I finally got around to refinishing our kitchen table, which has been on my to-do list for the last 4 years (no joke!) I’m delighted with the result, and this technique completely transformed our kitchen, giving it a light, airy feel. If you’re in the mood to refresh your table, give this technique a try!
My husband and I bought this table when we first got married for $50 on Craigslist, and I’ve had every intention of painting it ever since. I finally got around to doing it. Mostly, the impending birth of our twins spurred me on. At 20 weeks pregnant, (like a crazy person!) I finally got out the chalk paint and set about refinishing our table. While our table looked nice before, the yellow wood is not exactly my taste.
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)
Amazon bench (optional)
PAINT & TOOLS I USED:
So, 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. 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
Please note that this blog post includes affiliate links from Amazon. If you do choose to purchase something, I may earn a small commission – at no additional cost to you. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own. Thank you for your support!
