The old table - stand

I decided to work on Rich's old night stand that he'd had for years. It is a simple piece of furniture with nicks, scars, and chips on it. The top of the table is a nightmare of circles, scrapes, scratches, and water damage from his CPAP.

I find it actually quite charming and a good reminder of what we have gone through for so many years. The top will be preserved like this with scars, scrapes, scratches, nail holes and layers of dark old varnish finishes that had been used over the years. 

The water marks from the CPAP will remain as it gives the top a certain charm.

Gnarly. Just like my pet name for Rich.

Below is the table before I started work on it. It is a simple piece that he purchased at auction years ago. I rescued it from storage in the garage where it had gotten wet and muddy. I'd cleaned it up and offered to paint it then. Rich said no, it was just a crude piece of furniture he'd picked up and it wasn't worth the effort. He said it would serve his purpose as a CPAP holder.

I didn't want to toss this table with so much character and history. So I decided to paint it.

It will take more than a coat or two. But the top will stay the same with a coat of acrylic on it's surface to preserve the scars.

I can hear Rich telling me that it is not worth my time and effort and that I can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

But here it is. A fun little project to keep me busy. I'm not sure I like the feel of the chalk paint after it has dried, but I can deal with that in a top coat to seal it. I do like the soft pastel colors though.

The table will end up resting at the end of the new cabinets I built for storage. I'm using one of the cabinets for organizing my craft supplies. 

I have my eye on the next two paint projects to keep me busy through the next dark months when I may be stuck inside with poor weather.

I'll start work on the first chair pictured here soon and leave the other one until after Christmas when I use it as the Christmas Tree Chair.

In the mean time while paint was drying, Charlie and I took a nice hike. Life in the fast lane sure is exciting.