End Table Makeover

I’ve been itching to paint a piece of furniture for a while now. There’s something about the process I find somewhat therapeutic. Just spending a lovely afternoon with my paintbrush feels like unplugging from the stresses of everyday life. Plus watching it all come together feels so rewarding!

And since I still had an extra week of vacation following our return from Paris, it seemed like the perfect time to see what I could do with this end table.  It’s been sitting in our garage for close to a year! My boyfriend happened to see someone throwing it away and thought I could spruce it up. Nothing better than a free piece of furniture, if you ask me. Especially one with such pretty details!

End Table Makeover - Tulips and a Terrier

I knew I wanted to do something to bring out the details of the wood by painting it a bright base coat, and painting over it with a neutral and sanding over the edges to allow the base coat to come through.

After a thorough cleaning and sanding, I painted it a creamy blue (which I mixed into a DIY chalk paint).  How pretty is this color! For a second I debated leaving it, but it’s very similar to the color we used on our living room walls, so I didn’t want it to blend in too much.

End Table Makeover - Tulips and a Terrier

I did a quick search to see how best to distress the top coat to allow the base coat to come through, and came across a method using Vaseline! I guess the Vaseline prevents the top coat from sticking too much to the base coat, which makes it come off easier in the sanding process.

I applied a thin layer of Vaseline to the areas I planned to sand off. In this case, it was the edges of the table and the pattern on the door and the top of the table to accentuate the shapes.

End Table Makeover - Tulips and a Terrier

Following the Vaseline application, the table got two coats of Parisian Taupe (because I select paint colors based on name) also mixed into DIY chalk paint.

End Table Makeover - Tulips and a Terrier

Once dry, I lightly sanded over the pattern and edges of the table using a fine grit sandpaper. The Vaseline totally worked! The top coat of paint came off easily and had the exact look I was hoping to achieve!

End Table Makeover - Tulips and a Terrier

I just love the way the pattern looks with the blue popping out of the white! It definitely brings out the beautiful lines of the table! I finished it with two coats of Polyacrylic to seal the paint, and voila!

End Table Makeover - Tulips and a Terrier

Not bad for a freebie, eh? I’m so excited to add it to our living room! I don’t think you can go wrong with chippy white paint. The window directly facing ours in Paris had these lovely old shutters with chippy white paint which I was obsessed with all week, so I guess you could say this project is Paris inspired.

End Table Makeover - Tulips and a Terrier

I’d love to hear what you think!

– Lusine

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