DIY Herringbone End Table Makeover

When I moved out of my parents home, I received a set of old furniture they purchased when I was an infant:  a coffee table, an end table, an old sofa set.  The coffee table had a  recent makeover.   It was past time for the end table to receive a fresh start too!  Today, I want to share with you the steps I took to update its look.  However before I get started, I want to introduce you to the Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest!

The Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest is a monthly furniture decorating contest.  Each month there is a new theme and a new sponsor.  January’s theme is “a fresh start,” and January’s sponsor is General Finishes!

General Finishes carries a nice variety of water based and oil based finishes.  They are best known for their gel stains.  Each participant received one quart of a General Finishes chalk paint, and the winner will receive a full case of General Finishes products!  General Finishes was September’s fab sponsor as well.  I participated in that month’s contest and painted a kids art table with their milk paint.

January’s fab hosts are Stacey from Anastasia Vintage  and Evey from Evey’s Creations. Our fab hosts kicked off this month’s contest with freshened pieces of their own. Be sure to check out Stacy’s and Evey’s furniture flips. If you are a blogger and you are interested in participating in future contests, please send an email to info@fabfurnitureflippincontest.com.

End table before the makeover

I painted the end table with a few coats of General Finishes Key West Blue chalk paint.    It is a light, soft blue.  It is a very pretty color.   The chalk paint was really easy to work with and had good coverage.

I created a herringbone pattern on the table top with white chalk paint.

End table after makeover

Herringbone end table makeover

Fab Flipping the End Table

Here are the steps I took to freshen up the look of the end table.

Step 1:  Prep the surface of the table.

Before painting, I sanded down the surface of the table with 220 grit sandpaper.

Sanding down an old end table for this month’s Fab Furniture Flippin Contest. It’s cold outside! I need to invest in a good pair of warm working gloves and a patio heater. Brrrrrr. #babyitscoldoutside #fabflippincontest #fabfurnitureflippincontest #fffc #furnituremakeover #sanding

A photo posted by Ashley (@handmadewithashley) on Jan 18, 2016 at 8:40am PST

Step 2:  Cover the end table with a few layers of chalk paint.

I applied 3 coats of chalk paint to the surface of the end table.

General Finishes Key West Blue Chalk Paint

Step 3:  Create a herringbone pattern with tape and white chalk paint.

I wanted to create a pattern on the table top’s to make it more visually interesting.  I settled with creating a herringbone pattern.

1. First, I taped off the perimeter of the table’s top
2. I used tape to divide the table top into 4 portions
3. I taped off diagonals, 3 inches apart
4. Finally, I painted the appropriate sections

Taping and painting a herringbone pattern

Step 5:  Seal the deal!

Once all the paint dried, I sealed the table with a satin varnish.

Herringbone End Table Makeover

I am super happy with the end table’s new look.  I hesistated using the Key West Blue chalk paint because light blue is a little out of my comfort zone but I loved how this color turned.  It really fits the piece.

Herringbone end table General Finishes chalk paint makeover

My husband really likes the blue too.

DIY Herringbone End Table Makeover

I’m linking up to:

• The DIY Showoff
• Home Stories A to Z

The post Herringbone End Table Makeover – January’s FFFC appeared first on Handmade with Ashley.

Before and after coffee table makeover

When I moved out of my parents home, one of the first pieces of furniture I acquired was a coffee table they purchased when I was an infant. The coffee table has served me well, but it was past due for a makeover. Today, I want to share with you the steps I took to update its look.  However before I get started, I first want to introduce you to the Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest!

Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest

The Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest is a monthly furniture decorating contest.  Each month there is a new theme and a new sponsor. October’s theme is “Spray Me Pretty” and October’s sponsor is Homeright!

Homeright

Homeright offers a variety of painting, automotive and home care products. I have heard a lot of people buzzing about their paint sprayers, and I finally had the opportunity to try their Finish Max Fine Finish HVLP Sprayer!

Our fab hosts

October’s fab hosts are Lynn from Fern Avenue  and Evey from Evey’s Creations. Our fab hosts kicked off this month’s contest with sprayed pieces of their own. Be sure to check out Lynn’s and Evey’s furniture flips. If you are a blogger and you are interested in participating in future contests, please send an email to info@fabfurnitureflippincontest.com.

Board games and a coffee table

Spraying the Coffee Table

This coffee table has survived the wear and tear of 6 children over in the span of almost 3 decades. It’s time it received a little TLC.

Coffee table before paint

Step 1: Dilute the paint

I am a big fan of ombre finishes, and I wanted to incorporate the look in the coffee table. I purchased two quarts of paint+primer in a teal-ish color, one slightly darker than the other. Out of the quart, the paint was too thick to go through the sprayer. The Finish Max came with a viscosity cup. You fill the cup up with paint and measure how much time it takes for the contents to empty. The instructions for the Finish max included a table with recommended times for various finishes such as stains, enamels, varnish, etc.

Finished Max Fine Finish HVLP Sprayer

Step 2: Apply a base coat

I filled the Finish max container with the diluted paint in the lighter of the two colors. I covered the entire table with that color.

Step 3: Create a 1:1 paint ratio with the two colors and spray on the legs

I applied the color gradient only on the legs of the table. I made a half and half mix of the two colors and sprayed the middle third portion of the legs.

Step 4: Spray bottom portion of the legs with the second, darker color

To complete the transition, I sprayed the bottom portion of the legs with the darker of the two colors. It is a very subtle gradient change.

Spraying paint

Step 5: Seal the table with a gloss varnish

Finally, I added a coat of gloss varnish for extra protection.

The Updated Coffee Table

I’m in love with the new look for the coffee table. It gives off bright, fun vibes. I’m also in love with my new sprayer. The Finish Max was really easy to use, greatly reduced the amount of time it would have taken me to paint, and left a real smooth finish. I was nervous about the amount of work cleaning the tool would require, but it was really simple and easy. (I was using a water based paint.)

The updated coffee table

I think going back to a paint brush is going to be really hard.

Spray me pretty coffee table

The gradient shows up better when the coffee table is indoors.  If I had to do this over again, I would have selected a darker color for the bottom of the legs so the gradient change would be more visible.

The indoor light shows the gradient on the legs better

Coffee table makeover!

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