Found a free bookshelf on the curb in Portland and it changed my whole weekend

I was walking my dog near Alberta Street last Friday and saw a solid wood bookshelf just sitting out. It had a small chip on one side but was in good shape. I ended up spending all Saturday sanding it down and painting it a nice blue. Now I'm hooked on checking the curb on trash day. What's the best free thing you've ever fixed up?

2 comments

2 Comments

mitchell.mark8d ago

What color blue did you go with? That's a great find. I found a solid oak coffee table a few years back that someone left out in the rain. Took me a whole weekend to strip the old finish and sand out the water stains, but it's the centerpiece of my living room now. There's something really satisfying about giving a good piece of furniture a second life.

william_west8d ago

Oh nice, that's a solid weekend project. I'm always amazed what people throw out. @mitchell.mark, how did you deal with the water stains on that oak table? I tried fixing a dresser with a ring from a plant pot once and it was a real pain to get out.