Remember to check out my Pinterest page where I have almost 7,900 pictures of eye candy. I have a couple of hundred more photos to upload but it'll take me a couple of days to get them ready. So far in my Photobucket account I have over 16,600 photos. A great deal of those are on Pinterest.
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We've had this dining table for probably 30 years now and in the last 6 or 7 years I've wanted to paint it white. I cannot find a photo in my iPhoto that shows it in its original stained oak. There is always a cloth on it. Sorry. This has been what it's looked like at the Living Beautifully household for a week now. Today, hubs ate lunch at that right corner as there is too much wet paint on the drop cloth to eat anywhere else. I'm sure he's going to be thrilled when this is entirely over tonight. Sigh. Me, too!
Anyway, I put it off because I was not looking forward to all the prep work it would take: paint removing, sanding, etc. I've done that to several tables we have had through the years and it's WORK. I am allergic to work! I hate redoing a piece of furniture at my age. It just isn't going to happen.
Several years ago we had a man do a small remodel on this house and I asked him how much he would charge to do the prep work on the table. I would be the one to paint it. He refused. Why? Because it was oak, the sacred wood of men. They just seem to have a problem with painting oak. It was MY table, for Pete's sake! He simply wouldn't. He lost a job for his obstinacy.
So recently after acquiring those 2 French cane back/seat chairs, I thought about painting it again. I posted a question for advice on how to do it without having to kill myself. The answer I got back was "Chalk Paint." No stripping or sanding. Simply dust off the table and wipe off the food and paint it. Sounded good to ME.
Then I had to find Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It's an English product. It's also very expensive and not very available here in the U.S., let alone Idaho. I did a search for how to make my own chalk paint. There were many recipes for making it. I did the one with ingredients I have here in the house. Some recommended non-sanded grout and others recommended Plaster of Paris. Hubs has a lot of Plaster of Paris. My recipe is:
2 cups of latex paint. I used WM semi-gloss white.
5 Tblsp. of Plaster of Paris
3 Tblsp. of water
I followed directions exactly and it came out beautiful. However, the finish was not semi-gloss, but a chalky-type look. Fine and dandy with me. It also said it dries fast and it did. There was also a warning about the paint recipe drying fast in the small containers you should use instead of using the whole gallon of paint. It didn't dry out at all for me, but if you try it, be careful. I used a Cool-Whip container for the 2 cups.
I put on one coat, covered the container with plastic wrap, sat down reading a book while the first coast dried, which is pretty fast. Then I did a second coat. I set the whole day aside for this so that necessitated sandwiches from Subway for lunch and my usual Friday night dinner out. But it only took a few hours to do everything that needed to be done. Of course, I did 3 or so coats since the wood was a dark oak. NO sanding, NO paint or varnish remover. My kind of endeavor! I was very careful with watching the paint in the container not drying out, but with only 2 cups of paint for a 42" x 42" table with 4 claw foot legs, I'd say that's a heck of an accomplishment with so little paint. I didn't do the leaves because we rarely use them and when we do, a tablecloth covers the them.
Just let me say, this was one of the easiest projects I've ever done. I loved using that paint! I shall find some of Annie Sloan's soft wax and put that on and then shabby it up just a little bit.
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We've had this dining table for probably 30 years now and in the last 6 or 7 years I've wanted to paint it white. I cannot find a photo in my iPhoto that shows it in its original stained oak. There is always a cloth on it. Sorry. This has been what it's looked like at the Living Beautifully household for a week now. Today, hubs ate lunch at that right corner as there is too much wet paint on the drop cloth to eat anywhere else. I'm sure he's going to be thrilled when this is entirely over tonight. Sigh. Me, too!
Anyway, I put it off because I was not looking forward to all the prep work it would take: paint removing, sanding, etc. I've done that to several tables we have had through the years and it's WORK. I am allergic to work! I hate redoing a piece of furniture at my age. It just isn't going to happen.
