Kitchen Table Makeover

What You Will Need

• Power sander, or a sanding tool
• Rustoleum chalk paint in Linen White, Country Gray & Charcoal (see picture below!)
• Old white T-shirts, cut up into sections
• Plastic cups or a paint holder (I used plastic cups and spoons and tossed them when I was done)
• Brushes
• Polyvine wax finish varnish 
• Amazon bench (optional)

PAINT & TOOLS I USED:

Let's Get Started!

1 – First, I gave my table and chairs a light sanding.  I chose not to use a chemical stripping agent to strip the wax sealant off the table and chairs – I opted instead for sanding to give my furniture texture for the paint to hold onto.  I used my power sander with 220 grit paper for sanding each piece.

2 – After sanding the table and chairs, I decided I wanted a bench to add more seating to our table. Especially since we will have 5 in our family after the twins arrive… So I went online and found this one on Amazon.  I ordered it and followed the same technique for the bench that I used for the table.

3 – Next I wiped down the table, chairs, and bench with water and a little bit of soap to remove any sanding dust.

4 – I started by painting everything with Rustoleum chalk paint in linen white as my base coat.  And a tip I learned early is to thin the paint out with just a little bit of water (less than a 1/2 tsp).  If you mix the water in with the paint before starting– it will help your paint go on smoother without leaving streaks.  Each coat will be slightly thinner, but I noticed I had less dripping while each piece was drying. 

I ended up doing 3 thinner coats but the coverage turned out great.  One thing to note, the bench legs had a slight cream tint to them, so painted those white as well.  I also painted a few coats of white on the bench top to have as a base.  We want everything to match!

5 – After applying the white coats of paint, I then mixed two cups of paint to come up with the colors I wanted to create texture on the table top.  In one plastic cup I mixed linen white with the charcoal gray. And in the other plastic cup I mixed country gray with a little bit of linen white and a little bit of charcoal gray. 

I spent time playing with the paint until I got the exact colors I liked.

6 – Next, I worked in small sections, brushing on both colors from my cups, and then I wiped each section with a piece of my husband’s old white T-shirt until I got the look I wanted.  If the color was too dark, I used the linen white paint mix to tone the color down.  And in the same way, whenever I saw a really light area, I darkened it using my charcoal gray mix. 

I used my rag to wipe every area until I had the right gray texture I wanted. 

7 – Finally, I gave the top of my table and bench a light sanding with 120 grit sandpaper.  Then I wiped everything down to remove any dust or dirt (or dog hair) that might be lurking on my furniture.

8 – Lastly, I used the polyvine wax finish varnish to seal the furniture.  I put down 3 coats, waiting a half day between applications.  This is my favorite finish for chalk paint because it gives my furniture a glossy finish without the high maintenance of wax. 

I also like this finish better than Rustoleum Matte Finish.  The polyvine wax is thicker and has a nicer hold when everything is dry.

AND HERE’S THE FINISHED PRODUCT!

And that’s it!  We let our kitchen table sit for 7 days before we used it.  I can confidently say that it has held up really well and 5 months later, the paint isn’t chipping at all.  I also ended up buying foam chair pads from Bed Bath & Beyond for our chairs.  It gives a little more cushion for the tush and looks nice too.

If you try this chalk painting technique for your table, let me know!  I would love to hear from you and how your project turned out!

With Joy, Jessica

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