Shades of blue scrapwood table

The Find

I had a bunch of scrapwood not doing much of anything except gathering dust and pollen, so I decide to make a lightweight table for the patio. This was also a convenient and low-commitment way to experiment with a bunch of 99-cent paint samples I had on hand.

scrapwood

The Re-use

This project didn't require too many cuts using the jigsaw, but it was more than I would have wanted to do with a handsaw.  The first cut was the large piece of pinkish plywood, cut approximately in half. The second set of cuts were for the legs, made out of various 2x4s. The pieces were assembled with glue and screws, then it was time to paint!

Three-legged table made of scrapwood

The painting was done in a gradient, I wouldn't attempt to call it ombre, but the inspiration was an overhead view of the ocean. The Glidden paint sample colors from lightest to darkest: 

Serene Sea (flat finish)

Cosmopolitan (flat finish)

Blue Oasis (flat finish)

Stunning Sapphire (semi-gloss finish)

Painted table top

Painted table, side view

Conclusion

With access to power tools the cutting only took about 10 minutes, the paint was allowed to dry for at least a day, then the top was covered with a coat of water-based polyurethane to improve water resistance.  Now I have a useful table at just the right height to serve as an occasional outdoor desk. Happy freestyling.

oh Wood(en table) I

I have the most wonderful friends. They know what I am like, they know what I like like, and they aren't afraid to keep an eye out and send me text messages of random furniture at 5:44pm on a Thursday night, knowing that I'd be interested. Luckily it was a non-raining Thursday night when this little image popped up on my phone with the information that it was sitting at a particular intersection.

Looking for a new home...

Already being in possession of two wooden dining tables, and another cafe table that's in storage, I didn't need it for myself. However, I have a friend who was moving into a new apartment the following week (!) and needed furniture. Such coincidence! I texted her and asked if she was interesting, and coincidently she had just landed at the airport and was looking for an excuse to walk around after a long flight. I gathered up my tools, including a random fleece blanket and some tape, and headed over for some furniture disassembly fun.  Once we found the table it was short work of removing the legs.  It was a bit longer work carrying it to it's new building, but the new owner is very strong, she pretended the solid maple tabletop was a surfboard and carried it most of the way on her head.

Human table mover

After some reassembly and a small repair here is that formerly cast-off table, in a shiny new home and ready to host some tasty tasty meals.

I want to be shiny, like the treasure.....

Free table, free chair, free throw pillows, free plant centerpiece.

Happy freestyling, it takes a network!

Let loose the ceruse(ing)!!!

Ok, first of all, what the heck is 'cerusing' or cerused' and how do those terms relate to furniture? Let's skim through some language history at warp speed.

The Merriam-Webster definition:
Ceruse: white lead (Pb) as pigment

The Free Dictionary online definition:
tr.v. ce·rused, ce·rus·ing, ce·rus·es

To treat (wood or a wooden object) with a white pigment to accentuate the grain.

Another source notes that this furniture finish is called "liming" and that the "limed oak" is a term known in Britain.

What YOU need to know is that cerusing is freaking awesome, and I hope it helps people find new life for solid oak furniture that might otherwise seem too dark or even 'orangey' for modern tastes.

This is the first example I saw in the blogosphere that got me thinking about this technique, thank you Little Green Notebook for your design inspiration and useful tutorial!

Isn't this awesome?

More applause to the blogger at Addicted 2 Decorating, her dining table makeover and tutorial was really helpful.  It makes me want to try cerusing a large surface just to show off more of the amazing grain.

I read more about cerusing, but had nothing to ceruse, until that happy day came when I found an oak table that i knew immediately would make a good test subject.  

The start of it all

With my now acquired wisdom I would say it is easier to dye pieces of furniture before they are assembled, but that's a small point.

Raw material, saved from the trash

I stripped the old finish off the oak table, ot at least I thought I did. Surface prep doesn't lie, and it revealed some less than perfect areas when it came time to use the aniline dye.  These areas stayed lighter, or brown. Hopefully this adds to the handmade charm of a first try.

Table being stripped of original finish

Time to add the dye!

Table after two coats of dye

The top surface took the dye well, but keeping the dye-liquid on the sides and legs was more challenging, a gel might have worked better.  There was a bit of rotating the piece onto the side, waiting to dry, repeat repeat repeat.

After at least two rounds of dye I decided it was time to move forward towards the shellac application, then liming and finishing.  You have to rub the liming wax (aka lime paste) all over the piece, and at this time the grain is ' open' so it accepts the wax.

After applying the lime paste I used very fine steel wool to wipe away the excess. Below you can see the top is about halfway done being rubbed with the steel wool.

Obviously this is the most exciting step! So many unknowns the first time! Did your dye color choice work? Does it look weird with the lime paste in the wood grain? Did you *$&# up anywhere else and not notice it until now?  All true thoughts.

After the lime paste removal was complete, the final step was to use furniture wax (yes, another wax, but different) to seal the table.

Here is a close-up of the lower shelf. I think that section turned out particularly nice, with bold, even, color and crisp grain contrast. Swoon.

For me this was a multi-evening project, but each step was manageable time-wise. It probably took about a week of fiddling because of the dry time between rounds of dyeing.  Speaking of dyeing wood, it is different than staining, something I learned while researching this technique. Staining wood will supposedly obscure the grain to some degree, but dyeing the wood only adds pigment to the wood fiber and thus won't 'fill in' the grain at all.  The result is a vivid grain pattern that gets highlighted by the lime paste.

