Friday, July 18, 2014

Painted and Stained Kitchen Table: A Tutorial


So, my painting habit is in full swing. :) As you know, we recently Painted Our Kitchen Cabinets White. Then I painted our Barstools White. I even Spray Painted Some Lamps White and now, I've painted our kitchen table and chairs white and re-stained the top. :)

Busy, busy, busy. :)

Here's what the finished table looks like:

sanding down and staining kitchen table top

Here's what it looked like before. It really bothered me that it just blended right into the wood floor. 


I figured painting the bench and chairs white would make it stand out a little more. And thank you again Kelly for convincing me to paint the whole bench white. I thought about painting just the legs white and staining the top, but I like it so much better this way. It really helps it stand out with the entire bench painted white. :)


Here's another reason I wanted to re-stain the table top. It had some pretty good scratches on it. 


So, we started by cleaning everything really well with mineral spirits (there's a pic a little farther down) Then we started sanding the table top down to the bare wood. We used four kinds of sand paper. First we used 60 grit, then 100, then 150, then 220 (in that order). We just wiped it down between each sanding. I believe all four pieces of sand paper came in one pack at Home Depot. 


Below is the sander we used. It uses a 1/4 sheet of sand paper at a time (so we cut the sheets into four pieces) We only used a 1/4 sheet of each kind of sand paper. My hubby said he was really impressed with this sand paper too. 


Let me go ahead and show you the rest of the products we used. Here's the spray paint we used for the table legs, bench, and chairs. It's Rustoleum Heirloom White. I think we used about 8 or 9 cans.


We bought this kind of mineral spirits to clean everything with before we started. We wiped down the table, chairs, and bench with this stuff using a soft cloth. 


Here's the brush and stain we used. (We used a rag to apply the stain. The brush was only used to apply the Polycrylic top coat.) The color of the stain is "Jacobean." 

tutorial for staining and painting kitchen table

Here's a close up of the Purdy brush we used to apply the Polycrylic.

using purdy brush to apply polycrylic

And here's the Polycrylic we used for a top coat. It is water based and we were able to use it inside the house, which was nice. We just put the table on a tarp in the entry way while we worked on it. It does mention that it can't be used on red mahogany stains, so if you're using that, you'll have to choose a different top coat. 

using Polycrylic as top coat

Okay, so like I said, first we cleaned everything with mineral spirits, then we started sanding down the table top. Here's a pic when we first started sanding it.



And here's a pic when it was sanded down to bare wood. 



After we finished sanding the table top, we began to spray paint the table legs, chairs, and bench. Don't forget to use a mask when spray painting. We turned the table upside down and taped off the edges to avoid getting spray paint on the newly sanded top.



This was after we painted the table legs. 



After everything was painted white, we began staining the table top. 



This was right after we stained the top. 



After we stained the top, we let it dry for about 24 hours. Then we put a total of four coats of Polycrylic on top of the stain (sanding lightly with 220 grit between each coat and waiting 3 hours between coats) Does that make sense? Basically, we put one coat of Polycrylic on the table top, then waited 3 hours, then lightly sanded it with 220 grit, then wiped it down and applied another coat of Polycrylic. We did that a total of four times. I think the can recommends only 3 coats, but we use this table every day and decided to go ahead and put four coats. 

The Polycrylic directions say after the final coat, to wait 3 hours before "light handling" and 24 hours before "normal use" but being the paranoid person that I am, I made everyone wait 4 days before using the table again. :)

Here's a few more pics of the finished product... 


I never could decide what to put in my dough bowl, so I temporarily retired it and filled one of my $2 Baskets From Kohl's with some hydrangeas (which I obviously need to fiddle around with...flower arranging is not my strong suit) 






I love how it stands out from the floor now. It really brightened things up. You can see how well it goes with my painted barstools in this pic too. 


Here's a good close up of the stain. It's a lot darker than the original color. 

minwax jacobean stain tutorial

Here's a quick run down of everything we did: (and keep in mind, this is just what worked for us with our particular table, it may not work with all types of wood, etc.)


