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A Rusty Old Table Revived

ByJane & Sonja

One day I was taking a walk at the farm and I spotted this rusty old  table….

One day I was taking a walk at the farm and I spotted this rusty old  table.  Now I must have seen this old thing about a million times, but I had never really “seen” it.  I had never seen its potential until now.
Before, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
When I tried to lift it, the top metal part stayed in my hands while the rest of it fell away. I realized I had my work cut out for me.  So I had to take a quick trip to the metal man to reattach the top.
Table before, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
I sanded it down to get rid of all that rust.  I got most of it and then painted it my favorite black using spray paint.  Two coats later and it looked like this.
​
Spray painted black, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
The next step was to find a shelf for the bottom. I found some plywood and had it cut to size. 
Plywood cut to size, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
The plywood  had some holes on the edges from previous uses, so I decided to go along with it and add some more holes along the edges. Adding holes to plywood, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com

​To give it a little color, I wiped it down with oil and vinegar.  I used 2 parts oil and one part vinegar.  This cleans the wood and also adds much needed luster.  What a difference!

Cleaning it with oil and vinegar, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
If you have been following me at all you will know that I jokingly refer to myself as “the twine lady”.  So to keep with the twine theme and to utilize those holes, I passed twine through them and attached the shelf to the bottom of the  table. I was going for a rustic feel.   
Twine to hold the plywood shelf, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com

​The last step was to add clear glass for the top shelf. 

Adding the glass top, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com

​From this:                                    
Before, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
To this:                                             
Finished table, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
It is far from perfect,  the bottom steel is not straight, and the rust would not come all out.  But considering that I managed to rescue it from rust purgatory, I think a good deed has been done!
Detail of transformed table, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
Table makeover, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
​Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links and link to Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission, that way I can continue to provide you with lovely content.  There is no extra charge to you for purchasing through my affiliate links.
A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
Glass shelf, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
​And that is it for my rusty project.  I hope you like it, I am especially proud of this one because it was sure to stay neglected at the farm if I had not spotted the beauty behind the rust.
​
Bottom shelf, A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
I  cannot express enough how happy I am to have started this blog and to share all of these wonderful ideas and projects with you all.​
Rusty table to new, #upcycle #oldtonew #metalfurniture #metalsidetable #furniture #paintproject #DIYproject A rusty old Table Revived www.theboondocksblog.com
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I love it when I get your comments and I will reply to each and every one of them. ​

Hello, we're Jane & Sonja, sisters, moms and lifelong crafters.

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92 Comments

    1. Larissa, “the Godess is in the house”… Thank you so much for visiting! You know how much I love your work, and it is an honor for me to be featured by you!

  3. I love a good rescue story and yours was great. Never heard of oil and vinegar on wood, what kind of oil did you use. Happy to have found your site.

    1. Heather C. I use regular olive oil, since I have plently of it.. 2 parts oil and one part vinegar. Its great for refreshing old dried out wood, and for cleaning them too.

  4. Έκανες πολύ καλή δουλειά. You did such a great job on this metal table. It’s simply gorgeous.
    P.s. I like the dual language of this post, helps me keep up with my Greek 🙂

    1. Dori, Ευχαριστώ πολύ!! I do the best I can, thanks for visiting, and if you have a website let me know.

    1. Thank you Keri. It was my first serious project. A labor of love!

    1. Rebecca, this was one of the first ones I did. It was sitting in the farm looking like it was one step away from the landfill. Thanks for stopping by!

    1. Thanks so much Paige. This was my first baby! I bought it back from the brink!! Thanks for stopping by.

    1. Carrie,, thank you for stopping by but most of all thank you for featuring my little rust guy. I will definitely be at your party!

    1. Thank you Kammy. This one was my first real upcycle, I managed to surprise myself. Thanks for featuring it!

  12. This is adorable…I want one! Now I just have to find something like this to up-cycle 🙂

    1. Thanks Kate. If you are lucky enough to find something like this go for it. It was so much fun transforming it.

  13. I love it, I even loved it in the before state! But you did an amazing job, I always like your rustic twine touches and it’s become such a nice side table now Mary! The basket with the flowers is beautiful!

    1. The before state was pretty grose Katrin, not shabby chic at all. It was more like peeling chips with rust. lol. I was just looking at it again and thinking mayby I should paint the wood and make it white? What do you think?

  15. Mary, that’s the kind of table that I would love to happen upon. There are so many uses for it! And now it has a little special meaning given that you rescued it.
    Well done my friend…Hugs, Lynn

    1. It was half dead when I fo und it at the farm Lynn. Full of rust and ready to fall apart. I’m so glad it’s home with me now.

