June Cleaver in Disguise

Do you remember the table I found in the trash?  If not, here is the picture I originally posted. 

Now this is what is looks like:

It doesn't even look like the same table, does it?  I was able to sand the top down and didn't have to use any paint stripper (not my favorite stuff to work with).  Then I restained it and painted the checkerboard.  The top of the upper tier is black to match the checkerboard color because the previous owner had put something on it that has left a black stain that I couldn't sand out.  

The really amazing part of the table refurbishing story is the legs.  I actually found three spindles that were originally made for an outdoor deck rail.  Somebody had thrown them in the trash several months ago and I just happened to pick them up.  Can you believe I would do something like that?  Anyway, my husband had used them as legs on a work table/storage shelf in the garage.  We had purchased some other inexpensive wood at Lowe's to replace the legs on the table, but I just wasn't happy with it.  It didn't "feel" right, so a couple of nights ago I was out in the garage and happened to look over and see those legs.  They were PERFECT.  I told my husband he was going to have to disassemble the garage table because I needed those legs.  I was even nice and cut the Lowe's wood into 3 ft. lengths so he could have replacement legs.  They are longer than the original legs, but that's okay.  It really works better in the gameroom at that height.  Now the boys have a "permanent" checkers/chess board to play on if they can find it under all of the "stuff" they are probably going to put on it (video games, cell phones, playing cards, etc.).  

All in all I spent about $2.25 for the project and that was for the piece of Lowe's wood that actually ended up being used in the garage.  I already had the stain, paint and varnish.

The lamp base in the "before" picture has also been painted black, but I'm trying to find the perfect (by that I mean really cheap or, preferably, free) lampshade to put on it.  I'll let you know when that happens.