30 April 2022

Nothing gets my creative juices flowing more than kerbside collection season! This piece began when a weathered wooden pedestal table was put on the kerb outside our apartment. My partner, Skrumf, and I were driving out to get some groceries and we agreed that if it was still there when we got back we would scoop it up. The shape of the base was just so lovely. It was right where we left it when we got back, so Skrumf helped me carry it inside and out into our garden area for cleaning.

When we disassembled the top we were greeted with a surprise… and likely the reason the table had been put on the kerb. Ants. Lots of them. I felt conflicted about what to do. There are thousands of native ant species in Australia and apparently QLD has the largest number of native ant species in the world! There are also a significantly damaging handful of invasive species in Australia, which disrupt ecosystems and threaten native ant populations. The trouble was that neither Skrumf nor I had the knowledge to confidently identify which kind of ants these were. After some rigorous Google searching, we felt pretty sure that these were Carpenter Ants, which are an introduced species found in great abundance across Australia. They are commonly found living in wood (hence the name) and contrary to popular belief  they don’t cause much damage to wood but use already-hollowed wooden spaces to set up shop. After some deliberation, we decided to go ahead and flush the ants out of the table base and see if we could still use it. I realise that you may disagree with our decision, but I’ve promised transparency about process through BADC, so that’s what you’re getting!

After we addressed the ants, I left the disassembled table outside for about a week to make sure that there were no more ant issues and in the meantime I began searching for a top that could replace the cracked and weathered one that had originally been attached. A Gumtree post took us out to Bracken Ridge and we bought a beautiful raw wood slab for $50. It had some warping and the existing finish was a bit worn, so I got to sanding it back. I wish I was more familiar with identifying wood to be able to say for sure what kind of wood this was, but it smelled strongly of eucalyptus as I sanded, which was a very pleasant fragrant clue.

Once the table base was confirmed all clear, I repaired, primed, and painted it with the remaining paint from the Mint desk in my previous post. There were still some visible dents and cracks, but after a few fresh coats of paint it was looking charming and revived. I coated the table top with a few layers of varnish and lightly sanded between layers to get a silky smooth finish.

Then came time to assemble the two pieces— it was nearly finished! Or so I thought… When I screwed in the table top and turned it over for the long awaited reveal, I got some wonderful lessons in the importance of measuring and levelling. Both the table base and the table top needed some shims to create a nice sturdy footing and connection between the two pieces. And the asymmetrical shape of the table top meant that the horizontal braces of the base were actually too wide for the spot where they connected. So, out came the saw again and after some experimentation and re-purposing of the table base offcuts, I was able to make some customised shims to line up the pieces just right. An important reminder that a project is never done until it says so!

The completed table was posted on Gumtree and sold to a lovely young couple living in Indooroopilly just a day after posting. It was a true labour of love and I am so pleased that it found its way to a happy new home in its refreshed state.