$5 Side Table Make-Over | Simply Designing with Ashley

Hi everyone! I'm Shanna from Restoration Redoux! I am so excited to be a contributor for Ashley, and I will be here once a month sharing a fun furniture makeover or craft with you!

I am a stay at home mom to three dogs, a cat, and a teenage daughter ... so things are always a little crazy around here. In addition to my blog, I run a furniture business from home where I redo vintage furniture with a funky twist.

$5 Side Table Make-Over! A simple way to refinish and paint a side table to make it spectacular! #furniture #furnituremakeover #refinishing #diy #table

Speaking of furniture, this is a little table I found on Craigslist.

It was pretty beaten up, and the faux leather top had seen better days, but it had great bones. First thing I did was wipe the entire piece down with a furniture cleaner (I used TSP). Next I mixed up my own mixture of a chalky finish paint. This is the recipe I used:

½ Cup Plaster of Paris
½ Cup warm water
Mix the two thoroughly
Combine with 1.5 Cups of latex paint
Stir thoroughly
Let set 30 minutes prior to use

I painted on two coats, and then I let it dry for a couple of hours.

I then started the distressing process. I simply went around all of the edges with 100 grit sandpaper, focusing on parts that would naturally get more wear -- like the corners. On the sides of the table are a metal design but it was very dull and tarnished.

I tried to shine it up with no luck, so I decided to us an antique gold Rub N Buff that I purchased at Michael's.

It worked like a charm. Next I had to decide what to do with the top. It had a faux leather top, but it was in rough shape and didn't look right with the painted piece.

I already had a roll of raised wallpaper that I had purchased at Lowe's, so I cut a piece to fit the top.

I painted the wallpaper with two coats of ivory paint and let it dry. I then covered the back of the wallpaper with a coat of Mod Podge and pressed it onto the top of the table and let it dry. Once I got the wallpaper on, I decided the ivory was too stark, so I added a light coat of Annie Sloan's dark wax all over it, and using a wet cloth I wiped any excess off of the raised parts to lighten it.