New Round Coffee Table for the Living Room

Last Thursday was my birthday. My husband and I opted for a low-key day without a lot of fanfare or big presents because, after all, we bought a house only a month ago! But, I couldn't help treating myself to an inexpensive birthday present to myself: a coffee table.

Sure, coffee tables can be expensive. Remember last year when I rounded-up some of my faves? They all hovered around $1,000. So, when I saw a $35.00 coffee table for 50% at a thrift store near our house, the decision to buy it was a no-brainer. That's right: this coffee table was $17.50!

I wouldn't have bought a cheap pressed wood coffee table for $17.50, and only proceeded to the register with the table because it was all wood, very heavy, and had an interesting shape.

With my purchase lodged into the backseat of my car, I headed towards the Benjamin Moore store for the perfect color for the table. The helpful salesman at BM showed me Coronado Paint's Rust Scat line, which went on like an enamel and self-leveled, too! I opted to mix this base with BM's "Indian Summer".

Then, I got down to business. I used a fine-grit sand paper to sand the surface of the table smooth, wiped the dust clean and applied a first coat of "Indian Summer" with a brush.

I switched to a foam roller for the remaining coats of paint, which went on easily. The paint salesman told me  to fight the urge to go back over the painted areas too many times with my brush and the roller helped with that. Coverage with the Coronado paint was impressive.

The paint cured and I was left with a very chic coffee table.

(all images via Meet Me in Philadelphia)

I bet no one would ever guess the humble provenance of this piece when they see it now.