Perth mum’s $16 Bunnings hack transforms coffee table

A Perth woman has transformed a cheap, second-hand coffee table using a “surprise” $16 product from the popular hardware store.

A Perth mum has transformed a $35 coffee table from an op-shop using a “surprise” $16 item from Bunnings.

Vicki Field, 49, was in her local second-hand store when she stumbled across a used table.

“Generally what attracts me is if I see something is of solid timber, is of a good size and seems to be in pretty good condition in terms of structurally,” Vicki told news.com.au.

“Structurally the table had nothing wrong with it other than just a few scratches.”

The avid upcycler already had some Bunnings items at home, including an electric sander, but spent a further $55 from the hardware store to help transform the table.

She said the unexpected item that helped give it a whole new look was the store’s $16 frosted spray.

Vicki Field, 49, from Perth, bought this coffee table for $35 from her local op-shop store. Picture: Supplied

The avid upcycler already had some Bunnings items at home, including an electric sander, but spent a further $55 from the hardware store to help transform the table. Picture: Supplied

Vicki said it helped disguise some of the scratches on the glass.

“I used chalk and tried to blob it on but it started to bleed through, so I just stuck down the pencilling with tape and used a roller. I let it dry, and put the glass back on the table.”

However, the mother-of-one noticed the scratches were still visible.

“Not only did it not look good enough, the stencilling (which you can also buy from Bun) was vulnerable to being scratched off.

“I flipped the glass upside down and used frosting spray on it.”

After spotting some scratches on it the glass, she tried to disguise it with some stencilling. Picture: Supplied

However, after it failed to cover the scratches completely, Vicki decided to use $16 frosted glass spray from Bunnings. Picture: Supplied

She used three to four light coats on it and once it dried, she put the glass back on the table – upside down.

Vicki said it not only did it give the glass a smooth finish, but it also gave it a unique look and helped hide the scratches.

As for the rest of the table, the mother-of-one sanded back a portion of the frame before applying liming white.

She also applied two coats of mushroom (mistint) to the frame. Picture: Supplied

“It was in a good condition and came up with a nice grain,” she said,

[So], I applied a lime white, painting it on like a varnish and then buffing it off.

“You can make it as thin to as thick as you like. I did two layers of liming white and buff in between and then put a clear varnish over the top.”

Vicki said the biggest challenge was the rattan bottom as she didn't know what to do with it.

“I tried removing some of the stains on it and even tried a quick sand to make it look a bit aged, but it caused damage, so I ended up using liming white on it too.”

She added several layers to make it thick and white.

Vicki said she was really pleased with how the table turned out. Picture: Supplied

Vicki applied two coats of mushroom (mistint) to the remaining frame.

“I was pretty happy with it,” she said.

So much so, she shared before and after snaps to Bunnings Mum’s Australia Facebook page and received plenty of positive comments.

“Very clever,” one user wrote.

“Love this! Well done, looks great!” another added, while a third described it as “stunning” and “so unique”.

Vicki said she was “really excited” to get such positive feedback.

“I have said a few times in this group that there’s almost always a way to fix a mistake and not to be afraid to get in there and have a go,” she said,

“I went from a basic plan, to plan B, C, D until I got to my final result and that’s the way it goes.”