$49 Bunnings hack transforms stunning coffee table
This woman's coffee table transformation is a prime example of why you shouldn't throw away old furniture.
Instead of getting rid of the 20-year-old table and sides, Melbourne-based Nina Verdier decided on transforming the pieces to give it a whole new look with a $49 Bunnings product.
She said while there was a lot of sanding involved, the end result was worth it.
“I tried to do most of it in a day or two since I get really dusty and don’t enjoy that part,” Ms Verdier joked.
“Once I removed most of the dark stains with an orbital sander, I used a detail sander for the corners and edges.
“I also used paint stripper in some areas that I couldn’t get in with the sanders.”
After prepping the items, she covered it with Cabot's $49 clear water-based varnish gloss.
She used three to four coats of varnish on the top, with one to two coats on the legs/base. “It is important to clean the surface with sugar soap to get rid of any dirt and dust and make sure it is smooth before applying the varnish,” she advised.
“The (Bunnings) gloss doesn’t change the natural wood colour as other brands I tried before. I got 1L tin and used less than half of it,” she told news.com.au
“I love to give furniture a new life. Sometimes we think it’s easier to get rid of them and buy new ones, but once we realise how much a piece can change with a bit of TLC, it makes it way more special and you’ll save a lot of money,” Ms Verdier said.
She took to Facebook to share the before and after photos and it garnered over 2500 likes and hundreds of comments, with users praising her for the transformation.
“What an incredible result,” one woman wrote.
“Looks great, so glad you didn’t paint it. The timber looks wonderful,” another added.
Ms Verdier wasn't expecting such a massive reaction but believes it's because people now realise what they can do with similar items of furniture they have lying around.
“(I guess) they couldn’t believe that was something they could do themselves. I got heaps of messages saying that I inspired them to do the same instead of throwing them away and getting new ones.”
Since losing her job as a retail store manager during the covid pandemic, Ms Verdier turned to upcycling furniture in her parents-in-law's house to keep busy.
But she ended up falling in love with it, turning her hobby into a full-blown upcycling business Butch & Bulldog.
“I was just doing it for fun, to find something that kept me busy during the hard times. But I started getting messages from family and friends to upcycle their furniture, and then friends of friends,” she told news.com.au.
“My partner and I had no experience at all. I didn’t even know how to use a screwdriver,” she said.