painting...

and varnishing... and then it rained.

and here we are 5 days and 15-20 movies later :)

It's true what they say: when you do it yourself you really do appreciate it more!

For the very, very beginners, here are the main points I followed:

1. The varnish was Minwax stain+ polyurethane. That poly-yadda-yadda stuff seals the wook from the elements and gives it a nice glossy finish. I used about 3 coats to make the color a little darker.

2. I did just paint right on top of the wood without sanding it all off. That will probably come back and bite me in the rump later, but for time-reasons I just roughed the surface up really fast with some sandpaper and called it good :) 

3. To get that matte professional finish, I got the most satin, non-gloss paint possible. I also purchased a color that was not stark white, otherwise it would make our walls look dingy. The color was eggshell... or white sand... or something fancy like that. haha I also sponge painted it on in multiple layers so that it was not perfectly smooth. 

Overall, it was worth it, but I reeeaaallly appreciated it when it was over! haha

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