Furniture reclamation

Being a true child of British training, I am constantly trying to induce sustainability in every aspect of my work.

I was always fascinated by the art of wood distressing and musical instrument making.

A few years back I saw some videos on YouTube regarding furniture reclamation and since then, after having destroyed quite a few pieces, I managed to reach an acceptable level in the art of wood distressing and patina.

For this example, I picked two coffee tables that I reclaimed during a hotel renovation. The first was bought by the owner from a closed cafe bar and took me a couple of days to complete. 

I started with an Indonesian style coffee table (made in northern Greece...) that used to be dark brown in color and then painted black probably due to the intensive wear.

I sanded it down with a 60 grit sandpaper just in case I could restore it to its former glory but the dents on the top didn't allow me to achieve uniformity in its color so I dropped the idea of leaving it like that. I didn't even bother taking a picture in that state...

I then said "what the hell", painted it white and let it dry for a couple of days....

All I had available was oil based paint for metal surfaces but this didn't seem to be a problem...

A light coating will do just fine because the most of it will be taken out during sanding. I then went on and sanded it down with a 60grit sandpaper and this is what happened...

The more you sand down, the more distressed the piece looks. If you think you over did it you can always apply a fresh coat and start over....
When you think you got it where you want it, sand it down with a 100 or a 150 grit sandpaper and apply a coat of mat varnish in order to protect the wood from water or humidity.

If you try doing this at home I suggest that you watch some related videos on YouTube. They will be very helpful...

After seeing the result, I happened to notice another coffee table that I painted white a few years ago. After a sudden glimpse of ingenuity, I had a go at it as well. 

This is the result...

Total Materials Cost for both tables: 10 Euros

Cost of Tables:  60 Euros

Total Cost: 70 Euros

By the way, the company also provides a distressed version of these tables and they cost around 200 Euros and around 300 in a local representative. A total save of 130 to 230 Euros...

Not bad at all...Bring me some more!