Wooden Trunk Coffee Table

Now, this was an enjoyable project to make, from tip to toe! This old wooden trunk from the beginning of the 20th Century was so nice, even underneath the layers of dirt and dark wax, that it was a real pleasure to restore it and give it the enhancement it deserved. Its natural beauty didn't need much more, really. So I paired it with a set of four solid, nicely curved legs from a late 19th Century wardrobe, and the whole become a rustic-yet-elegant coffee table, with loads of storage space!

It measures 36 x 69cm, 41cm high, the legs and the inside are tinted in a dark chocolate brown colour and the outside has a natural, toasted tone. It is also varnished and polished, for protection and nice looks.

Some general views, from all angles:

And some close-ups of the nice details: the iron reinforcements in the corners, still with some of the original dark red-brownish paint, the clasps, the antique legs, the iron handle (more distressed than the hardware in the corners, but also bearing some traces of red paint), and the gorgeous wood, carefully restored and treated to enhance its grain and patina.

These are some 'before' pics, showing the parts prior the work (you can see I had the intention to add four small casters to the legs, but finally decided against it because the table is not that heavy and its simple niceness didn't need any more 'add-ons')

So, after cleaning it came the sanding... loads of sanding, in and out- Inside mainly for cleaning and smoothing purposes, and outside to take off the dark coats of varnish and wax, and to show the wonderful wood again. The marks and some stains were left and desired, as they add to the character of the piece.

Preparing the legs involved cutting the wooden plugs, removing all rests of old glue, sanding and treating the wood with a bug killer, as they had those 'revealing' little holes (in the picture, the poisonous product soaking in...) -The iron hardware had to be brushed and polished to remove all rust crusts and make it shine again, without hiding its age, of course.

Then it came the staining of the inside and the legs (showed), and varnishing the outside with a clear, water-based product to protect the surface and boost the original lovely grain

I also cut the tips of some screws that pierced the inside board, and polished the whole piece thoroughly, inside and out, to make it smooth as silk! A completely deserved treat, me thinks.