So there you have it, a completely unique piece that perfectly compliments the height of my sofa arm.  The materials cost was around $40, and most of that was the aniline dye powder which could be used for many more projects.

Happy freestyling, see the potential for transformation in anything.

Freestyle finds help a Texas transplant take root

A fortuitous friend introduction led me to meet "Miss S" soon after she moved to the area....and was looking to furnish her apartment with a little bit more than what had fit in her car during the cross-country drive.  As an enthusiastic thrifter and fan of second-hand items Miss S. was thrilled at the prospect of some free apartment accessories, and I was happy to send them to a good home.

It started out with living room things....

A small end table with brass inlay, and a cute lamp that had a secret light-up middle section.

A set of three square display shelves for the wall, after their installation

Geometric patterned throw pillows that happened to have just the right colors to go with the dark blue couch.

Then a few weeks later I found a curtain, very mod with it's pattern of squares.
Two of the grommets came out in the wash, but otherwise it held up well.

The curtain became a shower curtain outer liner.

Finally (for now at least), the masterpiece of this freestyle bonanza was this large frame with the glazing intact. The original poster was a bar scene with a rather elongated bartender, not really in keeping with the light and bright feeling in the rest of the apartment.

A friend's photograph was purchased, matted, and framed....

...then the final landscape with flowers photo was hung with care to brighten up the bedroom.

Happy freestyling!

Suburban surprise...with scrollwork

During October I spent a weekend with friends, nothing surprising about that.  After dinner we went for a walk, nothing too out of the ordinary.  Then, when we were only 1 block from their house we came across a bunch of discarded items that had been set out for trash day. Jackpot!  Does the freestyle follow me? No, really its just that once you start looking its hard to stop seeing.
It was dark but from what we could see of this metal and wood table it was servicable and in ok shape.  It had nice scrollwork details, probably over a decade old based on the styling, aaaaaaand the amount of dust on it.
I kid, it actually wasn't too bad, just some dust inside the scrollwork- because who would dust that?

After the requisite cleaning we paused to look at it.

We could't tell if the wood was solid, burl veneer, or maybe some sort of patterned pressboard product.  Furniture mystery.
There were a few spots where the knots/burls had been scuffed, so maybe that means there is some real wood?  If anyone is more informed about this table or others like it feel free to leave a comment.
The next day we swapped some tables around and arrived at this arrangement.  It works for now since the heavy metal look doesn't really go with the rest of the furniture, but since you only see bits of it from the rest of the room it doesn't overwhelm the space.

Yes, that is a cutting originally from my fern, all grown up!

Its a useful entryway table and sofa end table.  For $0 I'd say it was a lucky night on the town.

Happy freestyling.

Mango wood I ?!?

You wouldn't think that a search term as generic as 'round wood coffee table' would actually help you identify the lovely mystery table I found a while ago, but thank goodness for the internet.
I found a round wood coffee table, and the only identifying clue was a half-attached sticker than said CB2 on it.  I wasn't sure if it was associated with the table or had just gotten stuck as part of someone's move, but lo and behold, there was my new table splashed across the internet.

Apparently it is named the 'Stout' coffee table, and was made from mango wood.  Not needing a new coffee table I passed it along to some friends who have a house to furnish.  Now it graces their living room, and looks might nice holding up a plant or two.

Even the dog approves.

Happy freestyling.

June bonanza update, freestyle finds in their new home

You may remember the June bonanza post, or not.
 Basically I found a bunch of furniture and gave it to some friends who have a house to furnish.
Their car was packed.

There has been some progress in the redecorating front. 

The small metal and glass coffee table has a home in a sunny corner.

The large wooden corner shelving unit now supports a television and entertainment center.

And this Ikea botanical wall hanging brightens up the stairwell. 

Happy freestyling and sharing!

Tiny and weathered wooden table

Sometime during the winter months I found a small table and matching chair, clearly patio furniture given the greyed weathered look of them.

I only took the table because the chair, although very solid and clearly well made, was in rougher shape on the surface.  The freestyle not taken, sigh, because sometimes you know you just don't have the space, time, or tools to fix something up.  At least I got a tiny table out of it though.

After floating around in a few spots I realized that the tiny table was a good size for my thrifted silverplate planter that holds a bunch of Haworthia succulents.

 




































So now there is a happy little spot by the window where weathered wood, old silverplate, and plants co-exist in harmony and create a little stair-step effect for one corner of houseplants.

 Happy freestyling.

Someone's move-out bonanza find

So much furniture!  That is what it felt like in early June when I found a bunch of furniture pieces on the loading dock, including 2 tv stands, multiple lamps, 2 polypropylene rugs, and a coffee table.  It also happens that two dear friends are moving out of town this summer, leaving their roommates with some furniture gaps.  Enter the freestyle!

Nothing is put in place yet, but here are some photos of the freestyle bounty being loaded up for its journey to a new home.

loading the car

furniture tetris

ready to go, with hardly an inch to spare

The free finds included some moving boxes (surprisingly expensive if you buy them new) and packing supplies.  Stay tuned for future photos of all these freestyle finds in their new home!

Happy freestyling.