Do you ever bring home or buy anything because you feel sorry for it? Yeah, I’m a trained empath and it also means, I guess, for inanimate objects. Take this thrifted table, for instance. It was only a couple of bucks and… okay… I’ll say it… UGLY.

I knew without a doubt that no one would buy this as it is falling apart and a cheap piece of furniture. Never mind the spider’s eggs and webs.

So, this is a candidate for an upcycle adventure, don’t you think?

DISASSEMBLY

First, the one thing this table has going for it is that is actually made of solid wood. Anyone else despise manufactured wood furniture? {{raises hand}}. I grab my cat’s paw prybar to remove the leg assembly and top pieces as all are stapled on.

Then, once I have those removed, I separate the legs completely. With that in mind, I begin to form an idea of what I can do with these pieces. My brain instantly thinks of the legs as corbels. In order to make that happen, I trim off a bit of the top making it take on a curved shape.

After that, I use my drill with forstner bit to make a hole suitable to hold a dowel for a towel rod. Do you see the corbel-ish shape?

Next, I countersink a few holes in one of the tabletop boards so I can attach another tabletop board to create a shelf.

NEXT STEPS

Now I have my corbels with dowel rod, but I need to attach them. I place the corbel piece up against the shelf piece on the bottom and mark. Then, I pre-drill holes from the bottom up. In order to make the screws lie flush, I add countersunk holes from the top down.

Last, I attach the corbels with screws and plug with same diameter wood plug.

Finally, I can add the finishing touches. Because this shelf has a chunky look, I want to lessen that vibe, so I use a black milk paint with a matte poly on top.

HANGIN’ UP

Here’s my thrifted table upcycled into a shelf with storage and style, and perfect for many uses in your home.

I think the black suits it well with a sleek look. What color would you have painted it? Or maybe what would you have done with those pieces?

As always, you can find this and more redeemed furniture, vintage finds, and handmade goods in my online store.

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Until next time!

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While you’re at it, check out these other upcycles like this thrifted table: