Potting Table

This potting table was a great dumpster diving find! It's fun taking a piece of discarded furniture and bringing it back to life, especially when it's curbside trash. No money invested, so if it doesn't work, no money lost.

A neighbor was tossing this sewing machine cabinet. I knew I could turn it into a working piece of furniture. I actually made it two working pieces of furniture in one.

Is it a beverage cart to keep beverages cold while entertaining, or is it a potting table for the sun room with potting tools at hand?

Since it's the holiday season, I placed a poinsettia inside the potting table for holiday decorating. Later it can be converted into a beverage cart with wine and champaign to ring in the new year.

I love this piece of furniture and how it turned out. It's not my style of furniture. I tried to funk it up a bit by adding purple paint, but it's still a little too formal. We love nature and are very natural, casual people. Chunky, comfortable furniture with simple detailing is more to our taste. I guess I'll have to find another home for it.

I find every piece of furniture a little different to work with. It depends on the condition of the piece as to what steps I take to refinish. With this sewing cabinet I;

Removed the door on top and all the pieces inside that were left from the sewing machine and used a wood putty to fill in the holes.

Made a shelf by attaching the door inside the opening (where the sewing machine use to be) to hold a plant or a tub of ice.

Made three shelves with plywood to cover the openings in the front of the cabinet . Attached the shelves with wood glue.

I placed an old roasting pan inside the opening on top of the cabinet to hold a plant or ice.

Sanded the whole cabinet with ruff sandpaper. Washed the dust off. Stained the top and front panel with dark oak stain, let dry. Painted the rest of the cabinet purple, let dry. Painted a design on the top and front panel with purple paint, let dry. Washed over the purple paint with dark oak stain, let dry.

Sanded all the edges of the cabinet to remove the stain and paint so the natural wood could show though. Waxed the cabinet with several coats of Quick Shine Floor Finish by Holloway House.

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