1. Clean everything with mineral spirits

2. Sand table top down to bare wood using 60, 100, 150, and 220 grit, in that order.

3. Paint table legs, chairs, and bench with Heirloom White spray paint.

4. Wipe the table top clean and stain with Minwax Jacobean. We used a soft rag to apply the stain. Let the table top dry for about 24 hours to let the stain soak in. 

5. Apply Polycrylic with the Purdy brush, then let it dry for 3 hours, then sand lightly with 220 grit and apply second coat of Polycrylic. Let that dry for 3 hours before sanding and applying 3rd coat, etc. Do this for a total of 4 coats.

6. Wait at least 24 hours before resuming normal use. 

I hope this tutorial made sense for y'all. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the comments or email me. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. :)

So, that's it! I'm pleased as punch with our "new" table and chairs. I think the total cost was around $75. Not bad for a totally new look. :)

~Lisa

39 comments:

  1. That looks fabulous - like a brand new table!

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  2. This is a great strep by step tutorial Lisa!! Thank you! Ours totally blends in with our flooring (it's the same color yours was before painting). I think the thing that intimadates me is that ours has to big pillar legs coming down and some fine detail. Wonder if it would be hard to sand it all? Yours looks fantastic!! Love your kitchen!!!
    Kendra @ www.joyinourhome.com

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    1. Hi Kendra! If you're staining the pillar legs, then yes, you'd have to sand them first which would probably be tricky getting in all the grooves. An electric sander would make it a little easier though. The only thing we had to sand was the top of the table (because we were staining it) but, thankfully, everything else just got a coat of spray paint. :) I don't think I would have tackled this project if I had to sand the chairs, bench, and table legs. I'm WAY too lazy for that much work! Lol!

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  3. You did an amazing job! I have thought about painting and restaining our tired looking kitchen table but I don't know if I have the patience...especially when I always say "I'm never painting again!". You have inspired me though!
    -Shelley

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  4. It turned out great....I love the new color!!! Your little basket of flowers looks so pretty too!
    ~Des

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  5. Your table and chairs look great! You and your husband did a terrific job! I really like that you work on projects together. Thank you so much for the detailed tutorial and showing the products you used. I really appreciate it since I have never stained something before. You have a really wonderful decorating style and great ideas. I hope you have a good weekend!

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    1. Thanks, Kim! You leave me the sweetest comments, thank you!! I really liked staining that table. It seems like I always put stuff off because I think it's going to be hard. Then it always turns out so much easier than I thought. :) Hope you have a wonderful week!!

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  6. I LOVE it! So fresh and updated. You did a beautiful job. I like your new basket with the Hydrangeas. Perfect for summer :-)

    Have a wonderful weekend!
    ~Sherri

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    1. Thanks, Sherri! It was fun updating that old table. :) I just wish I could grow real hydrangeas. Our heat limits us in so many ways. :) Hope you have a great week!!

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  7. I love the look of your new table. Amazing how it brightens up the whole place! That stain is gorgeous!!! You did a fabulous job!

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  8. Lisa, your table and chairs look gorgeous! What a transformation. You are the paint queen! :) Have a great weekend. Maria

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  9. Looks beautiful Lisa! I'm getting ready to do the same thing to my dining room table and your tutorial is fabulous! Thank you!~~Ang

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  10. This looks great!!! I like it painted white with the stained top. You're right, it does stand out so nicely. I have to say, I love the polycrylic clear coat. :) We are replacing all of the cheap builder grade doors in our home with raised panel, solid core doors. I LOVE that I can do it in the house, down the basement. It dries super fast too!!! I managed to get 4 coats on one side today. :) Wouldn't be able to do that with regular poly.

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    1. Thanks, Michelle! That Polycrylic really is fantastic, isn't it? You're right about it drying really fast too. It was wonderful to do several coats in one day. Good luck finishing your doors!

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    2. Ok, so now that my doors are up (we only bought the slab/door itself not the jamb), I am wondering if it will darken. When we built our house we did all of our own woodwork and painting. They only supplied us with the basic oak trim. And to make it slightly easier, we just clear coated everything. We used Minwax's regular poly. Over time, the woodwork has darkened some. I am wondering if these will too, or if they will stay lighter because of the different finish. Am I going to have to go back to that stinky poly and have to work on everything outside so it all blends/matches existing woodwork? Is it something with the regular Polyurethane? I know the water-based is white/milky colored in the can, the other not. Even the original woodwork when first finished wasn't as dark at first and has darkened over time. Photo is on my instagram.

