Refurbished Buffet

Again, I do apologize for not having a "before" pic of this piece.  I did this about four years ago and was never great at remembering that step.  I promise from here on out, I will snap pictures along the way.  This is one of my favorite projects I have ever done, because I love the way this turned out.  It is a focal point in my great room and people ALWAYS comment on it.  :-)

I bought this beauty at a local weekly flea market.  It was selling as a set, buffet and hutch, for $200.  I decided that I didn't want the hutch, so I got the buffet for $125.  The piece is extremely heavy and built well, so I knew that this was a bargain (especially since I had been "eyeing up" ones in the Pottery Barn catalog for upwards of $1000).  Once we lugged the big guy home, I got to work.  It started all the same color, the light wood you see on the top.

I decided I wanted it black and distressed, so I applied two coats of interior black paint in eggshell just to the bottom, the top was in great condition, and I liked the look of the different finishes and colors. Once dried, I took sand paper to the edges and made it look weathered.  Then I added one coat of satin polyurethane to the bottom, as I didn't want it to be glossy/shiny, like the top.  I added three coats of glossy polyurethane to the top, because I wanted that look and I knew that I would be sitting items on top and using it at parties, so it needed to be durable.  I put all of the existing hardware back on and I just love the way that this turned out.  It is one of my prized possessions. :-)