I picked up this round 4 seater dining table of Facebook Marketplace a few months ago for $80! I could overlook the beautiful 80’s orange pine and had a vision of creating a more light Coastal Hampton feel.
Check out the before and after and keep reading to see how it was done.
We have quite a small dining area and I had been looking at swapping out our 6 seater rectangle table, but I did not like the $500 + price tag to buy a new one. We had pushed this larger one up again the wall which was not ideal and had to store some chairs in the shed.
I took a gamble of painting and updating this table and for the original purchase price of $80 what is the worst that could happen?
I wanted to paint the bottom legs (as way too hard to sand) and sand the top and create a whitewash effect. So off to the local paint store for some advice and to buy what I needed.
The products I used were :
HOW TO PAINT A DINING TABLE – STEP BY STEP GUIDE
1.Prepare surface
I wiped down the whole table as it was dirty and had cobwebs on its legs. I wanted to whitewash the top only so I sanded that area to remove the old varnish.
Now the sander I used was way too small for the job, but it was all we had at the time. II had a lot of “digs” in the top where I did not hold it flat.
As such I highly recommend getting a decent quality and size sander. I ended up sending hubby down to Bunnings to get a new sander with a catcher which I instantly loved and it made the job so much easier.
Once it was all sanded (including the sides) I wiped it all down again in preparation for painting the base.
2. Painting
Chalk paint seemed the best choice for the base as it was difficult to paint with different angles and corners. I felt it was going to be the most forgiving paint and give a soft finish. It was applied with a standard angled brush and made sure to keep an even coverage with no drips/lumps.
After 2 coats, I wasn’t super happy with it and did another coat to try and even up coverage. It turns out you have to be a little careful with chalk paint as I could see some lines and uneven areas. In hindsight, I think I would next time spray paint the base with enamel-based paint. But overall it was quick to apply and looks fine.
3. Whitewash Top
I wanted a soft coastal look top, with hints of white but still showing the wood grain.
After ensuring the top was nice and clean and free of dust, I applied the wood stain in Liming Wood. I used an old rag and simply rubbed it over lightly, let it sit for a minute, and then wiped it off again. If you want it to be more white and less wood grain, you can just apply it more liberally and let sit for longer.
Once this first coat dried, I quickly realised that I did a terrible job of sanding with our little sander and made the choice to redo with the new orbital sander. It made a massive difference and I am glad I took the time to re-do.
So I tried again and was happy with only appling one coat of the Liming Wood again.
4. Apply Varnish
Once I was happy with the whitewash, I applied the Interior Varnish in Satin. Using a soft mini roller, I ensure it had a good amount of product on it as it absorbed quickly. It was important to go slow and purposefully so there were no lines or thicker parts.
I ended up doing 3 coats and allow ample drying time in between as per product instructions.
Here is the final result!
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