Vintage End Table Painted with Gray Chalk Type Paint

I first saw this cute little vintage end table back in May of 2014 when Bikeman texted a photo to me.  He found it at an estate sale while we were up at our first Roses and Rust Vintage Market.  It was in good condition, very solid, but I knew it would look better with a coat of Seattle Mist.  I think he paid $10 for it.

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Vintage End Table Makeover

I cleaned off the cobwebs and gave it one coat of CeCe Caldwell Seattle Mist.  It’s my new favorite color!  lol… If you’ve been reading my posts you’ll know that I change favorite colors quite frequently.  Read this… and this… and this.The photo above shows what it looked like after just one coat of Seattle Mist.  I wanted a little bit of a distressed look so I didn’t give it a thick coat.  I let it dry completely and sanded it with 320 grit sandpaper, putting a little more pressure on corners and edges.  Then I got out the wax.  Every time I wax it gets a little easier!

The finish on this is the smoothest I’ve done so far!  Like everything else, the more I practice the better it gets.  So if you’re just starting out painting, let me encourage you to just buy or find some small pieces of old furniture and paint!

FOLLOW UP:  Whenever we watch home makeover shows I always tell Bikeman that I wish they’d do a follow up six months later to see how the house really worked for them.  So, since I first published this project about 4 years ago I thought I’d share with you how it worked in real life.

True… my waxing skills got much better with this project but I have never been happy with how the wax finish stands up to real life.  

If you have this furniture in a room that you NEVER have food or drink in, it might be fine.  But we eat in just about every room in our house… I’ve even found cereal bowls in the bathroom.  

This table didn’t last long after going into my daughter’s apartment.  She used it in the living room.  The apartment was so small they didn’t have a dining table so often ate on this table, played games on it, put snacks on it while they watched movies, etc.  The oils from the foods make big stains.

Now this might not happen with every brand of stain… but it did with this one.  

They ended up giving the table away… live and learn!

If you liked this end table project, check out these other thrift store and garage sale table makeovers:

• Octagon Table
• My $5.00 Corner Table Makeover
• Chalkboard Coffee Table
• Where to Find Used Furniture to Flip
• How to Distress Furniture

‘Til the next project,

 Ann @ Duct Tape and Denim

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nfdone – Originally published May 26, 2014. We share at these blog parties.  Featured on Totally Terrific Tuesday.