For as long as I can remember, I have always had a love for home décor. Whether it be rearranging the furniture in my bedroom, begging my friends to let me clean their rooms, or wallpapering posters to every square inch of my walls, I was always up for making a space pretty. It was after my mom’s best friend gave me an old cedar chest that I nearly ruined with a coat of espresso paint, that I got into making over old pieces of furniture. I’d say it was all downhill from there!

Our town has a local flea market, and every Sunday I would tag along with my parents. I began collecting vintage finds that I could use when I moved out into my own place. That was over a decade ago, and I now have a flea market of my own in the basement of my current home, full of those same pieces that need some love and attention.

I think giving a piece new life is so rewarding. This little end table, painted during my espresso loving days, needed a good makeover. My style has obviously changed a bit over the years, and I now love a good modern farmhouse style look. To me, it is so cozy and inviting. I decided this end table would look great with a stained wood top, a beautiful coat of white paint, and added molding on the sides to give it a little extra character.

Picking out the right paint color for my projects has always been such a challenge for me. I am a total sucker for neutrals, so you won’t find a ton of vibrant colors in my house. I do find that a good white color adds that special pop when I stray from the bright reds, pinks, or yellows. Whites can be tricky though since they pull so many different undertones. One trick for this I learned is to grab an ultra white paint chip to hold against any other whites you pick out. You will see the difference immediately! I was drawn to BEHR Polar Bear because it was more of a muted white and seemed like it would go well with the parts I planned to keep wood toned. It really worked great for the farmhouse look I wanted for this project. It wasn’t too bright and complemented the stained wood top perfectly!

INSTRUCTIONS

I started this makeover by removing the old espresso paint color off the table top with my sander and some good 50 grit sandpaper. Once the raw wood was exposed, I cleaned it off and applied a dark wood stain. After the stain was dry, I cut a few pieces of thin wood with my saw to form an “x” molding for each side of the table. I adhered the molding with wood glue and caulked the seams for a cohesive look.

Once the caulk was dry, I sanded down the sides so the excess caulk would be removed. Then I gave the entire piece a good cleaning to remove any sawdust and used painter's tape to tape off the top and middle wood sections in preparation for the paint.

I applied two coats and the color was all done, looking solid and fabulous, and was so easy to apply! I am in love with this paint and will surely use it again on another project!

THE BIG REVEAL

I chose BEHR Premium Plus^® paint in Interior Eggshell Enamel in the color Polar Bear to paint my end table. I chose to use a Paint and Primer in One since I was painting over the old, dark espresso colored paint so I wouldn’t have to prime it separately. I’m a total sucker for neutrals, so you won’t find a ton of vibrant colors in my house. I do find that a good white such as Behr Polar Bear adds that special pop when I stray away from the bright reds, pinks or yellows.