Painted Kitchen Table

For a long time I've known I wanted to change my kitchen table. Our old table was perfect for our last home, but I felt this space called for a round table.

Knowing that I could not spend a fortune on a brand-spankin' new table, I began to search the local classifieds. I needed a table that would comfortably seat 5 people, so I had to find a round table that was 58-60 inches. I looked every day for two months--sometimes even twice a day! My searching paid off when I found this beauty for $10!!! It also just happened to belong to a man who lived about three miles from me.

I took it down to the basement and washed it down with dish soap and water, which removes the grease. Side note: this is my favorite part of the process. It allows me to see every small detail of the piece. It made me fall more and more in love with this table!

My supplies:

I let it sit for a day, then applied the first coat of Annie Sloan's Old White chalk paint. Since reading other blogs about this paint, I knew I wanted to try it. This paint does not require stripping the furniture first. In fact, the top of this table was pretty stripped, but the legs were not. Annie Sloan's paint worked best on the legs, as it seemed to soak into the top.

I used a natural bristle brush (purchased at Walmart for about $2). I bought two bristle brushes, but ended up just using one. I applied two coats of paint. You will have to pick bristles and small paint clumps out of the paint as you go.

I let the paint dry overnight, then applied a thin coat of Annie Sloan's clear wax. I tried to apply this wax with a round wax brush, but found that the clear wax was easiest to apply with a clean, lint-free rag (I used an old bandana). After letting that sit for a day (although it wasn't totally dry), I lightly sanded the edges of the table, then immediately applied a thin coat of Annie Sloan's dark wax.

This is where I goofed. Because it was easier to use a cloth to apply the clear wax, I assumed the same would be true for the dark wax. Not so. As I applied the dark wax with the cloth, it looked splotchy. I knew once the table was finished it would just look dirty to me, so the entire table top got sanded down to the wood grain, re-painted (two coats), lightly sanded the edges, then applied the dark waxed using the round bristle brush. I lightly dipped the brush into the wax, then rubbed it on paper, before rubbing it onto the table.

I especially loved how the dark wax brought out the cracks in the table.

Here is the after picture. We love our new table!