New furniture can be expensive and inexpensive furniture is often made of particleboard. So when we were looking for a new endtable, I decided I would need to get creative and build on myself. I really like these solid pine, pre-glued panels available in large home improvement centers. The panels come in a variety of lengths and widths and are easy to cut to whatever dimensions you prefer. They would serve as the perfect material for what I had in mind.
I started my end table project with 30″ x 18″ piece, then glued and screwed a 14″ section to one end for the back. The remaining section will become the second tier of my two-tiered end table.
Since the pine panels are just 3/4-inch thick, to give the appearance of being thicker, I glued and nailed 1″ x 2″ pine boards to the edges.
I then used Minwax® Stainable Wood Filler to disguise the small nail holes.
As soon as the Wood Filler had hardened and dried, I sanded the entire table with #150-grit sandpaper and vacuumed off the dust.
To reduce any blotchiness when I stained the pine, I first applied a coat of Minwax® Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner.
Fifteen minutes later, I grabbed a heavy-duty paper towel and began rubbing in a coat of Minwax® Wood Finish™ in “Honey.” I just wanted a light coat of stain, so after three minutes I then wiped off any stain the wood had not absorbed.
While the table was drying, I set my four unfinished legs on a scrap of foam board and sprayed on a coat of Minwax® Polyshades® in “Classic Black.” Polyshades® is a combination of both stain and polyurethane that, unlike paint, lets the grain of the wood show.
For the two tiers of the table, I added two coats of clear Minwax® Fast-Drying Polyurethane. It really enhanced the beauty of the wood and will provide all the protection our end table will need.
Until next time,
Thanks for stopping by!
Bruce
