State Pride Thrift Store End Table Makeover

Hey, y'all!  I have a makeover to share with y'all today that I've actually had complete for a while.  I took final project pics at least a month ago, but I didn't like them, so I haven't posted the project.  (I'm so critical of myself.)  Yesterday I had a chance to take some new pics, and even thought I'm still not completely satisfied with them, I'm FINALLY sharing my South Carolina End Table Makeover today.

A few months ago I was at my local Habitat Restore, and I stumbled upon a table with a cracked marble top that was being sold for $5.  I couldn't pass up that deal because I knew the marble could be easily removed.  In fact after I purchased the table, I told the cashier that he could keep the marble because I didn't want to have to carry it to my car.

This is what the piece looked like once I got it home.  It definitely needed a good cleaning.  After I cleaned it well, I spray painted it.

I followed my usual spray paint process: a coat of Kilz spray primer, followed by sanding with 220 grit sandpaper, followed by a few coats of white spray paint.  I then distressed the table and waxed it.  The table was much improved, but it still had a big gaping rectangle in the middle.  I decided that since the table only cost me $5, I could afford to do something a little crazy with it.  I cut a piece of wood the size of the table top and stained it dark.

Then it was time for my bit of craziness.  I'm proud to be a South Carolinian, so I thought it would be fun for the table top to pay homage to that.  Yep, that's right.  I decided to essentially create a large sign for my table top.  I used PicMonkey to design a graphic the size of my table following my "How to Create Large Custom-Sized Graphics in PicMonkey" tutorial.  I printed the graphic using my "How to Print Large Graphics with Microsoft Word" tutorial and taped the image together.  I originally planned to transfer the graphic using the same technique I used to create my Vintage Quote Sign, but I wasn't able to.  Why?  The penciled transfer wouldn't show up on my dark wood table top.  (I didn't think to try a chalk transfer like I did with my Thanksgiving Pallet Art.)  So I scratched that transfer method and turned to my trusty Silhouette.

I recreated the graphic in my Silhouette program.  Since the image was larger than my Silhouette can cut, I used the cut tool to cut the graphic into smaller pieces.

I used transfer paper to transfer the vinyl onto the new dark-stained wood table top.  I sealed the edges of all the vinyl with Mod Podge to make sure that my paint didn't seep under the vinyl.

I then painted the entire sign white.  (Can we pause for a minute to appreciate what a neat crafter I am? *sarcasm*)

After the white paint dried, I used painters tape to create stripes.  I painted the stripes an aqua color.  While the paint was still wet, I removed the tape and the vinyl.  (I have found that keeps the paint from peeling.)  I then distressed the sign by sanding and aged it by rubbing a small amount of stain all over the table top.  I sealed the entire top with Polyurethane.

I love how it turned out!  I love that so much about South Carolina is on the table top: the outline of the state, the palmetto tree, the state motto, and the year the state was established.

And I love the distressed white paint finish on the rest of the table.  It's a nice complement to the table top.

This $5 thrift store table is now such a fun, quirky piece...that's really hard to photograph without a glare.

I actually hate covering up the table top with accessories so much that I've considered removing the middle, hanging it on the wall, and replacing the table top.  But then I wouldn't have a quirky end table, right?  ;)