DIY: Plant Stand Makeover

Thrifting is all about the hunt. Truth be told, I've spent a couple of years looking for a specific item. Sure, I could go purchase it new from a big box store or even look on eBay, but the reality is that the hunt is more exciting than finding the item. Sometimes I even find what I'm looking for and decide to be picky and pass that particular product over to find one in better shape. 

This spring I took my mom antiquing, or "teeking" as my grandmother calls it. It's something that we both enjoy and it's a good excuse to spend some quality time together. While out and about in some unchartered teeking territory, we came upon not only a humble little shop, but a honey hole of inexpensive and unique items.

The only find I'm going to blabber on about today is this $7 plant stand. It was handmade by some form of carpenter, who knows how long ago. I was immediately drawn to the size (which would pair well with a taller stand and a ground-level pot) and the fun shape.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that all this little gem needed was a fresh coat of paint and new home. Both are things that I happen to be able to provide.

I made quick stop in the paint aisle during my subsequent home store trip and picked up this $3 can of shiny gold paint. Then I zipped home and ran the grittiest sandpaper I could find over the stand.

Within ten minutes I took this stand from 1970 to 2016 and I couldn't be happier with the end result!

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DIY: Staining Furniture

Thanks for sticking with me through part two of my furniture overhaul! I know in the last post I focused heavily on the curio cabinet, but today I'm going to show how I stained my accompanying tables and then reveal the finished camera holder.

As I mentioned, the curio cabinet was made of pine wood. The end tables were already cherry. Since I wanted the two to match it was easier to use a red/cherry stain on the cabinet versus trying to dull down the redness of the tables.

Miniwax (found at your local Lowes / Home Depot) makes some great stain that enhances the quality of the wood without looking overly waxy/finished. I did my due diligence and scoured the internet for feedback on how to match pine to cherry and landed here. I'm very happy with the result but I'll leave it to you to determine how well it worked.

I started by adding one coat of stain to the tables and leaving it on for five minutes before wiping away the unabsorbed stain. I didn't want the tables to be much darker than they already were so the less time the better. I then took the bottom side of one of the curio cabinet shelves and tested (in five minute increments) how long it would take to get the closest color match. The result - 20 minutes!

Here's a half and half of the table progress. Talk about instant gratification!

This is the color difference between a stripped pine shelf and one being stained (before excess was wiped).

And now... the end result(s)! The staining took a bit longer (~1 week) with application AND dry time. I did this during the summer months (in humid Indiana) and it remained tacky longer than I'd hoped. 

*More on my fabulous lamps at another time.