DIY Faux Barnwood Side Table

Howdy y’all! We are knee-deep in the thick of moving…and I literally have one sofa and a mattress to my name! (No joke… we sold literally all our furniture in a moving sale.) So, it was a challenge for me to think of something to post about for you this week… but I guess ingenuity is born out of desperation! (I’m going to pretend a wise, famous person said that, but I’m pretty sure I just made it up.) 

 

I raided our shop and Goodwill pile for something to use. And came up with this GORGEOUS side table.

 That was sarcasm. Anyhow…this is the uber-cheap (and surprisingly sturdy) LACK side table from Ikea. It’ll run you a whopping 10 bucks. You can save yourself the trouble of spray painting the table by simply purchasing the color you want, but unfortunately I was working with what I had… so step one was spray paint the body white!

Next, I purchased poplar 5/8th inch craft boards from Lowes. I had to trim down the ends a bit to fit on the table, but I purchased varying widths, so I was able to piece together the boards and not have to cut anything off the sides.

I saw a wonderful post from my girlfriends over at The Pink Tumbleweed detailing how to create a faux-barnwood finish on any variety of wood. I followed their tutorial and painted my poplar boards:

Materials:

• 2 Foam Brushes
• Gray + White Paint
• Dark Wax
• Linen Rag

 Method:

1. First, brush on a medium grey paint (mine was Valspar Aspen Grey), focusing on the edges and long, sweeping, uneven strokes.
2. Allowing minimal dry time, use your second foam brush to add white paint (I used a chalk paint) overlapping the grey in some spots.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you like the way your boards look!
4. When your paint is dry, rub or brush on the dark wax to age and seal the boards. I have even painted on top of the dark wax if I felt that there is a spot that didn’t turn out the way I want it. Just be sure to always finish with the wax.

Voila!

Next, I used wood glue to adhere my boards to the top of my painted table. This was a learning process, as I didn’t apply enough pressure during drying time in some spots, so the wood raised a bit in areas. I suggest having a few heavy weights to immediately set on top of your table after you glue the boards down, and a damp rag to quickly wipe off excess wood glue.

Patience. Let your table dry.

I really love how this turned out! You seriously can’t beat it for a total project cost of under $20! The sleek table body looks great against the faux barn wood… it’s the perfect modern farmhouse piece!

Can’t wait to chat with y’all next month!

Okay raise your hand if you’re cracking up at Olivia’s humor! Love her cute personality that shows through her posts 🙂 She is also totally brill in the DIY department:

DIY Upcycled Chalkboard | Antique Buffet Makeover | Microwave Cart turned Bar Cart