For a long time I’ve been contemplating giving my kitchen table an update. Like many other things, I just procrastinated. Let me tell you though that this table being just one year old, it was actually going to be thrown away. Yep. To the trash. Â It’s not a very heavy, solid wood kind of table. It was a bar table, and the chairs were rocky. One morning, as I was driving back home I found these fine antique solid chairs. These were perfect for the dinning room. The table was in great conditions, it’s just the chairs that I had were really shaky. To the point that we were using the little ones’ Thomas The Train table to have our meals! Terrible, right? So I measured approximately how much I would need to cut from the tables legs so that it can be at an ideal height. Somehow, these were going to be the chairs, period. I knew I wanted to paint it, but just didn’t find it in me to start this project. That was until I found this gorgeous China Hutch and gave it a completely new look that then I was then motivated enough to get this table the look it deserves.
Here’s a before shot of what the table looked like before:
And here’s what the table looks like now:
Here’s what I did:
I painted the parts I wanted blue first. BIG mistake! I should have removed the wood finish first and stain that. Then I should’ve painted the rest in with the chalk paint. Since I used the chalk paint first, when the time came to stain the chair I had to use blue painters tape to protect that from getting ruined. Â Learn from my mistakes, and it’ll save you lots of time. I’ll explain what I did.
Remove the existing finish from table top and chairs
For this you’ll want:
This was a very easy process. I have ZERO experience in doing this, so anyone can do this! Little did I know the smell of these chemicals would be so strong. Fortunately, this was a summer project where I had a lot of ventilation throughout the house. The little ones played outside and had breakfast, lunch and dinner in my bedroom. Apply paint stripper to the tabletop and let it do it’s magic. Using the spatula remove the finish. I used old rags and towels to pick up the residue. Once the top was stripped, I used a product called After Wash then gave the surface a light sanding.
Stain the table top and the chairs. I let the stain sit for five minutes, wiped off with a cloth. I used 4 coats of polyurethane. This needs a bit sanding after every coat to keep it smooth. I debated wether to choose glossy or matte polyurethane. The hutch was matte and I loved how it looked, but wasn’t sure about the table so I just went with the glossy finish. I really like how it turned out!
Here are a few more pictures…..
  
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Thank you so much for stopping by!
Wow it looks totally new! I love DIYs like this!
Thank You! Xoxo
I love that color! What a great palette!
Thank You! Xoxo
I LOVE this! I absolutely hate our kitchen table but this makes me rethink having to totally get rid of it! A little refurb might be worth a shot!
Thank You. And yes, it’s so worth it! You can save a lot and make it your very own style. Xoxo
Hindsights 20/20 eh? It may have been more work but it looks fabulous! Love the stain you chose and how the furniture has new life! Thanks for sharing your experience, I have a few pieces that need a little help so I’ll pin for later.
Thank You! It took lots of patience but it was so worth it. Xoxo
You did such a great job with it! Love the color!
Thank You! Xoxo
Your table turned out so nice! It’s amazing what a little hard work and time can do to transform a piece of furniture!
It sure is! Thank You. Xoxo
I really love this I have a Wal-mart table and chairs set that started chipping pretty quickly. I hate how it looks I think I will try this.
Thank you! You can totally save it and give it a brand new look. Xoxo
This is awesome. I love doing DIY’s and I do plan to do few makeovers this year.
DIY’s are so fun to do too!