Telephone Table

Telephone tables seem to be a thing of the past. I don’t know anyone who has one. Maybe they’re in storage? If they all looked like this, I probably wouldn’t have one on show! It’s boring and plain. This is how it looked before I gave it some tender loving care!

I prepped the table for painting, washing off any dust and grime, checking if every thing was in working order. My choice of paint for this table was Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint. I wanted the paint to dry thick so the bristle strokes could be seen, so I didn’t dilute the paint with any water. Although if you want a smoother look add a little water, too much and the paint will dry with little bubble marks, meaning you’ll have to paint a second coat. Be careful!

Once the paint dried I applied clear wax. Then using fine sand paper I distressed the unit. Lightly add pressure to areas that you want to “look old”. I used dark wax to emphasis the curvature of the legs and to give the table an aged look. I find it best to remove excess dark wax by going over it with clear wax. Remember to seal the areas you have distressed! Give the wax a few hours to settle and then using a clean cloth, buff the table using circular motions to give it a beautiful shine.

I was inspired by the classic French look so although the table still looks old, it’s a vintage classic, quite plain yet sophisticated!

An old fashioned rotary dialing telephone would look perfect on this table!