Refinishing Kitchen Table with Chalk Paint and Stain - Farmhouse Table Video Tutorial

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Hi friends! A lot has happened since I last posted on here. First things firsts, the Muscaris are now Tennesseans! We sold our house in Illinois in June and moved to Franklin, Tenn. Needless to say, things have been a bit crazy for me unpacking and settling into a new home. 

I finally had a little down time and was able to wrap up a video tutorial of the last project I did in our old house. My husband scored this amazing dumpster dive find back in April, a Pottery Barn table! I gave it a farmhouse spin, and it's now our new kitchen table.

I'll give you a few details down below, but check out the my video to see how to create this look for yourself.

Pauly D Foundation Auction Winner

Hi friends! It's been awhile since I have blogged about it, but I have been busy painting this spring. Today, I've popped in to share a reveal with you from earlier this year. This table is one of the most dramatic makeovers I've done in a while, and it was my first time working with the much raved about General Finishes Java Gel Stain.

Last fall, I donated a service to a fundraiser for our dear friends' foundation, the Pauly D Foundation. After tragically losing their son in an accidental drowning, the Pauly D Foundation was established to advocate for water safety and drowning prevention. Their vision is to make a difference by raising the bar on water safety education and awareness. I was happy to donate to such a wonderful cause. The lucky winner contacted me early in 2017, and we went right to work bringing life back to her much used dining table.

The top was in rough shape from years of use and the grandkids had given it their own special touch by carving their names in the apron with a pencil. It was definitely time to show this table some love. My client settled on a two tone look with a dark espresso top and white distressed apron. I have been intrigued by General Finishes Gel Stain for a while now. The way it works is that you can stain right over an existing finish, but this top had a lot of peeling and cracking. I decided to sand down the entire top and work with staining the raw wood for an even, clean finish.

The Making of a Farmhouse Table

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I have wanted to make over my kitchen table into a farmhouse table for a while now, but I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with it. Then when I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Blue Egg Brown Nest, I fell in love with her kitchen table transformation. I knew I wanted something very similar, so I set to work.

My inspiration courtesy of Christen Bensten at Blue Egg Brown Nest.

Here is what I was starting with. We bought this table from the previous owners of our home in Indiana. They were downsizing, so we were able to purchase a lot of their furniture at a great price. This table was in really good shape, but I was never a fan of the table top's finish. It was too orange for my taste, and the varnish was very dull which means it did not wipe up well. The chairs were pretty oversized and looked a little out of place in our small dining space. 

And here she is now- light and bright. I just love the worn, farmhouse look of the table with the white metal chairs. It totally fits with my white kitchen, and I love the contrast it creates with my dark stained island.

I would love to tell you how easy this project was, but I am into telling the truth on this blog and not whitewashing (pun intended) the details. I decided I wanted to try to strip off the black paint on the apron and legs of the table, stain it a weathered oak color, and then do a coat of white paint on top. I wanted natural wood coming through versus the black. This turned into a big mess that I will save for another post where I will talk about using chemical paint stripper. To be honest, I am still scarred from this process, and it is just too soon to talk about it without getting red in the face or breaking out in tears.

Walmart Kitchen Table Makeover

I am so pregnant, but I managed to sneak in one more client job before we welcome this baby to the fold. Today, we will be looking at a makeover I did for a client who just bought her first home. She is looking to make it her own without breaking the bank and wanted to start with this table and benches she got from Walmart.com. I know some of you might be skeptical about buying furniture from Walmart, but this set is really well made and all wood at an affordable price. Honestly, it is a great set as is, but she wanted to give it a little more character, so we decided to lighten and distress it up. The result is a cozy, little farmhouse table.

Why Buy New When You Can Make Craigslist Furniture Look this Good

A while back I shared an Antique Kitchen Table makeover with you that was painted with Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan in the color Coco. This table was so beautiful, I was really bummed that I didn't get to do a proper photo shoot with it and the chairs I refinished to complete the set. Recently, my client was gracious enough to send some pictures of this beauty in her home, and I am super excited to share them with you.

