New Life for an Old Table

Way back in February I scored two chairs and a table for £15 at the local auction. I gave those chairs a makeover (part one and part two), but the poor table has just been sitting in my conservatory for the past few months. 

After seeing my friend Katie completely transform an old table into a fun, vibrant patio set, I knew what I wanted to do to my little table. Lucky for me, Katie even had leftover paint that she was willing to share. Yay!

The first thing I had to do was give the table a light sanding. This helps the paint adhere better.

Then I used leftover primer from my chairs to prime the whole thing.

At this point I already thought it looked a million times better. If I wasn't planning on using this as an outdoor table, I might have considered stopping here. But, I had a different plan in mind...Bright Yellow!

After one coat of paint

This paint is pretty serious stuff. It is oil-based and has a very high VOC content. I made sure to paint in a well-ventilated area while wearing a mask. I also left the windows open for several days to let the table off-gas.

According to the paint label, I should have only needed one or two coats of paint after using primer. Since I used such a dark primer though, two coats didn't cut it. I went for a third. You can see how much shinier the bottom is after three coats.

After three coats

I used a brush for the base and a mini-roller for the top and underside. The mini-roller was great because it kept paint splatter to a minimum allowed for thin, even coats.

And here she is...all ready for the ball. I think it's a pretty dramatic makeover. Especially since my only additional expense was the mini-roller. Now all I need is for this rain to clear up!

Bright, happy table