American of Martinsville Side Table gets a General Finishes Makeover

I picked up this cool mid century modern side table at a Goodwill the other day. I was immediately drawn to the legs on this piece. The top was pretty roached out, but I was hopeful it could be sanded down and refinished. 

I already started sanding the nastiest part when I remembered to take a photo. You can still see it was gross. I started with 180 grit sandpaper using the orbital sander then went up to get a nice smooth finish. I used sanding blocks to sand that lower ledge that I also wanted stained. 

Here's a before after I had finished sanding. Great legs right!? 

I used one coat of General Finishes Java Gel Stain on the top and ledge. I use an old washcloth and wipe it on in the direction of the wood. I don't use much, I'm basically wiping it on and then wiping it back off.  I did this in the evening and by the next morning it was ready to go. I could have done another coat to get a more uniform finish, but I really like the variation in the wood so I left it. 

I think it looks really pretty and the inlay is a nice touch too. Next I taped off the bottom edge. It's a good idea to run some clear poly along your tape line to prevent bleed thru. A trick my momma taught me :) 

I used General Finishes Milk Paint in the color Klein Blue. I LOVE this color and think it looks especially good on MCM furniture. It took three coats to get solid coverage. I used a high quality sash brush. I used Johnson's Wax to give this piece added protection, one coat over the painted surfaces and several coats over the stained wood. 

  

The inside of the drawer was a little icky so I used this black/grey/gold  handmade paper I had left over from another project  to line the drawer. After cutting it to fit I used a spray adhesive to glue it in place. 

I wanted more substantial knobs for this table than the originals. I happened to have these hammered gold knobs on hand from Hobby Lobby and thought they would be perfect against Klein Blue. 

This was a really fun and easy project thanks to my General Finishes Products! I highly recommend their products. I haven't used all of them, but what I have used, I've been really impressed with. FYI, I in no way get compensated for my good review of General Finishes products. I paid retail price for my materials. I just really like this product and wanted to share. Of course, if they did want to send me product I wouldn't decline ;) 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you found something useful!

~Aurora