Hi Friends! Today’s post is all about a table that belongs to my friend Sydney…..meet Syd everyone….
And that is her baby Bradley who is just the smiliest and friendliest kid ever 🙂
So Sydney texted me and told me that she was super excited because a co-worker of her husband was getting rid of this table and chairs and gave it to them FOR FREE. But it didn’t really coordinate with the decor she was using in her dining room.
Isn’t it so cool? I LOVE all the detail in that table base and look at the top! It’s so pretty!
Granted the red stain color wasn’t doing it for me in her space and she has three kids and watches her sister’s kids too…so we both knew that she would want to get a distressed finish so that the kids marks wouldn’t show!
She brought it over and told me that she had no idea what to do to make it over. Well….that’s my favorite part 🙂
Upon inspection, the chairs and the base were solid wood and the table top was a particle board with a veneered overlay. Whenever you are dealing with solid wood, you can sand till your little heart is content….but with veneer, you have to have a lighter touch.
She and her husband came over on a Saturday with the table in tow (and six kiddos!) ready to get started. At first, her little ones were really interested in the sanding so we put them to work 🙂
I sanded the first half of the table top to show Sydney and Matt how to remove the stained bits without exposing the particle board and then they were off to the races.
One of my favorite things about DIY is this….teaching people how to do something so that they can save money. It’s so much fun to tackle a project together but also to know that you improved something yourself is an AMAZING feeling. I hope that every time they look at this table, they know that they did it!
Since the plan was to stain the top and paint the base, the sanding part was more tedious on the top. We had to remove all of the stain or risk a color difference. The base just needed to have the finish scuffed up so that the paint could adhere properly.
ISN”T IT AMAZING?!
So for the top, Sydney wanted something dark and I thought that was a great idea. Darker stained table tops tend to hide marks and imperfections well and also add contrast if you want to have a lighter base.
We used the Rust-Oleum Briarsmoke color (it’s new!!!) and it looks sooooo good. More gray brown than red brown which is perfect for a coastal vibe. And I couldn’t find my staining gloves so I used my kitchen gloves. ha!
Here it is as it was drying. It looks different here as it does finished so I did get nervous….but you will see how good it turned out.
After the chairs were sanded and the dust removed, it was time to paint them.
The spray paint was definitely the best man (err…best can?!) for the job as there were so many nooks and crannies.
I picked out the Rust-Oleum Universal Matte Robin’s Egg turquoise color. It’s Sydney’s favorite color and she had it in a lot of different decor items so I knew it would work great.
Once the stain was dry on the table top I also draped that and taped it up and got to spraying that base too.
This is where I kinda steered off course. Remember that scene in Friends where Joey picks up the ring and Rachel thinks he is proposing and then Ross gets offended that she said yes? That has nothing to do with this. But I’m glad to see you remembered it.
So getting off course is something I do well. Point proven. And in the case of this table, I had a major misstep. a brain fart. a lapse of judgement. I accidentally covered the table top AND the apron.
In the famous words of Homer Simpson….DOH!
So back to the garage (this was obviously before our big makeover started!) and back to covering that table top so I could paint the apron. May this be a lesson to you…..ALWAYS PAINT THE APRON.
I busted out a couple more cans of the spray paint…
And a couple quick coats later, she was looking mighty fine…
This is when I started the distressing. I needed a light natural worn distress on the chairs and base so I used 220 grit to hit the edges and make sure it was all areas that would get naturally worn down with use.
A few coats of poly and Sydney’s table is complete!
I love the natural distress look….it is the perfect amount of color peeking through…
And the color combo is so fun and at the same time feels classically coastal…here is the picture with a good color representation…
I put it in the yard for a few pictures before we delivered it back to Sydney. She loved it and honestly I was so happy that she got a great makeover that actually WORKS for her family and home. And she learned so much along the way….it’s like a win-win-win!
I love the fact that people are taking more risks with their furniture and using a big color like robins egg blue is an easy way to get your foot in the color-loving door. Plus, I think medium toned woods are making a splash in homes so definitely consider those for your next makeover. For now let’s just all congratulate Sydney on a job well done and a brand new beautiful table!
p.s. And because I know you will ask….my sandals are HERE. And yes, people stop me in the street to tell me they love them 🙂
Well Robin’s Egg Blue was not on my radar, but now….oh the possibilities!