  16. What a great rescue! I love the bottom shelf and the way you attached it is so unique! It’s funny how sometimes we don’t “see” what is right in front of us! You did a great job on this! I hope you have an amazing day!
    Smiles!
    Terry
    The Curator’s Collection & Making Broken Beautiful Thursday

    1. Terry thank you so much for your kind words. I enjoy coming to your blog every week even though I don’t always have furniture to link up.

    1. Thank you Vickie, this was one of the first projects I tackled. and it still looks great one year later.

  19. I love it! This is definitely a trash to treasure project! I really like the different materials together, too 🙂

    1. I try to mix things up a bit Julie. I’m really happy with this one, it has stood up very well.

    1. That’s exactly where I had it last year. Now I’m using it to hold my computer tower because it is a nice size.

  21. Hi Mary, you did a wonderful job on the rusty old table. Black is perfect for so many projects. I love that you used glass and wood. It’s so much nicer than two pieces of wood. Pinning!

    1. Thank you Darlene. This is one of my favorites since it one such a hot mess when I found it.

  23. I love all your upcycles and repurposed projects, but this one takes the prize! I can’t believe that sad white metal frame was turned into this gorgeous little table. It looks so great with the wooden shelf, twine and glass top! Once you’ve styled it with the basket, greenery and chalkboard I would never believe they were the same table! It looks fantastic!

    1. This was one of the first ones I saved from certain death. I still have it ,in fact it is sitting next to me holding my computer tower because it is soooo big…lol

    1. Thanks Lynn, I really didn’t know what to do with this mess when I originally found it out in the rain.

  26. Hi Mary,
    Your complete refurbish of this table is awesome! All the little details, like the twine, really make this project unique.
    You are featured on Thursday Favorite Things. The theme for the features that I chose is furniture makeovers. Thank you for sharing with us.
    Olivia

    1. Thank you for the feature Olivia. This one is real special to me since it was rescued from certain death by rust.

  27. I love how you combined a glass top with the twined wood at the bottom Mary. It creates such an interesting contrast while letting you see what’s on the bottom shelf from a different perspective. Great job

    1. I had become twine obsessed after the other project with the red plastic storage. There was no stopping me.

  29. Great save! The table looks great twine lady, lol. I do like the added touch of the twine. Just adds to the rustic charm.
    The oil and vinegar sure makes a difference, going to have to try that sometime.

  31. Nah, there’s no way you’re going to let something go to the dumpster! I know better than that! It’s a good thing you finally “saw” it though because it’s a great upcycle! Looks fantastic now. It reminds me of an old medical table my dad used to have in his office (he was an old fashioned GP). Whatever though, you did an awesome job on it.

    1. Florence it has to be pretty old this table. We had it at the farm buried under a pile of branches. I was lucky to have spoted it otherwise it would still be there.

  36. Such a great makeover, Mary! You certainly did a good deed and got yourself a useful piece of furniture in the bargain 🙂 Thanks for linking up your posts at Vintage Charm–

  40. Hi Mary, that is a handy little table of sorts. The rust adds character & charm, an effect, I expect people pay good money for in some shops.
    xx

  41. It is always nice to take something that is old and repurpose it. This turned out so nice. Thank you for sharing at Classy Flamingos.

  43. You did an awesome job bring new life back into the rusty old table. Its amazing the shine you get with a little oil and vinegar on the plywood. Love the added touch of the twine. Glad you rescued the little table.

  44. HI Mary,
    This looks great! I love an upcycle project! Thanks for joining in the fun at Inspire Me Monday! Definitely inspired!
    Where did you buy the glass? laura

    1. Laura we had it specially made to fit the top of the table. It was at a local glass maker.

  45. This is such an ‘ugly ducking to gorgeous swan’ makeover! Who knew that rusty old thing had such potential?

  48. Happy I found you on Instagram. I have a few friends t h at moved here from Greece. They go back often to visit family and they press their own olive oil and bring me some when they return home. It’s amazing
    This project turned out super. Most wouldn’t see how this piece would be made pretty again. Us bloggers know a little elbow grease and paint can work wonders..
    Love the added twine..
    Cindy

    1. Thank you so much Cindy! I don’t know how much back and forth I’ll be doing for now but I certainly can understand the draw of the beauty that is Greece. Thank you for your kind comment.

  50. Wow! Amazing! I definitely don’t have the same vision you have Mary. I totally didn’t see such a lovely piece in the “hunk of metal” and probably would have sent it straight to the dump.

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