Thrift store dining room buffet

Happy Thursday, everyone. Today I am thrilled to share a finished project with you that I started working on last March. If you follow this blog regularly, you’ll remember me griping on numerous occasions about how I really needed to get the dining room buffet/sideboard finished. Well, I am happy to report that it is indeed done.

After we moved into our house last January, I went cruising around blogland for ideas for the “new” place. I was smacked right in the face with photos of the most glorious dining room I’d ever seen (OK maybe that’s a bit dramatic; let’s say it was the most glorious dining room that I could actually afford to replicate). It was Sarah’s over at Thrifty Décor Chick. Uh.May.Zing! I decided I was going to literally rip off her entire design for my own dining room.

The only problem? I couldn’t find a buffet/sideboard that was affordable in the color I needed.

Fast forward a few months to when I found this “gem” at a local thrift store.

It wasn’t super cheap at $80. (Trust me, Dave Ramsey, I tried to talk her down on the price with no luck.) But it was still waaayyy cheaper than anything new I had looked at. And it was solid wood with dovetail drawer construction. The best part? It was made in the good old U.S. of A. So I bought it and patted myself on the back for my patriotic purchase. Here’s the original hardware.

After I got the piece home, I went to work stripping the old varnish and stain. I used these materials to do the dirty work.

I mixed Jacobean and Ebony stains to get my desired look. The goal was to match my dining room table and chairs; they are really dark.

Here are the drawers stripped and then re-stained.

After months of procrastinating, I finally plowed through the project and finished it. (Have I mentioned how much I despise refinishing furniture? Sorry, Sarah.)

Here is my “new” buffet in all its glory.

I love the fact that the buffet matches my dining room table and chairs perfectly. I did order new glass knobs for the top drawers. It really gives the piece that “wow” factor.

I also love the fact that I now have more storage for things like games, table linens and fine china. (By “fine china” I mean the set of Japanese dishes – service for 16 – that I got for $5 TOTAL at an estate sale. Score!)

So there you have it, friends, a dining room buffet done on the cheap.

Sorry for the nighttime photos, by the way. I really need to learn to manage my time so I can take photos during the day on the weekends and use that lovely natural light.

Before I go, check out the winter hot cocoa station I set up in my kitchen this week. Tiny loves it!

Stay classy and thanks for stopping by. (Name that movie.)

HOGChatty Chics

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23 Responses

  1. Sarah says:

    It is GORGEOUS!! you did a fantastic job! And a big project for sure. You go girl:))

  2. Pam Gereau says:

    Stay classy = Anchorman? I love that movie! Your buffet looks great, btw. Love the dark color but was wondering how you were able to get it on the top which looks to be a kind of laminate. Can you share?

    • Susan says:

      Thanks for the feedback, Pam. I love Anchorman too. By the way, you get extra points for good observation because you are absolutely right about the buffet top being laminate. It was a real nail-biter of a challenge figuring out how to refinish it. I actually ended up priming the top black and then using a dragging technique with dark brown stain (to get it to match the rest of the piece) then finishing with a top coat. If I had it to do all over again, I would’ve used paint that was a close match to the dining room table because working with stain over primer is not easy.

  3. Wow. She turned out beautifully! Great job! I know that was a lot of hard work! Come link this up at my place today and show her off if you can! You could win a $5 Starbucks card!
    http://chattychics.com/2012/01/17/need-inspiration-wild-wednesdays/

    • Susan says:

      Thanks for the feedback, Melody. I linked up to your Wild Wednesdays party. I’m crossing my fingers for that Starbucks card. Kudos for the invite.

  4. Cherry says:

    This turned out great ! I love the name of your blog…
    Happy Wednesday and hugs from Savannah, Cherry

    • Susan says:

      Thanks for the feedback, Cherry. My husband and I were once stationed at Shaw AFB in South Carolina and we would visit Savannah. It’s a beautiful city. It’s much colder here in PA!

  5. Sharon Hines says:

    The buffet is GOR.JUS! Love the way it turned out and the decor on it. Your dining room is so, so pretty! Thanks for sharing at my Show & Tell party. I really appreciate it!

    Sharon

  6. April says:

    I think this is great. My parents bought my son a new dresser from a flea market. They were on a trip to Tennessee and thought it would be perfect. It needs some TLC! I am scared because I have never done this before!! I hope it turns out one tenth as nice!!

  7. Thank you for sharing! I’m featuring you tomorrow on Sunday Showcase at my place!

  8. Jamie says:

    You did an awesome job! I love the black! I need to get a buffet or hutch for my dining room!

  9. Karyn says:

    The room and furniture are gorgeous. You did a great job. May I ask where you purchased your chandelier?

  10. Holly says:

    Your buffet is absolutely beautiful. I love glass knobs, I’ll put them on everything! I’ve been on the lookout for a buffet very similar to fix up, that’s not pricey, but so far I’ve found nothing! I know it’s waiting for me somewhere! I’m your newest fan. Please stop by bellanest.blogspot.com if you get a chance.

    • Susan says:

      Thanks for the feedback, Holly. I love glass knobs, except for the fact that they are not cheap. Have patience with your buffet search. It took me nearly a year to find mine, mostly cuz I’m cheap and I didn’t want to spend too much on one. By the way, I love the scripture reference you used with your blog title.

  11. Laura says:

    I know this post was done ages ago but I found it on pintrest and I’m IN LOVE with this look! May I ask where you got your mirror and/or what size it is?

    • Susan says:

      Sure, Laura. I love how it came out, too. I actually got the mirror from my local thrift store. It was a light oak color and scuffed up pretty badly. I paid $20 for it. I primed and painted it white. I’m sorry I can’t tell you the dimensions right off the top of my head and I’m currently out of town, so I can’t quickly measure it. I would guess it is about 3 feet wide by 4 feet tall. It is fairly large and VERY heavy, so the sheer weight of it keeps it from sliding around on the table. I also have a dish towel behind it at the top so it doesn’t mark up the wall paint.

  1. January 30, 2012

    […] week when I featured susan’s beautiful buffet decor, I mentioned that I love it so much that I was inspired to create my own version.  Susan wrote to […]

  2. December 6, 2012

    […] week when I featured susan’s beautiful buffet decor, I mentioned that I love it so much that I was inspired to create my own version.  Susan wrote to […]

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