Entryway Table – build and refinish in one

How were your Holidays?

Did you take time to enjoy the fruits of your labour?

My Christmas was wonderful.

Actually, I caught a pretty decent cold and have been sick for about a week now – but sometimes being sick is exactly what you need in order to slow down, snuggle in and relax.

I devoured a book cuddled under blankets with hot tea by my side.  Hubby cooked the Holiday meal and the kids (who had just gotten over the cold) were happy to have an excuse to chill and enjoy their Christmas gifts.

If I didn’t have a sore throat, cough and sniffles the whole thing would have been perfection.

But then if I didn’t have a cold, I never would have indulged and spent so much time lazing about – so I’m grateful for blessings in disguise.

I did get back out into the garage for an hour here and there and finally managed to tackle a project I’ve had sitting out there for a couple of months;  my entryway table.

I know, it doesn’t look like much here, in fact, I think the previous owner used it for storing scrapbook paper – but it was within the dimensions I needed and it had drawers, so it had potential.

Perhaps you’ve been with me long enough to remember my last attempt at organizing my entryway?  I have a narrow section of wall to work with, and it needs to house something that can corral keys, iPhones, purses etc.

This little unit is going to fill that space and serve that function.

I started by determining the overall height I wanted my entryway table to be.  I used 2″ x 2″ boards to create four legs to attach to the bottom of this little dresser.

I built a “C” frame, leaving the upper front section open and attached it together and to the dresser section with pocket hole screws.

This lower section is where I’m going to store my purses as I come in the door each day.  I filled the open centre section with ½” plywood attached underneath with pocket hole screws.

I knew I had to paint the entryway table because of all the different woods and veneers – that, and the original veneer grain is a tad too bold for my tastes – so I didn’t really have to sand down to bare wood…

but I like having a relatively fresh slate with scratches, dents and even odours removed as much as possible, so bare wood all around!

I used some wood filler to clean up seams and the few areas where the veneer had small chips missing and then sanded the entire piece smooth with 220 grit sandpaper.

I used Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint (my favourite for surfaces that will see a lot of wear-and-tear) in Briarwood; two coats on the body of the entryway table and three coats on the top.  This will continue to harden over the next 30 days to give me a surface that is almost as durable as oil paint – without any of the oil paint mess, clean-up or fumes.

With all of these drawers I can tuck all of the items that seem to accumulate at the front door away so that they are organized and out of sight.

The entryway table is a bit top-heavy visually (not structurally, the build is solid).  I could bring in a large basket to give it some visual weight on the bottom, but that would be for aesthetics only, and right now I’m a function over form girl – and purse storage is what I want/need.

This lower shelf is a perfect drop spot to keep them off of the floor and close at hand for running back out again.

Ideally, I’d like to keep the surface of the entryway table pretty clean, with just keys and our charging station out.

We’ll see how long this lasts – “ideally” and “reality” are opposite ends of a spectrum in my house.

The durability of the advance paint will keep scuffs at bay and will make for easy cleaning.

I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out – $20 for the dresser section, $14 for the ½” plywood and $28 for the paint (of which I have a TON leftover).  Roughly $62 Cdn.

Everything is so neat and tidy!

(which is exactly what I’m craving after taking down the Holiday decorations)

New Year, new project – I’m off to a running start!

Have a great one!

 

Linked to:

• Between Naps on the Porch

 

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