Just as a refresher, here is what the table and chairs looked like before I started. The table was a true antique and the chairs where more modern and originally from Pier1. They were completely different colors and styles both found on Craigslist. By painting them the same color, we were able to achieve a cohesive set which is great news for you other flea market and Craigslist hunters.

Modern Chairs to Aged Beauties

This week I finished up a set of chairs to go with my recent antique kitchen table I completed for a client. Another great thing about painting furniture is that you don't have to have a complete matching dining or kitchen set. These chairs are originally from Pier 1 Imports and had a black finish with red distressing coming through. I painted them with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® in Coco to match the table.

Antique Kitchen Table

One of my favorite things about working with clients are the amazing pieces that come my way that I wouldn't get to paint on my own. Recently, I completed this gorgeous antique table for a client. She is a woman after my own heart, a Craigslist bargain hunter. She practically stole this table from its previous owner. And while the finish was beautiful and in decent shape, it did not fit in with her crisp, clean decor.

Using a Polycrylic Sealer with Chalk Paint®

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Update: I recently filmed a video comparing wax and General Finishes High Performance Top Coat that is comparable to Polycrylic. Check it out. 

I have another client reveal to share with you today. This is the second job I have completed for her, and again she brought me a gorgeous family heirloom. She grew up eating at this table. Now, she gets to gather around it with her own little ones and make some new memories.

Like I mentioned, this table has already lived a long life. So, the top was pretty beat up, and its finish was peeling in spots. Normally, I don't sand before painting, but I wanted the paint to go on smoothly since I was using white and it is a table top. I got my orbital sander out and used a medium sandpaper, 80 grit, to smooth it out.

The client selected Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® in Old White which I know you see a lot of on my site, but it truly goes with anything. It has so much more depth than your average pure white, and also really helps dark wood shine through when you are distressing.

Paint Color Selection for Dummies

Please don't be offended by the title of this post, because I am including myself in the "dummies" category. I have no background or education in design. I am just an everyday gal trying to make my home a space I can enjoy.

I recently repainted every square inch of my first floor myself and found the most stressful part was selecting my colors. I didn't have enough money to hire painters, let alone enough money to hire a designer to select colors for me, so my first stop was the Sherwin-Williams Pottery Barn collection. Clearly, Pottery Barn has tons of people with professional design experience and expertise, so I trust that the colors in this collection are on trend or classics that will stand the test of time.

I find it is easier to pin point what you don't like versus what you do like. My last three homes were warm neutrals, beiges or golds. After trying to decorate those homes, I knew I wanted to steer clear of those color families. I also knew I didn't want anything too bold. So that guided me toward picking a cool toned neutral, SW 7634 - Pediment.

From there I used the Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap® app to find its coordinating colors. I picked up a Color To Go® sample of each color and painted them on various walls around the main floor. This step cost me an extra $50 or so but it is so worth it. Don't trust paint sample chips from one of those strips you pick up at the paint store. You really need to put some paint on the wall and see how it looks in different rooms, on different walls and with different lighting. I decided I wanted a little more contrast between two of the colors and selected one shade lighter than what the app had suggested.

Window Shopping Wednesday - Wall Hooks

Happy Wednesday and welcome to the first edition of what I hope will be a new weekly post- Window Shopping Wednesday. 

Let's face it. In our busy lives we don't always have time to scour the flea market or stop by that cute little antique shop that is an hour away or even hack or upcycle something from around the house. Sometimes it is just easier to take a seat at the computer and shop from the comfort of your own home (or cube, don't worry I won't tell your boss).

So today, I bring you Window Shopping Wednesday. Each week I hope to share a decorating idea with you and then give you some products you can buy to recreate the look.

This creative way to use a wall hook comes from Chris at Just A Girl. I just love this idea for the bathroom instead of using a plain old towel rack.

The Great Remodel - Kitchen Deets

This is it. My fourth and final post on the kitchen remodel. It is time for all the juicy details on the products and vendors we used.

We started out meeting with Christ from Pearl Design Group in Bloomingdale, Ill. The experience was awesome. We had met with several other vendors before this, but Christ was the first that I got excited about working with. He really listened to my wants and concerns particularly about wanting seating at the island and came up with the solution to shift the fridge over to give us more space. Genius!