I brought this amazing zinc-topped table a few weeks ago to sell at the Market on Chapel Hill. I didn’t have time to fix it up the way I wanted to, though, so I was sort of glad when it didn’t sell. It was great as is, but needed a little TLC.
And when it comes to furniture, TLC is something I can (and often do) do.
Here’s how the piece looked when I brought it to the market…
(If you get seasick, you might want to have a barf-bag handy. Yes. I just wrote barf-bag.)
The front, left leg is an inch shorter than the other legs. To say the table was wonky was a bit of an understatement.
The floors in our studio are so un-level, though, that I didn’t notice it until the day before we packed it.
Here was my quick fix…
…a stack of sticky felt furniture pads that didn’t quite make up for the missing inch.
So, I took time today to fix it properly.
I measured the full length of the shortest leg…
And then compared that measurement to the other legs…
…and marked each leg where I needed to cut it to make them all the same length.
I cut the legs with a Dremel Saw-Max. Kriste was painting a couple of dressers at the time and I called over to her, “These legs need some wheely feet.”
It would add the height back that I had to chop off, so the table wouldn’t be too low and I’m just a sucker for casters.
I dug through my stash and found some cute little antique wheels I purchased off eBay a few months ago. They were a hair too big, but not enough that I was deterred from using them.
The table base was very chippy…another piece that was leaving its flaky calling card everywhere it sat. I sealed the finished with a thick layer of MMSMP Tough Coat.
Some people cringe when I say that the Tough Coat isn’t matte, but it has a nice, satin finish when it dries. Not matte, but definitely not glossy.
It does shine when it’s wet, but it dulls as it dries.
The antique wooden wheels I added to the bottom of the legs were a little dry…
…so I brushed on some Hemp Oil to rehydrate them.
Kriste and I fawned over the wheels. She said it looks like the table is wearing little roller skates and it kinda does!
And here is how it looks now, after some TLC…
The finish on the base not only sealed the chipping paint, but brought out the contrast between the cream paint and the wood showing underneath. It just looks cleaner and sharper.
The zinc top is what sold this piece for me. It’s pretty spectacular and was really fun to style and photograph.
The gorgeous scissors are from Anthropologie.
The white shoe cart is another piece that didn’t sell at the market. Someone really wanted to buy it, but it wouldn’t fit in her vehicle.
The shelves are just simple pine boards painted in MMS Milk Paint Linen. I have plans to make them fixed, but I’m enjoying the fact they are adjustable right now.
I lowered the top shelf to rest the amazing German chalkboard I found a few weeks ago.
The shoe cart is staged mostly with other pieces that didn’t sell and a few things from our prop shelf…
…and the plants I couldn’t take with me to Alabama. (I’m sure it would’ve been okay, but I had flashes of the USDA marching into the chapel, hauling me away for smuggling succulents across the border, so I left them in PA.)
I shared on Instagram that I was really dragging this morning, feeling tired and sluggish. But then, I don’t know what happened, but I felt a spark and was ready to create. After dragging my feet all morning, I couldn’t wait to get to the studio and this project, styling and photo shoot was just the kind of creative outlet I needed.
19 Responses
Dragging and then a spark. Sounds familiar. My husband can always tell what stage of my cycle I’m in by my energy level. Hopefully that will stop now that I’m facing menopause. A steady energy level without any crazy-woman highs and lows would be great.
I’ve been looking for new small casters without luck. Can they only be found used on ebay?
Hi 🙂
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Best regards Vibeke
Another nice thing about the zinc top….it doesn’t show dust!:)
Hard to believe that both of these pieces came home from the Market with you. I love the zinc table, especially for the raised lip around the top. Please don’t attach the shelving permanently to the shoe shelf. I would think the fact that you could reconfigure the shelves would be a huge selling point for this piece.
I am dragging today, but hope to get a spark so I can conquer some work projects at work and later at home.
Happy Wednesday!
Susan
I am absolutely in love with both of these pieces you’ve shown today, especially the zinc top table. The casters you added! As a beginner in retreasuring finds like this I enjoy the education you provide in your posts (i.e. Hemp Oil for hydrating the wheels).
The zinc table is gorgeous! Of course, I haven’t seen anything that you have beautified that I don’t love! I am wondering about the feet on the shoe cart. Are they wheels? I was once told there is never a “dumb” question.
Ha! I was actually going to say something about those, because several people were confused by them at the market. Yes, they are wheels and the roll very well! I’m not sure why they are designed that way, but I’ve seen a lot of these shoe carts with that style of wheel. It does look a little like it’s on it’s tip-toes, doesn’t it?
I am fairly confident that your shoe rack is really an old baker’s rack. The wheels allow it to rotate easily in all directions. I have an old baker’s rack myself and use it to display some of my ironstone. They are really interesting pieces and difficult to find in my area for a reasonable price. I love the table and casters you chose!
Lovely table 🙂 I love those casters!! Finishes off the table perfectly!
Lauren Baxter | Lovely Decor
xx
I too am a sucker for old casters. I have an old tea cart I am keeping just because of the fancy legs and casters it has.
Marian, I’ll bet that you already realized that you could bring faux plants for staging next time you “cross the border”. I don’t know what the laws are over in your neck of the woods, but, I was told (years ago) that it is against the law to move birds’ nests from their original spots, on the West coast. I don’t know if it’s only certain species, or all birds; if picking them up out of one’s yard after a windstorm is okay, or? When I was teaching, I was always a little nervous about showing an inherited, old birds’ nest in my classroom.
Love Kriste’s comment about “roller-skate” wheels, she’s right!
I echo the idea of keeping the shelves unfixed for versatility. I, too, am wondering about the shoe cart’s wheels, have never seen those before…
Yeah, I found this nest on the ground years ago, so I figured it was okay. 🙂
I to like the zink top table ,but the drawer pull is totally adorable on it. I like. So many others have a really stressful day job so your daily post are a really nice destresser.
Oh my!! I love the double wheels and the raised edges on the zinc top! Great styling as usual too!
what a great simple make over… appreciate idea of sealing the chippy paint. With all the attention about the dangers of lead paint in the past years and the popularity of the “chippy paint” look, it’s a good resolve.
Hi Marian,
Love the “roller skates” on the zinc table. And I agree, the “white shoe rack’s” wheels do give it the appearance of standing on it’s tippy toes.
Just want to applaud you on how well your blog is going, the direction of MMS. God certainly had a new level for you this year. As I’ve said before, when I grow up I wanna have a similar business (I’m 67. LOL.) Seriously, you are an inspiration and I can tell Who blesses you, your family, and business.
And a big “hello” to Kristie.
Alicia
Ontario, CA
You weren’t dragging, your brain was sorting and making plans, That’s my story and I am sticking to it. lol
Love the zinc table, I used to live in NYC and there was a fabulous little French bar just off Park Ave. in the 50s that had a zinc bar. Takes me back to those days.
Oh I love those casters! I am on the look out for some similar for an old washstand I have (which I also had to cut the legs on because they were uneven!) Great post as always! Love the tips about tough coat sealing the chippy paint and hemp oil for the casters!
I need to ask you a question about chippy paint…..when the chippy paint is old lead paint and it’s a piece you want to paint over. Do you remove the paint and how? Or do you use a sealant, like the one on this piece, and then paint over it the next day or so???