Hello friends! Be sure to follow along on Instagram and Pinterest for all the behind the scenes!
So long story short, when we moved into our little beach house a couple years ago, we slowly have been making it "us" versus a vacation rental, but as a family of five in such a small (poorly designed layout) space, the decorating and function has been quite the challenge. I really miss my oversized solid wood farmhouse table! I've really missed not having really any definitive dining space at all. Cue the sad music...
With that said, I am also a firm believe that you are not a "victim" to your circumstances and to make the best with what you have and go for it. Our layout isn't ideal for everything we'd like to enjoy and has to be multi-functional. I decided to trade the lower lounge chairs and view for a dining table we could all sit down together at and enjoy our meals, game nights, etc. No more splitting between the bistro table nook and bar seating, especially now that summer is over and we are not sitting on the back patio for meals.
I was excited to find this table on Craigslist locally for $80 and have it delivered to me. With a couple day's of focused work, I was able to turn it into a table with that Restoration Hardware like look that we all know and love.
Here is the Before and After!
The process isn't too crazy difficult, and I just worked right in our home where the table was going to be. Here's the step-by-step run down. Most products can be found at your local hardware store.
- I placed a dropcoth under my table to protect my rug and floor.
- I applied Citristrip (a product stripper) on the table top and base (with basic, cheap chip brushes).
- I used a scraper to remove the stripper and gunk from the table top. This gives you clean, raw wood to work with.
- I had to do two rounds of stripper to get the table prepped, and then afterwards cleaned it with Odorless Mineral Spirits. This is what I had on hand, but you can also use Citristrip's Paint Stripper Afterwash.
- Now for the FUN part! For this makeover, I used Vintage Market Furniture Paint in Dove White and mixed up a simple "wash" with roughly equal parts paint and water. There is NO set formula for this! The more water you add, the more diluted and lighter or washed out/opaque the color will be. Two alternative white colors I recommend are Rustoleum's Chalked Paint in Linen White OR Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White. **Update: Since this post, I painted the apron and base of this table in Annie Sloan Pure White. :-)
- Apply the wash in sections of the table. Wipe away immediately or let it sit for a minute or two and then wipe away. I used staining pads for this and they work beautifully! Much better than the old days when I used old t-shirts or rags. Lol
- When you are wiping the color away, I suggest finishing out by wiping in one direction. On a table like this, I finished removing excess paint in the direction of the grain. This is NOT necessary every time to use a paint wash to makeover a piece of furniture!
- Move to the table apron, then the base in sections.
- Let paint wash fully cure.
- Seal using staining pad and Vintage Market and Design Matte Finishing Creme (which is amazingly beautiful and durable!) I suggest applying 1-3 coats in a similar manner as the painting process. Apply, let sit, then wipe and buff out.
- Let the table dry/cure for a few days before full use.
Overall, I LOVE the way it turned out and am excited to keep working on the dining space. I have a cabinet for the wall I am working on, and am planning to get a nice lantern light up above the table. I really like this style with black metal and glass panes. We'll see.....I may not be able to hard wire the lighting and am brainstorming a work around. ;-) There's always a work around!
