Rustic sideboard dollhouse table

 Minatures.com sent me this unfinished table and I am going to show you how tomato an unfinished piece of dollhouse furniture into something extra special! This table came with two little baskets for storage.

First, sand down the edges of the table so they are rounded. You can also use your knife to cut away the edges for a more rustic effect. 

Use a needle tool and a metal ruler to create planks to the top of your table. Determine what width they will be so they are all even. Then run your needle tool along the table top at a slight angle. Press down as you go. You may have to repeat a few times to get a nice depth.

Use a small saw to define the ends of the table to give the illusion of wood planks by sawing into the wood. 

Use your needle tool to clean up any splintering.

Next, use the needle tool to add grooves in the planks. Let the grain of the wood guide your needle tool as you gently press. You don’t want to press as hard as you did for the planks. Study a piece of aged wood to get a realistic effect. I make a few lines coming up from the ends then run lines in a stacked fashion along the board.

Add some fine scratches here and there in little patches using the needle tip. I added a few knots by making what looks like parentheses and an indented dot in the center. The dark stain will fill in the scratches and create a nice effect.

Stain just the top section of the table with the wood stain of your choice. I used Minwax Special Walnut. Stain the sides and just under the edge of the table top. Let it dry.

Sand the table top with fine sandpaper and give it another coat of varnish. Let it dry and sand one last time.

Paint the base in one coat of a grey acrylic paint. I used Ceramcoat Rain Grey. Let dry then sand it smooth.

Now let’s add a cracked paint effect! Folk Art Crackle medium is ideal. Paint it wherever you want the paint to look crackled. I used it just about everywhere except the majority of the lower platform where the baskets will be. Let it dry.

Paint on the color you want. I used Ceramcoat white. Just one coat and it crackles immediately. Add a wash of white paint over the lower platform.

Baskets

Take your baskets and dip them into a can of stain with tweezers. Pull them out and place them on an old rag to absorb extra stain. Use a paint brush to evenly distribute the stain on the wicker, Let them dry. Paint them with a matte varnish. Let them dry.

Display your table!