I present “Exhibit A”,

I’ve had this great “modern-ish” coffee table for well over a decade.

It has definitely seen better days.

I love the square metal base. But that top.

I don’t know if any of y’all have a Doberman in your life.  If you do, you will understand why the top looks this way. She has been using it to get a better view out of the front window…..and we pro’lly don’t trim her nails as often as we should.

Maybe there is some decent looking wood under all that brown stain?

I started with some VERY heavy grit sandpaper and scrubbed till my joints hurt.

After an hour of sanding off polyurethane and dark mahogany stain I was left with this….

Better, yes…..but still not exactly thrilled with it. Those Doberman talons dug deep.

And it looks so……flat. I wish it was a little bit more ….”rustic”.

Wait a minute. Remember that pallet wood we started collecting for the wood accent wall in the master bedroom a year ago?

Well, we never threw it away.

Shocker, I know.

I present “Exhibit B”

Y’all are never gunna believe this……but those short grey boards are EXACTLY the size of the wood coffee table top.

EXACTLY

AND…it’s almost the same color as the sanded wood. Can’t even tell where the boards stop and the table top begins…can you?

A and B together make a pretty decent “rustic/modern” coffee table.

All I had to do was nail everything together. (after a good cleaning, of course)

Pretty happy with this…..Love the way the nail holes line up down the sides and straight down the center. Like it was meant to be.

I had to trim a few pieces to make everything fit, and I didn’t like seeing those “freshly cut” edges.

I mixed some acrylic craft paints, black and brown, with water,

and brushed it on everything that looked new.

Here’s what she looks like now in the Living Room.

We think it’s Way, More, Much Better.

and…..it didn’t cost a thing.

UPDATE:

I found this pretty similar table at Restoration Hardware recently.

It is in the $1000 range