End Table | 2004

End Table, 2004

I found two old end tables and noticing they were real wood, thought they could look much better. Not that I give my brother much competition, I was pleased with the results. Here are some before and after shots. I still have the cabinet (I only kept one).

The veneer, which was a nice, rich wood, covered the front, sides and top. However, the edges of the top and bottom and the legs were different wood and also covered in different stain. You can see how much darker those areas are. The hardware was simple so I retained it. What I didn’t keep were the metal caps on the legs. Removing these caps and the stain (because the legs are round) proved to be very difficult.

This shot nicely compares the two pieces halfway through the project. After removing the existing finish, I oiled the entire piece and you can see how the dark edges (now void of the stain) appeared a little too bright. The same thing happened with the legs so I decided to add a little red stain to these areas. The legs are still original in this picture. There was too much damage to the other piece (on the right) so I put it back where I found it...outside.

Side note:  check out the floor. I had stone floors in my Italian apartment. It was an awesome place.

Here is the first finished piece. I think the red stain was a good choice as the edges and legs better match the veneer. I was happy how the hardware wasn’t too showy and blended nicely with the oil.

You can see distinct bright areas on the door - along the left edge and one in the center. This bothered me a lot at first because I tried to hide them with the red stain. In the end, I left them alone and they seemed to add some character. This shot lets you see the nice pattern of the top.

This final shot shows the ribbon pattern of the edges. They are also slightly brighter than the top and front, but I didn’t add stain because I thought the oil gave a healthy appearance. You can also see the caps have been removed from the legs which I thought resulted in a much cleaner look. Also, since the caps were nailed in place, these legs should be much gentler on a floor or carpet.

This is a small piece with dimensions of:
20.5 in (52 cm) wide
12 in (30 cm) deep
22.5 in (57 cm) tall

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