Shiny Happy Vintage

A month ago, I picked up a free table via a Craigslist post.  It was dark outside when I arrived at the poster's little house.  I figured, no matter how bad of shape it was in from sitting in their back yard, it didn't matter, because after all it was free! (Minus the fuel and effort.)  Once I got her home and tried to sand her down, I realized this table had been used and abused to a degree I could not have imagined!  Was it used a s a work bench in the garage, or were the kids just animals at the dinner table?

After sanding, washing, scraping, wrestling and trying to smooth out the gouges for the better part of a Sunday, I finally got tired of trying to identify and remove the strange "wood"-turned-goo covering the table top.  I took more drastic measures than my orbital sander and 60 grit paper.  I got out the plane.  Yep.  I just planed off the entire top layer of crap veneer and uncovered the cheap stuff (plywood, pressboard, something like that).  It was an improvement!  I should've just started with that plane on the table top in the first place...

But then, what to do with the beautifully curvaceous legs?  They cannot be improved with the plane.  The curves are plane prohibitive.  Sanding-painting- priming, my typical formula, are probably not going to work.  I started sanding anyway, hoping the "veneer" would not turn to gummy goo like it had on the table top.  It didn't turn to goo!  Hooray, the legs seem to be made of actual wood!  But, it was a pain in the neck anyway trying to sand curvy gouged legs into smooth paintable legs.  What to do?  Avoid & hope for an enlightened solution. Work on one of the other projects underway in the garage.  Hello giant $5 framed mirror and silver spray paint!

And, then for some reason I came across a picture of a silver piece of furniture online.  I clicked.  I learned.  Aluminum foil used like faux silver leaf looks vintage glam on the shiny night stands done by Red Hen Home.  Why not try this on my free table legs.  If it fails, well, the table was free anyway!  I've got nothing to lose.  Novelty is fun.  Fun makes me happy (happy and fun are things I'm learning to do from my 3 1/2 year old son).  And, part of a roll of heavy duty tin foil was already sitting in my kitchen waiting for it's destiny.  Wall paper paste on the other hand required a trip to the DIY store.  No problem.  Grandpa is visiting for the month, so the kids can stay at home while I go on a shopping adventure all alone!  Bonus:  a $2 can of oops paint in an appealing color:)

So, I tried the aluminum foil as silver leaf job and vintaged up a table leg with some black acrylic paint rubbed on and off.  I think it looks pretty cool.  My "we're-not-creative-people"-Dad was even surprised at how authentic and cool it looked! I think I'll put a few coats of poly or varnish on top to protect the table's gams.  And since my dining room is currently empty (sold the zebra 50's oak set I did last winter), I might even be allowed to keep this little chic in the nest for awhile.  We'll see what Mr. Flourish Vintage Furniture has to say about that...