chalk paint

DIY – Rattan Side table Upcycle

| The Bee Life

Embarrassingly enough, this upcycle has been 11 months in the making — eeek! Part of it was sheer shelf doubt and being intimidated about using and installing rattan for the first time. On top of that, I did not find too many other DIYs for installing rattan in the way I was going to use it, another stumper, so there was a lot of thinking and planning. Did I mention, I was intimated about installing rattan? Luckily, I finally got over that because, ultimately, I love how this piece came out!

This upcycle was pretty low budget, as I utilized 90% of materials I already owned from previous projects (like my Sideboard Glow Up) — but I’ve linked everything below if you’re a first timer a furniture flip.

Makeover Supplies:
– Rattan (17″ x 3.3′)
– Wood Filler
– Hand Sander
– Liquid Nails
– Wallpaper
– Magnolia Chalk Paint & Wax Sealer
– Round Felt Furniture Pads

My Total Cost: $46 (liquid nails + rattan)

For an 11-month project, this was fairly simple as it was just a paint job and switching out the side panels. One added touch to get rid of some of the gaudy was filling in the detail on the bottom front with wood filler which instantly elevated the piece. I had left over chalk paint and had already worked through the kinks of using Chalk Paint, so I knew what to expect when it came to painting with it — although I still did not LOVE working with chalk paint, I at least knew what to expect. The wax seal definitely helps protect any surfaces that are going to be high-traffic.

Let’s talk about the rattan. Removing the original metal was pretty easy, I just cut it out with wire cutters. The rattan I purchased does recommend soaking prior to use, so I did soak the roll before cutting and installing into the sides of my table. Disclaimer, I don’t think this was the easiest furniture piece to install rattan on and my method definitely wasn’t perfect, but it worked. This table had a framed alcove for the rattan to fit into, so my goal was to utilize some liquid nails to glue into the framed alcove. This was messy and not ideal. I ended up utilizing some dowels with painters tape to keep the rattan in place while everything dried — that definitely helped! Again, this wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t have another way to keep in place, nailing wouldn’t have worked, so I also made sure to try to get as much of the rattan stuffed into the framed alcove as possible for added support.

The final finishing touch was adding in the wallpaper — I had some scraps from the Sideboard makeover that I had planned to use, but then my mother-in-law gave me some wallpaper scraps, which fit this piece so well, so it was a no-brainer to utilize those! I added this to the inside back and then a few pieces on the inside top, just for an added touch. 🤩

This is the perfect little plant stand/side table with space for a little accent decor (thrifted books & a vintage picture of my great-uncle) while still showing off the pop of wallpaper and the classic rattan sides. And I love how it ties into the sideboard and can be used in different spaces around our home as we change things over the seasons. Would you want this piece in your home?

See More of Bee’s Before & Afters: Sideboard Glow Up, Moody Side Entry, & Glam Front Entry

DIY – Sideboard Glow Up

| The Bee Life

I’ve been itching for a DIY project, and as much as I love the looks of our sideboard that transitions seamlessly from our living room to our dining room, our project skills and taste have improved since we first did this project back in 2016. The functionality and size of this piece are ideal, so there was no sense in trying to find and buy something new, we just needed a little glow up. After much brainstorming, I saw @hotpinkpineapples cabinet makeover and was instantly inspired to recreate this beaded look on our doors — the color was just throwing me.

To throw it back to 2016, we found a battered bookcase on the side of the road and added doors to it to create extra storage for glassware, entertaining, and games. The legs on the bookcase have always been questionable, so with this glow up, I also made sure to reinforce and take the time to fix some things overlooked with the first make over – like new legs, reinforcing the bottom, taking the extra time to sand the doors to remove some of the roughness and using wood filler to create a seamless look.

Makeover Supplies:
– 4″ Wooden Legs with Metal Leg Plates
– 25mm Wooden Craft Beads (I got 3 packs)
– 1-inch edging
– Gold Acrylic Pulls
– Wallpaper
– Magnolia Chalk Paint & Wax Sealer
– E6000 Glue
– Wood Filler
– Gold Spray Paint (for the old hinges)

This was my first DIY with Chalk Paint… and let me say, I was not impressed, actually super bummed. I did the chalk paint because it’s supposed to be easy, durable, and little prep. I ended up sanding the old piece for the wood, but never primed anything… and as I was in the finishing touches stage the paint easily chipped off, or was stripped entirely when I was applying the wallpaper all the way down to the original dark wood grain. I wasn’t happy! So I made sure to get the wax to give it that protective finish – I did a couple coats on the high-traffic areas but am not convinced it’ll hold up. I also put contact adhesive shelf liner down inside to help with the chippy chalk paint.

Another learning on this DIY was gluing all the beads on, super easy, but the glue had a lot of leftover cobwebs, which was annoying when it came to finishing/painting – so either be careful or super diligent when you are gluing to avoid unnecessary webs. I am really happy with the 25mm size of the beads with my larger doors, they definitely make a statement!

Since the front was getting a glow-up, the inside also needed a makeover too. I wanted it to be a fun party inside, especially since this holds games, additional glassware, and other entertaining supplies. I think the fun tropical leaf pattern in black, white, and grey is super chic and lots of fun. What do you think?

I’m low-key obsessed with this makeover, and have found a small place for some green in my home with accessories and supporting pieces! Working on this project definitely got my creative juices flowing, it’s amazing when you spend the time creating and making something how that stems into other ideas and thoughts in other aspects of your life. 🥂