One drawback to living in the most northern metropolitan city in North America is that snow and ice are not uncommon in April. That's exactly what was going on outside while working on this month's furniture makeover for the Furniture Fixer Uppers series. While bundled in a sweater to ward off the cold, I couldn't have picked a more suitable paint color for the Queen Anne Side Table I'm sharing today.

Queen Anne Carved Shell Side Table Makeover

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the makeover I'd like to get a little personal, if I could. I want to share something about the vignette I created for the photos.

Those of you who have been following my blog know that my Mom has been battling Alzheimer's. Before this nasty disease took over her brain she was an artist. In her early 50's, after having raised seven children, she started painting classes at a nearby senior's center.

Ironically, that senior's center is next door to the long-term care facility where she now resides. In fact, her former instructor's paintings are hanging on the walls throughout the care facility. While the creative spirit in Mom is no longer, the artist and her work live on. The painting hanging above my little Queen Anne table that I'm sharing today is one of many of Mom's works of art.


Whew, that was hard to write. Anyway, moving on - let us get to the meat and potatoes of today's makeover.

This is what the table looked like before...


Looking at the close-up photo below of the missing veneer, one would assume that the burled wood grain went deeper than the veneer.


Excited to get down to that gorgeous burled wood underneath, I tried removing the veneer using the wet towel overnight technique.

Unfortunately, the veneer didn't budge and so on to Plan B, using a heat gun and putty knife and it worked but not without a lot of elbow grease. Removing the residual glue (and there was a lot) came off with a palm sander.

Sadly, all that work didn't pay off because underneath was strips of mahogany not near pretty enough to be stained. Before applying a paint color I brushed two coats of Shellac over the top because being mahogany, I was guaranteed tannin bleed.


Next was choosing a paint color and when I saw the brand new jar of Icicle from Country Chic Paint, not only was the name most fitting for our frigid Spring temperatures, but the pretty soft blue would be lovely for this style of table.


It took three coats to get complete coverage and while I was loving the color I wanted to lighten the blue even more by applying a white glaze and letting it rest into the details of the carved shells on each leg.

Applying Glaze Tip

I use an inexpensive chip brush to apply glaze and dampen (not soak) the brush in water first to help the glaze glide onto the surface easier. Work in sections using long brush strokes and wipe off the excess with a lint free rag. A little goes a long way.

It wasn't part of the plan but the shell detail on each leg was begging to be highlighted. Using just a little dab of gold gilding wax on the tip of my finger, I lightly rubbed it onto just the raised parts of the shell and wiped it to a more subtle finish with a lint free rag.


Stepping back it felt like the table needed more gold highlights and I contemplated stenciling a gold floral doily in the center of the top. Instead, I rubbed the gold gilding wax along the rim, not being fussy about getting full coverage.


I love Queen Anne furniture because of those lovely curvy cabriole legs. I have several pieces in my home like these Queen Anne Armchairs we reupholstered for our living room. I went a little whimsical with this little Queen Anne Table and it sold quickly. One of my favorite pieces was a coffee table I repurposed into a music inspired Queen Anne Bench.

Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this post so you can see what products I used or recommend to complete this project. If you make a purchase through the links, there is no extra charge to you and I will receive a small commission to support my blogging wardrobe with a fresh new set of pajamas (don't judge). See my full disclosure policy.

I'll be taking this pretty blue Queen Anne Table to my new booth next week and hopefully, like the others, it sells quickly too.


The girls on the Furniture Fixer Uppers team are extremely talented and I can't wait to see what furniture pieces they made over for this month's challenge.


Please join me in visiting each of my friend's blogs to see what these sad little pieces pictured below look like now that they've worked their magic.