I Found and Refinished a Lost Table in My Attic!

I found a lost table hiding in my attic! She’s a cute lil’ thing that needed some TLC and now has a prominent spot in my living room. What a doll, she is!

First of all, can we talk about how special it feels to find things in our houses? As a kid, I have a vivid memory of always wishing that I’d hear a faint meowing noise coming from the wall of my bedroom. I dreamed that I would be able to pry open the drywall and I’d find a menagerie of puppies and kittens all happy and healthy in the cavity of my bedroom wall. In this dream, my parents would let me keep the dozens of small animals and they’d all become my best friends. There was never any question as to how they got in the wall of my second-story bedroom wall built 20 years prior. It was simply such a thrill to find something I loved so dearly.

Perhaps you don’t dream of finding animals in your walls, but you must admit there’s a thrill when folks find old newspapers, charming notes, vintage toys, or even razor blades behind walls. It just has me giddy. So far, I’ve found a beehive in the wall of the bathroom and a top of an old glass bottle in the crawl space. Cool, but not like, suuuuper cool. Until now!

Recently, my electrician said, “you know you have a table up in your attic” to which I said “WHAT?!?!” So I went up there and whaddya know, there was a cute little side table up in the rafters over the porch. It was hard to get to, but I crawled around up there and retrieved a cute little four-legged curved top beauty.

It’s definitely old (not sure how old) but it wasn’t in great shape. The turned legs were dry and dull. The top piece looked worse for wear with staining, significant cracking, chips, termite bites, and just overall dryness. It’s actually just simple plywood. Not a nice cut of lumber, nothing to really write home about. I’m actually thinking that it was maybe just a temporary top that would have maybe gotten a wood or stone top? Or maybe it was someone’s woodshop project? Or maybe it was going to be veneered? I dunno for sure, but it definitely isn’t a showstopping cut of lumber. I still love the whole table, though!

Because the legs were in good shape, I oiled them with some of this stuff that I had laying around in the garage. (Since I know I’ll be asked, these are my shoes pictured above)

I tried oiling the top to see if I could revive it, but it was too far gone. So, I painted it. And I have no issue with doing so! I sanded the top smooth with my orbital sander to knock down the splinters and the raised grain from the expansion and contraction.

Then, I gave it a nice coat of primer. I am team primer no matter what. I know you can get the primer-paint-in-one nowadays, but I always do a coat of primer, always.

For paint, I wanted something to brighten it up but not be a stark white. I thought about doing a color, but I simply have no colorful paint on hand. Maybe I’ll give it a pretty hue in the future, though! I had a sample of Farrow & Ball’s Drop Cloth, so that’s what I did. It’s a perfect creamy color that’s not quite white but not quite putty.

After the first coat, it became clear that the cracks in the wood were super visible. I thought about leaving them as is to show some of the patina, but they just made it look neglected. So, I got out some trusty filler, and spent an hour listening to Armchair Expert while I patched the cracks and patched the cracks. It also filled in some of the divets of the wood grain that I didn’t get with my light sanding. It’s kinda pretty!

I did another coat or two of paint and that was it for the top! Look at those curvy details! Swoon.

The legs were re-oiled and looking sharp, but when I put them into the bottom, they wobbled around since the opening is far wider than the leg insert. So, I wood-glued them in place and now they’re stable.

The living room doesn’t feel entirely “me” right now. Many of the furnishings came from our old apartment five years ago so they have a mid-century vibe that isn’t really my vibe anymore. The side table by the front door had served us well but it screamed 1960 when I’d rather it say 1920. So, out it went and in came my “new” found lil’ table. I’m on the hunt for an antique couch at local auction houses but for now, this table will be the nudge in the old school direction I’m headed for now.

What do you think? Should I paint the whole thing pink? Green? Blue? I’m sure I’ll itch for more color one day. Have you found anything fun hidden in your house? Do tell!