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    3. Hi Michelle! Yes, regular poly tends to yellow/darken over time. Water based Polycrylic isn't supposed to yellow or darken at all. I know sometimes if you're working with different types of wood, you can have a totally different outcome. Certain types of wood just look different, even with the same clear coat. Different woods can darken at different rates over time too. (Even a solid oak and an oak veneer can look different after using the same topcoat) I'm not sure if you can put regular oil based poly over water based polycrylic. You might want to go to the Minwax website and email them. I'm sure they could steer you in the right direction. Sorry I'm not much help. :) Best of luck to you!

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  11. Lisa .... The table set looks fantastic and I love the combination of the creamy white paint and the dark stained top. Did you do the spray painting inside your home? It's so hot here in Texas right now that that would be a real plus to be able to do that in an air conditioned room. Love the new lighter look of your decor.

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    1. Thank you!! I did all the spray painting in the garage...and it was pretty hot. :) After everything dried to the touch, we brought it all inside to finish curing. It was a lot of spray painting, for sure. :)

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  12. Your table looks gorgeous! Just gorgeous.....love the new stain color too!

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    1. Thank you, Christine! I'm so happy we went with the darker color stain. :) Hope you have a great week!

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  13. So pretty, I love the white! The newly stained top looks so good, the perfect combination with the dark stained top and white, really stands out now. Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY...
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  14. This is so great! You are turning into a real pro. I love the shade of stain you used on the table top, very rustic and pretty. What a difference in how the lighter chairs and table makes. Bravo!!!

    Jane xx

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  15. Absolutely fantabulous Lisa!!!!!!

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  16. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing project and tutorial at Tuesdays at Our Home. Have a great week! Maria

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  17. The table looks great!!! I am planning on doing the same thing to our table. Thanks for the great tutorial....

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    1. You're very welcome, Megan! It was really easy and only took a couple of days. Good luck with your table!

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  18. Love this tutorial! I have a similar table that really needs refinishing -- the kids have designs and initials "carved" in the top, so this is great. Thanks for sharing! :)

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    1. Oh that's too funny! My kids used to do their homework at our kitchen table, and you could totally see words like "pacific ocean" and "Hawaii" carved into the top when they pressed too hard with their pencils. Hmm... apparently, they had a lot of geography homework. Ha!

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  19. Wow! Gorgeous, Lisa! It turned out great! Thank you bunches for linking up and partying with us this week!

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    1. Thanks, Kristi! I still can't believe it only took 2 days for the transformation. :) I'm always glad to join your parties! Hope you have a great weekend!

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  20. All I can say is WOW, BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!

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    1. Thank you so much!! Your nice comment really means a lot! I am really pleased with how it turned out. :)

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  21. Lisa, that is one fabulous makeover, and a great tutorial! Thanks for linking up with us at Best of the Nest!

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  22. Lisa, this is GREAT! You really did an awesome job on this. That Rustoleum Heirloom White is awesome, isn't it? :)

    Thank you so much for linking this to Grace at Home. I'm featuring you this week!

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  23. It turned out amazing, Lisa!! I would have wanted to be extra sure with the top coat as well! :) I'm sure your family will love using it for a long time! Thanks for sharing at Best of the Nest!

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  24. So glad you linked this up to Best of the Nest because somehow I missed this post Lisa - wow, what a huge difference painting and staining your table and chairs made! I love the combination of paint and stain on the table and appreciate the details of how you did it - I may be attempting something similar in our office and your tutorial will be so helpful!!

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  25. Beautiful.. Painting them white ,,was a great idea.. Love it.. [ I actually have a set that is white with
    the stained top.. I have a bench with mine too..] .
    I am enjoying looking around your blog.. Thanks for sharing the tutorials. Judy

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  26. Hi- this looks great. I followed these steps but was wondering if you sanded down the final coat? I did I my table and now it looks like a white wash effect. is it necessary to sand the final cost? The can says so but now I feel like putting another coat on and not sanding.

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    1. No, we didn't sand after the final coat of poly. I would just put on one more coat and leave it as is, without sanding. Hope this helps! :)

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