Before & After: This Thrift Store Coffee Table Gets Secret Storage
Lindsay thought she found a “sturdy, but out-of-style wood coffee table” at her local thrift store—but when she got home, she realized she’d been fooled. The ugly veneer made this piece impossible to restore, paint, or reshape. “At that point, I wanted little to do with the table,” Lindsay says. But she’d already dropped $15, so she decided to figure out some solution.
And it’s a good thing she kept trying. She ended up making way more than surface change: she built a whole new lift-top surface, giving this almost-accidental purchase added functionality. “I think it’s so cool that I was able to take an old (and rather dull) thrift store piece and add functionality that is much more modern,” Lindsay says.
To create this multifunctional farmhouse-style piece, Lindsay painted the bottom white and used five pieces of pine to create a brand-new surface. She also added lift-top hardware, which costs about $22 on Amazon, to create extra storage. In total, this project took about five hours of work.
Lindsay may be an old hat at refinishing furniture, but she thinks any DIYer could tackle this project. “Refinishing furniture is much easier than you might think,” she says. “If you’re nervous about ruining a piece, remember you only spent X dollars on it. It’s hard to go seriously wrong.”
Thanks for sharing, Lindsay!