Monday, July 20, 2009

You CAN Do It!

Hello Living with Lindsay readers! I'm so glad you're here. Read on to get the specifics of my table re-do, but make sure to click over here to enter a small little giveaway!

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We have had the same counter-height dining room table for the last four years. But with two toddlers, the table has taken a beating. Plus the shiny, brown veneer just is not my THING anymore!


Because our table was cheap not solid wood, I had been hesitant to change it to something I loved. Then this post from Living With Lindsay (such a fun site, you must visit) on how to paint laminate furniture (what??!?) inspired me. I CAN DO IT! And you can do it, too.

First, though, I must give you the before pictures (in all their embarrassing glory):

It's just so wrong.

Oy.

This picture makes the table look lighter than it really is, but I used my flash so you could really see the table and all of the scratchy loveliness. Okay, that's enough of that.

After a lot of work and patience, here's what my table looks like today!



OK, not really - here's what my table really looks like today (just keeping it real, here. Have I mentioned I have two toddlers in my house?)

So.....here's the step-by-step (based off the instructions from Lindsay in post I linked above. I'm telling you check her out)!

1. REMOVE cushions by unscrewing them from the chair and gag as you see the stains.


2. LIGHTLY sand the table, being careful to not sand into the particle board if your table isn't solid wood. I used a palm sander for the flat surfaces and legs, and then hand sanded the harder to reach crevices. (Those cross backs on the chairs were KILLER.)


3. PRIME the table and chairs. I used Zinnser BIN Primer and was very pleased with the results. In the interest of imparting lessons learned (I'm a NEWBIE, remember?) I did NOT have the primer tinted (DUH!) and so covering the white was a bit....tedious. If you are planning on painting your piece a darker color, see if tinting the primer is a possibility.



4. PAINT the table and chairs. The hubby and I used a foam roller for every part we could and used bristle brushes for the chair backs. I did three (or four) THIN coats of red (Ralph Lauren Hunting Coat Red) allowing lots of dry time between coats. Then I did three (or four) thin coats of black (Ralph Lauren Black Truffles) again allowing for lots of dry time between coats. I wasn't AS careful to get in all of the crevices with the black paint, since I had planned on distressing it to show some of the red underneath anyway. (Plus I was REALLY sick of those cross-backs, have I mentioned that?)


5. DISTRESS the table and chairs. This was the fun part (for me). I used a fine-grit sandpaper and lightly sanded the edges of the surface of the table and the legs of the table. I also did the edges and legs of the chairs. Just wherever it felt right. In THEORY, the black was supposed to sand away to reveal the red underneath, like so:


In actuality, sometimes the red was sanded off with the black, revealing my non-tinted (see step 3) white primer. It still looks fine, I just wanted to share what REALLY happened during the distressing process! (This is all about sharing and learning, remember?)

6. PROTECT the surface by using a polyurethane top coat, applied with a bristle brush NOT a foam roller (don't ask how I know this). A top coat was especially important for my project because it was a dining room table that would be used heavily (see above pictures) and wiped frequently. I used a semi-gloss poly, because I didn't want the look of the shiny veneer back.

7. ALLOW ample dry-time before moving the piece back inside and using it daily.

So, what do you think? Are you inspired to tackle some of your not-in-love-with-it-but-can-I-paint-it pieces? If you are, PLEASE send us the results!

Up next: recovering the chair cushions (easy peasy).

I'm (attempting) to link up to Kimba's DIY party at A Soft Place to Land. If you've never visited her, you must! And take a look at other great DIY projects!

24 comments:

  1. I've been thinking about painting my dinner room table...you have so inspired me!

    XOXO

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  2. Oh wow. That looks fabulous! Great work. And the shot with all the kid stuff in it? Even more perfect. Real life is good...

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  3. Great job ! I have a counter height table too - I love it but see a re-do in the future!
    Thanks for sharing !
    Hugs ~ Kammy

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  4. It looks great!!! We have that same Fisher Price booster/high chair. :) I've done laminate before too with plain old primer and was rough going. You did a fab job! Visiting from Kimba's party. :)

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  5. wahoo! Good for you! We've got a dinning table that we got from Big Lots years ago that has suited us fine, but I've been in the mood to change it as it's not our 'style' think blonde wood top with cottage-looking white base with spindle chairs to match - ugh, I just can't decide what color to paint it- my kitchen cabinets are white, (newly painted this spring) and I love it, our house is small, thus the table is eat-in kitchen so that makes black a bit too contrasting for the rest of our house. Would I be crazy to do red? Not fire engine red, but deep rich red....hhhmmm you've got me thinking!

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  6. I thought "she must be crazy, the table looks so nice as is" but then I saw the black and new fabric on the cushions and agree...it's a great transformation!

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  7. Wow! What a fabulous look! I love paint, don't you?! It can do so much.

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  8. I came over from ASPTL, AWESOME job! I've been wondering if I could do that to my cheap-o bookcases that I don't love...hmmmm...I wonder...

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  9. Wow! What a difference! You did such a great job!

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  10. I'm not sure if I could be more in love with that table!

    Feel free to check out my blog, it's brand new and still in the making...But, the link is http://oopsicraftmypants.blogspot.com

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  11. I love it! That fabric on the chairs is gorgeous.

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  12. Wow! Very nice...it looks like you just brought it home from pottery barn!

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  13. It turned out beautifully. I did a table of mine which was 10 yrs old and faithfully worn by 3 small children. It has now been 6 years since I did it and it has stood up perfectly with daily wear and tear. I love redoing old things to get new use. Yours is a great redo!!

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  14. I love it! The fabric on the chairs is gorgeous! I have a laminate table that I want to paint as well - tell me though - how much time is ample dry time? A few days? A week? I have 3 kids and just need to be prepared with a time frame before I start something like this; ) Thanks!

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  15. Looks AWESOME! Love the black and red and love those seats!!! Gorgeous!

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  16. So cute. I am looking for ideas to redo my parents laminate cabinets that need updating.


    This is my first time to your blog and once I am done I will click follower and add you to my blog roll. Come on over for a visit I have a give away going on.

    Cheri
    Its So Very Cheri
    Cheri

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  17. Wow! You did a great job! What a difference!

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  18. Isn't it amazing what a little paint and some hard work can do? Your table and chairs look fabulous!

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  19. Great job on the redo. A friend taught me a few years ago how to do the distress look. She Used carnuba wax on the base coat, only on the places where you distress. Then coats of main color. Then you can go back and light steel wool the areas you used the wax on. The top coat should reveal the base coat, not primer. I have a garage full of furniture to redo. And two kids home from college who dumped all their stuff there. So I enjoy the kids and worry about painting later!

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  20. The dining room set turned out amazing. I am in the process of doing my set as well. Just finished painting the chairs and have started upholstering today...3 chairs done 3 to go. Still have the table and buffet to do. Thanks for the tips.

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  21. Now THAT'S a transformation! Great job, girl!

    Thanks for linking up with me today!

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  22. I love the idea of the red underneath. Great job!

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  23. Your table and chairs look fantastic! It looks labor intensive, but so worth the outcome. Beautiful!
    XO*Tricia

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