IC International Concepts, Portman Coffee Table , Solid Real Wood, Sturdy Parawood, DIY, Paint/Stain Ready, Unfinished

Nice value. Purchased for $80 plus tax, currently not for sale on Amazon as of Aug 2020. Its a pre-sanded, unfinished wood coffee table. Fairly heavy and good for small spaces. See item description for dimensions. (They may change once product becomes available again). The one negative part is that staples were used to fix the parts onto the table during transit. They are a pain to remove even with pliers. You will need to accept the small holes created, or keep staples on, or use wood putty and then sand over the removed staples. (They are on underside of table).I have never used stain in my life but tried it out here. All parts are cheap- $20 out the door at a hardware store.Instructions:I bought:Premium oil-based half-pint dark walnut stain from Varathane and also oil-based Polyurethane in satin.Angled painting brush and foam applicators120 grit sand sponge and 220 grit sand spongePaint project rags (wash them first!) Andpaper towelsTack cloth (sticky yellow rags used to wipe debris from furniture/walls)A 2mil plastic drop clothDisposable gloves and a 3 ply face maskPlastic lunch bags to wrap paintbrush inYou may need a screwdriver or painters tool to open the cans-‐-------------------------------------------Put gloves/mask on. Lay down drop cloth. Open windows. Do not assemble first.Not necessary to sand, but its advisable to do so if you use a stain intended for one-coat application (like I did). All you do is take a 120 grit sponge and lightly sand all over, in the direction of the wood grain. Wipe clean with tack cloth or rag. Then do the same thing with 220 grit sponge. Wipe clean.The premium stain should be applied FIRST before poly. Apply with a paintbrush to ensure you get enough product on the table.Apply in the direction of the grain:This is the part where you decide how you want the finished product to look. For a lighter color, wipe excess stain off with paper towels asap after you apply. Do this in the direction of the grain.If you want a darker, weathered look as I did, let the stain sit for 10 minutes, and GENTLY wipe off with rags, not paper towels. I wiped the stain off in small strokes, purposefully going left and right, not up and down.You will see the larger piece (visible top of coffee table) was done this way with a single coat.The shelf was also done this way with 2 coats, and thus is a darker color and has a more weathered look to it.Complete the same process with the legs.Notes: Do one side at a time, starting with the undersides of the table so you get the hang of things. Let dry overnight per side. Wrap paintbrush in a plastic bag to prevent it from drying. If you do 2 coats, remember to let dry overnight and sand/wipe down before applying a second coat. The directions say the stain dries in 1 hour, but IT DOES NOT.Once you have applied the stain to the legs and both sides of the table, now you can apply the protective coating, polyurethane. I heard differing accounts of how to apply, but chose a foam applicator because my paintbrush was ruined from the stain. (Use steel wool pads to get stain out brush if you want to continue using it). I was very careful at this stage but did not sand in-between coats of poly. Foam applicators help prevent visible brushstrokes, but also have air pockets in them, which necessitates multiple coats of poly for best results.Apply in same direction as wood grain. Pay special attention to lay it out evenly. Let dry overnight. Apply second coat. Let dry overnight. Flip table over and do the same thing. Do the same process for the legs. Do not rush this step.Once fully dry, assemble per instructions.This process was new to me, but I think the table turned out well. Its always easier once you have practiced.

Absolutely perfect! Took the stain perfectly even, very smooth surface, easy to assemble! And the perfect size for the small space I need it for! Will add finished picture once poly dries.

This table comes unfinished, which was perfect for me. I made it my own, by painting and sanding. Its great just by itself though. I think maybe might need a seal if you plan on having liquid on it. My opinion. Definitely a great buy for me!

There are no predrilled holes for the bottom shelf. I measured wrong, didn’t get them level, and ruined the table. How can you sell something without even a mark to show where the holes should be drilled?! I am so disappointed.

I received my coffee table in only 4 days! Not only did that impress me, but the overall quality was amazing: it was packaged well, it only contained 6 pieces, all of the parts were there and the wood is beautiful. I had never heard of parawood before but it is a very hard wood and has a beautiful grain. It didn't take me too long to put it together as I am a "pro" and assembling furniture. The only drawback was that there were no holes drilled to receive the screws on the shelf, but drilling them was no problem. I am very please with the product and it has a nice weight to it. Maybe I was lucky and got a good one, but I would recommend this coffee table to anyone looking for one. My only dilema is what color of stain to give it. Hopefully, it won't take me too long to decide and then I can update my review with a picture.

Love this coffee table! Luckily for us it came without any polyurethane or lacquer on it so we stained it right away without any sanding. It looks great and seems very sturdy. We are very happy with it.

We purchased this for our son's apartment. I stained it with a medium stain and it looked great after about 3 coats of it and 3 clear urethane coats. It has held up very well in fairly heavy usage. It still looks very good after about 1 year of usage in a young man's apt. It was EASY to assemble, and the sanding job out of the box was better than most non- finished furniture that I have bought. It is better than any other that I could locate new or used. It is real wood, not junk.

It looks good and once assembled seems very sturdy. Like others, there were no pilot holes on the bottom shelf. But since the wood is fairly soft, a hammer and a small nail are all you need. It stained pretty well (I used an oil based stain and a satin poly finish). There were a couple of small spots that refused to take the stain 100%, even with extra attention and an additional coat of stain just on those small areas. They're dirty blonde rather than a medium walnut. Guess that adds "character" to the piece, lol!