Vintage medical table.
A while ago on a Saturday morning, Paul and I were at an estate sale… In the basement was this vintage medical table.
I posted a photo on Facebook asking you to talk me out of it. (Which I knew you wouldn’t.) Half of you said—have you lost your mind? You do NOT need a portable toilet.
But at least half of you thought I DID need the table. And at $10, it was the sort of thing that if I didn’t get it, I’d have not-buyer’s remorse.
So I said to Paul – I guess we’d better get that. And as he was carrying it upstairs he said – why do you always want to get the crappiest thing in the place?
I looked around, confused… Because, hello? I guarantee you I could find something crappier.
Paul added – if I wanted to bring home ANYTHING from this basement… There is no way you would let me.
Which is true… only one of us can be the arbiter of what disgusting things may enter our home.
I also got dishes. Because I am a dish hoarder.
Similar to the way Paul is a clamp hoarder.
He claims that you can never have enough clamps. However? I assure you that we have MORE than enough clamps.
If at some point there is a clamp-shortage in the world? We will make a fortune speculating on other people’s clamp–misfortune.
When we got home, Paul got to work on the table immediately.
I would have just added it to my growing mountain of crap in the garage. But Paul is starting to worry that he will be crushed under the impending avalanche.
Rather than use paint stripper, Paul took the grinder to it.
This was WAY, WAY, WAY faster.
And less likely to give us cancer.
It wouldn’t work for a large surface or for something you were concerned about keeping pristine, but for this, it was great.
We did a coat of primer, and then sprayed it with a white gloss.
At some point the glass shelves were replaced with mirrors and I still have to get replacement glass cut.
I’ve been waiting to do a post until I actually got the shelves… But I’ve recently remembered that any time the last 10% of a project is left to me, historically, it remains unfinished.
In the interest of full disclosure, it’s not staying in the bathroom. It doesn’t actually fit there.
I only put it there for photos because it LOOKS nice, and since this is a blog, I am contractually obligated to make you feel like my living space is nicer than yours.
See all my favorite Craigslist finds.
November 9, 2013 @ 5:09 pm
The table looks great. Paul did an awesome job getting all of the old paint off of it. The grinder is an absolutely wonderful tool for this sort of paint removal.
I do have to say one thing for certain, Paul and I agree 100% on the idea that you can never have enough clamps. Clamps are the way of the future, clamps make every project better, clamps can solve the problems of the world, if only everyone understood the utter importance of clamps. You could replace every member of the UN with clamps and we’d have world peace. There’s just no way it wouldn’t work.
November 10, 2013 @ 10:19 am
Um, the crappiest thing in the place??
Seriously! Did the man not see the roll around toilet? Really?
The table is such a pretty little thing.
November 12, 2013 @ 4:47 pm
I actually like the mirror shelves, but hey… I also know too well about the 90% rule. Most of our projects are almost done… how does this happen?! 🙂
Great find and I love that your hubby went to work on it right away too, he’s a keeper for sure.
November 13, 2013 @ 12:09 pm
I am sharing this post with my husband, so that he can see that he is not alone in having me as as a wife. Sometimes I am confused and think that I am reading a post I wrote!
January 30, 2014 @ 11:52 am
Hope you nabbed that cool toilet seat too!
February 12, 2014 @ 9:50 pm
Awesome treasure! Beautiful rescue, Victoria!
June 10, 2014 @ 7:09 am
AHH! I love this! Where did it end up in your house! Just discovered your blog and it is the BEST. THING. EVER.
April 12, 2016 @ 8:24 pm
I have this same table! I bought it at a flea market in Michigan…..I live in No. California….so we may be kindred spirits. I used thick frosted glass for shelves and kept the original paint…bought it 12 years ago and still love it!