Recently, my father decided to sell his vacation home in Vermont. The house was filled with old furniture that we helped him haul back to his house. Some were family relics, but most were yard sale finds. Both my parents are avid yard salers, always looking for deals. I took most of the stuff to my house to sift through and give to local Goodwills. I did keep a few projects for myself. One such project was this small TV stand.
I thought the piece was made sometime during the 1980s. But while pulling out the bottom drawer of the piece, I discovered a clue. An Amtrak ticket dating back to 1974 was wedged under the drawer. The drawer is cedar-lined and was well-made. Based on the stamp inside the drawer, it was made by R Way from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. R Way was a popular furniture maker that shut down in 1992.
As with any piece I’m about to paint or stain, I washed this piece with a mixture of water and Dawn dish soap. I used a toothbrush to get into the cracks and crevices. Luckily, the piece didn’t need a lot of repair, just some light sanding to get rid of scuff marks.
Once it was cleaned and sanded, it was time to prime the piece with some Gripper Primer. After one coat of primer, I lightly sanded the piece again before moving on to paint.
Since I’m planning to put this piece in the same room as my TV stand, I wanted to use the same greige paint. But, thanks to some poor lighting in my basement, I ended up picking up the sage paint that I used to paint my hallway instead. In the bright sunlight of my deck, I didn’t realize my blunder until I painted one side, but I have to admit, I don’t mind the sage at all. I used a brush for the drawers and molding and a foam roller for the top and sides of the piece.
To accent the molding on the bottom, I painted the indentation gray to help it stand out.
The knobs that came with the TV stand were dated, mismatched and cracked. I believe the bottom two were probably the original drawer pulls. When I took off the knobs, I noticed indentions around the top holes that matched the bottom pulls. I decided on changing them all so they matched. After perusing Amazon, I decided on these cute white ceramic flower pulls. I absolutely love how they look and all four were a little over $12.
The bottom of the legs once had brass leg protectors, but only one remained. I tried to find replacements but had no luck. So, I painted the bottom of the legs where the covers were in the same gray paint as the stripe to tie the colors all together.
I really like how this piece turned out. My daughter gave me some crystals to put in the opening. I think I’m going to buy a mood light for the opening to go with the crystals. But you could put an aquarium or even a small cat bed. The possibilities are unlimited. I’ll wait for the paint to cure a bit before adding anything else. Before I put the drawer back, I put the Amtrak receipt back under it. That’s where it belongs. The fresh paint really shows off all the beauty of this piece. I know some think it’s controversial to paint old furniture, but I think I’m giving this piece of furniture a new life with a fresh look. Most times a piece only needs a few tweaks to turn it into something you’ll treasure forever.
The Quaint Crafter 