Coffee Table Redo

Aly and I both have small ranch style houses, but big decor style!  Case in point, my coffee table.  I HAD 2 of the IKEA Lack style tables however I also had 2 issues: 1. they did not have enough storage and 2. they did not have enough decor surface :).  Luckily, my brother and his wife were selling their old coffee table that offered a wider/bigger surface and a shelf underneath - I scooped it right up!

First, it being a dark wood, I took a belt sander (and good ole elbow grease for some areas) and "roughed" it up - I liked that some areas rubbed back more than others - giving me that "I've been left in a workshop for years" look:

Then I gathered supplies.  I knew I wanted to add numbers to my table to give it an industrial look - so I printed off no. 1, no. 2, no. 3 and no. 4 using Bodoni MT Black font.  I also needed:

Gold paint (used Martha Stewart Living Metallic Paint - found at Home Depot for $5)
Paintbrushes (varying sizes)
Pastels (to transfer my number outline onto the table - Tutorial found here)
Pencil
Painters tape
Clear Poly or Poly/Stain combo (depending on the look you are going for) 
Sandpaper (try different grits depending on the look you want - start with the finest, you can always go rougher)

Tack Cloth

First, start by giving your newly sanded table a good wipe down to remove all the dust and debris.
Next, lay out your numbers how you would like them.  Use the painters tape to make them level.

Use the pastel transfer technique (seen in photo above) to get your outline.  Using your gold paint, fill in the graphics.  I did 2 coats of this gold.  **NOTE:  I really liked this product.  Usually metallic paints can be "watery" and take numerous coats to achieve desired look, this one was thick and only took me 2.  

I then rubbed back the gold paint using a fine grit sandpaper - recall I wanted that "aged/industrial" look.

 

When I was happy with the results of the graphics, I became torn on how I wanted the end result to look.  I toyed with doing just a clear poly but felt that would not give me the "workshop" look I wanted.  So I bit the creative bullet and opted for Minwax's Polyshades in Honey Gloss.  I did, however, put on a coat of the Polyshade and wiped it off so the color wasn't too bold.  THEN I did a clear coat over the top.  

I have to say, I LOVE how it turned out!  What I loved most is that I had a look in mind and how it got there wasn't how I thought it would!  The table is getting lots of use in our living room and has turned into the centerpiece of the room.  I will definitely try this technique again and I hope you will too!!