Barn Wood Overlay DIY Table

To know me is to love my junk.  I found this table for free somewhere in some Dumpster. It was in sad shape, but I knew it would go on to live another day.  I also knew I had to pull something out of my garbage pile to transform for this month’s DIY FURNITURE Girl’s Themed Project.  My goal for this project was to use 100% upcycled items and use whatever I had on hand already.  

I have a huge pile of barn wood and another big pile of reclaimed fence boards.  I knew the two were meant to be together, but I couldn’t quite get my mind there.  

I measured the sides of the table and cut four pieces to fit like a box around it.  Now the top of the table would be like a storage container.  Do not look closely; you will notice I am much more of an eye baller than an accurate measurer.  

Next, I measured (sort of)  the width and depth of the legs and cut wood to overlay and frame the legs.  I used this awesome nail gun to attach everything.  It is cordless, and pneumatic, I love it!  I ordered it from Amazon here. 

Because the legs of the table were still pretty unstable (due to the MDF construction and warping), I had to attach a bottom to the table to make it steady.  And I love to put wheels on everything.  You can read more about how wheels make a difference on furniture here. 

The bottom of the table came from an old piece of a built-in bench we used to have in my kitchen.  We got tired of it, and I took it apart but kept the boards.  This little piece is the very last of those boards.  

Time for wheels, I used casters I had on hand.  I wanted a bit of a patina on them and used this method to get them to rust fast.  Cool website, tons of ideas for rust.  I used the Bleach and Vinegar method for nice rust on my casters. 

I needed the cut edges to look more like the aged look of the boards.  I didn’t get all fancy and make a ton of 45-degree cuts, in case you are wondering. To darken the boards,  I used DIY Paint, Dark & Decrepit.   It’s an all-natural stain and top coat together.

If you missed my video on how to use them, check it out as I refinished my free Mid Century Buffet.  

I used a Sea Sponge to apply the stain (because this is what I had on hand…..).  I also went over some of the lighter parts of the wood just to deepen the color.  

The table needed handles to move it around.  I bought a bunch of rusty trowels from my favorite store on the planet,  Urban Ore in Berkeley.  To make the holes in them, use an Awl and pound the heck out of it with a hammer.  I predrilled small holes where the Trowel would be nailed in place.  To make the nails rusty, I used a Copper Spray Paint.  They naturally got beat up as I pounded them into the trowel.

I made a top with the same wood pile, but it needed handles.  My first try was rope handles.  FAIL.

I made a 2nd top that was bigger.  (This is a huge pile of wood I have).  I was fresh out of industrial handles.  This was my one purchase.  To get the handles to look old, you can try one of the rust methods mentioned above, or you can try this.

Lightly spray Copper Metallic Paint.  When dry, use CeCe Caldwell’s 100% Natural Stain applied with a Sea Sponge.  I used Walnut Grove.  Next I added two more layers of color with Modern Masters Colorant in Tobacco Brown and Black.  Love the way the handles look with my rusty trowels.

  My friend gave me the idea to make the top a tray, I love this! Multiple uses from my piece of junk!

I found the best way to apply the colorant is to use a sock you pulled from the garbage.  I was out of rags, and all I could find was an old pair of socks.  No clue why there was a pair of socks in my Workshop garbage can, but I went with it.  You have a lot of control with a sock as your applicator.  Get over the yuck factor.  Your wood is dirtier than that sock at this point.

I love the bottle openers. I would have preferred an old-fashioned bottle opener, but since I was so last minute, I had to make new ones look old.  Those things are hard to find!

I could not believe this table.

Turned into this table! 

I hope I inspired you to look at your next plain and boring table in a new light and think about what you can do to give it a new life.