It looks AMAZING! I have a table that I MUST use this on!
A couple of questions:
1. What kind of poly did you use? Brand? Spray or brush? Matte or Gloss?
2. Is there an advantage to using matte paint when you are going to cover it with poly or is it just the look of matte that you like? It seems like the matte would be hard to clean.
Super, super job! Thanks so much for sharing!
Love it! So pretty! Great job. And yes, love your shoes too!
I’m about to paint my dining chairs a similar color! Love it! Did you apply poly on the chairs as well? Or just the stained table top? Thanks!
So cute! I have a dining room table that is in desperate need of some love but I have been avoiding it due to the crazy nooks and crannies on it, similar to the table and chairs above. How would you recommend sanding down a piece of furniture with so many grooves?
I have those same sandals! I too get asked all the time. I might go buy them in black as well!
How many cans of paint did you use?
I never thought of using ‘caned’ paint on a big project because I thought it would be 20 cans
That paint color is really pretty, and I’m glad you found the best fit redo for her space! My fave look in this transformation is the post-sanding/pre-staining/pre-painting look, though. Love the raw wood! At that point could you have put some clear coat on it and left it looking raw and natural?
What a lovely table and chairs. It was such fun to see the process from start to finish. I’m sure it will bring years of enjoyment for this family.
If it was my table and my space, I would have definitely sanded the entire table down to raw wood and done a clear coat to show off that wood…but ya know, when it’s someone else’s things, you have to help them execute their own style!
xo – kb
It was 8 total.
xo – kb
Basically any groove is easy for the paint to stick to…but the smooth parts next to the groove need to be shine-free. You would definitely need to remove the existing finish (not necessarily the paint or stain) but make it smooth and with enough grit for the paint to adhere well.
xo – kb
I only did the table top so that if she wanted, she could do touchups with the spray paint.
xo – kb
I used a semi-gloss poly for the table top. It was a brush on version (Rust-Oleum’s Clear) and it was not fully gloss because that shows mars easily. I like the matte for this particular item because it looked more muted for a coastal look.
xo – kb
Ok so how many cans of spray paint are we talking about here? I think
I do spray paint wrong because 1 can never goes very far…or 3 and I never have a great smooth non tacky finish. Any suggestions- when we get past 3 cans of spray paint i start worrying about price and that was just for 1 chair….AGH!
Very cute
I was going to ask this same question, I would have expected 15+, surprised it was only 8-nice job!
Loved the makeover. You made it look easy.
Yay I have the same sandals in Tan.
Plz also tell us where you got that tshirt tunic top. You need to do more outfit posts, you have good style.:)
Definitely – just like with your entryway table that you repainted a few weeks ago. I can definitely see the painted/stained combo being fab in the right space. It was fun to see the steps of the transformation and think about how I would do it differently in my own house.
This turned out great!! I just did a table and 4 chairs as well. Driftwood grey/white top, white base and teal chairs. I love it.
http://sylviacook-inspirations.blogspot.com/2016/05/dining-table-and-chairs-make-over.html
I used 8 cans for all four chairs, the table and a leaf. My best tips when it comes to the paint is to do lots of thin light coats. They need to dry fully between coats….and yes the first few coats will look like a light dusting.
xo – kb
I love it! These are my favorite kind of projects!
Hi it looks like that table expands due to the top being in 2 pieces, did you stain that bit as well?
The table came with a leaf so we did do that too!
xo – kb
You did a great table make over and love the new color.
Your sandals a really cute and I would like to know
the brand of those jeans you are wearing in the last photo, cute.
Old Navy! And they are SUPER comfortable. Here is the link.
xo – kb
This table turned out great. Thanks so much for the tutorial. I am planning our kitchen table redo now.
Thank you Emily! I love it!
xo – kb
I’m so glad I found this post! I have this same exact table! It desperately needs to be repainted, but I couldn’t figure out how to paint all the books & crannies. Never thought of using spray paint! What a great idea!!
Send me a photo if you tackle yours! I would love to see it!
xo – kb
What tips do you have for sanding that top? Thanks
I would recommend sanding the existing finish off with a 120 grit and going slow and steady until the top is plain wood. Then when you go up to 220, you can stain. I would definitely recommend a poly finish and sanding in between coats with 440.
Hope this helps!
xo – kb