Between listing appointments, buyer showings, preschool drop offs and pick-ups, and doctor visits (for one sick baby), I decided I wanted to fancy up my eating nook. I really can’t help myself; I guess my DIY projects are my hobby and my down time.

We bought our kitchen table and chairs (second hand) a couple of years ago for $100. It is an oak, round pedestal table. Already in the two short years that I’ve owned the table, I’ve already given it 2 makeovers; this is now it’s third (eek! Is it time to admit I have a problem?). The first makeover involved a few cans of spray paint. I spray painted the table white and the chairs a soft grey. With two toddlers, thinking I could keep a white table clean looking was probably a bit ambitious. Around the time of realizing that a white table was not the best choice for this family, I was introduced to fusion mineral paint. As you all likely know I love fusion mineral paint and it is so extremely durable. So, the table top (just the top) went from white to Ash Grey (click here for the colour: https://fusionmineralpaint.com/colours/). When I painted the top the ash colour I did not sand off the previous white colour, I simply painted right on top because Fusion Paint is very adhesive. This was about a year ago that I did this and it held up very well. HOWEVER, the dark grey colour was almost just as bad as the white. It shows everything.

After much time spent on Pinterest getting inspired, I decided to embrace the natural wood and stain the table with a grey-based stain to match the open shelving we have in our kitchen.

Sanding the table was a lot of work! I guess there’s a reason why I rarely ever do prep-work and always forego any sanding. The sanding took about 2 weeks and the most difficult part was getting the spray paint out of all the crevices in the table. I even bought a paint stripper to help with this but it did absolutely nothing. In the end, I wasn’t able to get all the paint out of the crevices and decided it added to the rustic look haha.

I put on a couple coats of the stain, allowing it to dry overnight before applying the next coat. On top of the stain, I applied a coat of fast-drying Polyurethane to protect the table and make it easy to wipe down.

I ended up re-spray painting the chairs. What colour you ask? White. Now I know you might be thinking “didn’t you start off with a white table and change it because you couldn’t keep it clean?” Yes, yes I did. I might be losing it at this point but I truly felt that white was the best choice in terms of the look I was going for. The bright side is that the chairs are easy to re-spray whenever they need it. Ultimately, I hope to buy some upholstered chairs eventually and replace these ones.

Edit: I have to thank my friend Bri from A Whimsy Affair for all her advice on what to use for sanding the table and getting the paint off. If you get a chance, check out Bri’s facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/awhimsyaffair/), she is in the Vernon area (works in the Lower Mainland too) and is now offering DIY workshops and hosting sign making parties. She is about to open her own studio in the Vernon area and I know it’s going to be a huge hit! Thanks again Bri. 🙂

Written by:

Fiona White – REALTOR® with Sutton Group – West Coast Realty

Phone: 778-552-6246

Email: fwhite@sutton.com

Website: http://www.fiona-white.com

Facebook/Instagram: @fionawhiteatsutton