The Table (Part-2)

Recap:

Hi Readers, welcome back. For those of you just joining, this is part two of the table series. Here’s a quick recap. Last week, I introduced a new project, the table project, where I discussed an idea I had for making a custom table featuring a piece of wall art I was working on. I sourced custom table pieces online only to find them wildly expensive and concluded that they can just keep them. That got me to thinking that the thrift store might offer a reasonable alternative. I invited my readers to come along for a visit and now I'm inviting you as well.

(If you would prefer to catch up on the full article, here you go. Otherwise, come join me and last week’s readers on our exciting adventure. Come on, hurry up, everyone is inside they're all waiting for us).

Welcome to the thrift store

Hey, how great is the thrift store? I love poking around these places because they never fail to inspire me with all kinds of great new ideas. There are so many possibilities, but let’s not get distracted. We’re here for a table, a table with good legs and a decent build quality. Something that vibes with the project and doesn't look out of place. We're not too worried about the finish since it’ll be repainted to match the theme anyway. Plus a poor finish means we get to save a little money at check out. I’m thinking about something on the chunky side. Maybe a traditional colonial style with a little bit of heft. Color isn’t important either, but I like something with a little bit of character that shows a little wear and tear.

Hey, look over there, I think I see something. Legs look good, and it’s only 30 bucks which is way cheaper than just a single table leg from that fancy-pants overpriced online store I was looking at last week. Yeah, this is definitely the one. I’m going to head up to the register and pay. I’ll meet you guys back at the house.

There she is. Not much to look at but stay tuned that's all about to change.

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So before I paid, I had the guys at the store flip it over so I could take a look at the construction. This was a fairly well-built piece with an oak top. I’ll bet the owner probably spent way more than the thirty bucks they’re asking. The finish is a little rough, which was probably why it was so cheap. Seems almost a shame to take it apart and not use that solid oak top. Regardless, the legs were pretty much what I was looking for, so that’s a win in my book. The only drawback I can see is that the top is a little narrow, which means I may have to get creative when I replace it. I'm not looking for a shop project. I’m a painter, not a carpenter so not sure how that's all going to work out. Anyhow, for now, I’m just going to get this thing in the garage to keep my neighbor from complaining.

There are a few more items I’ll need to get this project rolling, so I think it’s time to make a list. In the meantime, I’m going to talk with my buddy Rock before we get started to see how feasible he thinks this whole thing is and does it even make sense to resize this table to support the new top or is there a better solution?

Change in plans?

Hey readers, I just got off the horn with my old buddy Rock, and I’m beginning to think this is going to be a lot more work than I’m looking for at the moment. After I hung up I decided to just have a quick go at separating the top from the base, and it didn’t work out too well. That thing is cemented on there pretty tight, and removing it without creating a lot of damage seems like it'll be a big chore. I tried a bunch of things to shake it loose and, of course, it didn’t budge. I’m thinking it might be time for a new strategy because the last thing I want to do is make a giant mess out of this project before I even start to paint, which reminds me of an old saying...

If you find yourself in a hole the first thing to do is to stop digging.

Ok so I'm putting the shovel down for now. I will have my decision next time we meet. Wish me luck, as that will do it for this week’s episode. Not a super exciting week in terms of development but the process is under way and that table was an awesome find. I feel like that was half the battle right there. So anyhow I’ve got some decisions to make, hopefully I'll have it all figured out between now and the next post. Until then...

See you next time.