Several years ago we had a man do a small remodel on this house and I asked him how much he would charge to do the prep work on the table. I would be the one to paint it. He refused. Why? Because it was oak, the sacred wood of men. They just seem to have a problem with painting oak. It was MY table, for Pete's sake! He simply wouldn't. He lost a job for his obstinacy.
So recently after acquiring those 2 French cane back/seat chairs, I thought about painting it again. I posted a question for advice on how to do it without having to kill myself. The answer I got back was "Chalk Paint." No stripping or sanding. Simply dust off the table and wipe off the food and paint it. Sounded good to ME.
Then I had to find Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It's an English product. It's also very expensive and not very available here in the U.S., let alone Idaho. I did a search for how to make my own chalk paint. There were many recipes for making it. I did the one with ingredients I have here in the house. Some recommended non-sanded grout and others recommended Plaster of Paris. Hubs has a lot of Plaster of Paris. My recipe is:
2 cups of latex paint. I used WM semi-gloss white.
5 Tblsp. of Plaster of Paris
3 Tblsp. of water
I followed directions exactly and it came out beautiful. However, the finish was not semi-gloss, but a chalky-type look. Fine and dandy with me. It also said it dries fast and it did. There was also a warning about the paint recipe drying fast in the small containers you should use instead of using the whole gallon of paint. It didn't dry out at all for me, but if you try it, be careful. I used a Cool-Whip container for the 2 cups.
I put on one coat, covered the container with plastic wrap, sat down reading a book while the first coast dried, which is pretty fast. Then I did a second coat. I set the whole day aside for this so that necessitated sandwiches from Subway for lunch and my usual Friday night dinner out. But it only took a few hours to do everything that needed to be done. Of course, I did 3 or so coats since the wood was a dark oak. NO sanding, NO paint or varnish remover. My kind of endeavor! I was very careful with watching the paint in the container not drying out, but with only 2 cups of paint for a 42" x 42" table with 4 claw foot legs, I'd say that's a heck of an accomplishment with so little paint. I didn't do the leaves because we rarely use them and when we do, a tablecloth covers the them.
Just let me say, this was one of the easiest projects I've ever done. I loved using that paint! I shall find some of Annie Sloan's soft wax and put that on and then shabby it up just a little bit.
Just giving it the first coat.
Almost finished. Two legs in back had to be painted.
Looking good so far.
This is the end result. I am also looking for a new rug for the dining area. I'm leaning towards a white shag, mainly because this is such a dark house with the main areas facing north/south. We'll see what I can find. Having been through the shag period in the 60s, I didn't think I'd want to go it again. But I'm starting to like homes in magazines I've seen with gorgeous shag. It will lighten up this area I think.
This is the first chair. I started it early in the morning and then a friend came over and I got sidetracked for a few hours. The chair was harder by far than the table. It took the better part of the day to get into all the nooks and crannies so I'm doing the other chair tomorrow. Then I'll put the wax on when it comes and do the shabby-ing up with a very fine sandpaper on the table and the chairs. I'm so excited about seeing the end results.
This pink girly room is just adorable to me. I love everything about it.
See. More chairs and a table painted white with pretty pink fabric on a chair and other fabric on the others.
A bathroom that looks like it's overlooking water.
I love wearing cuffs and this one is very fancy.
Cute adornment.
More painted furniture.
Bright flowers, vases and furniture.
A very serene dining area in the back yard. Lovin' it!
More pretty homes in Europe with love roofs and pots of flowers.
Aren't these candles in these glasses pretty? I like how the homeowner did them. Very clever.
A vintage white table in a room that could be an office, library, dining or living room. Very gorgeous.
A charming patio with all the accoutrements for relaxing.
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Tidbit:
Russian scientists have developed a new drug that prolongs drunkenness and enhances intoxication. My question is "WHY"?!
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Linking up with Ivy & Elephants & Open House Party & SSS and at Transformed Tuesday.
Tidbit:
Russian scientists have developed a new drug that prolongs drunkenness and enhances intoxication. My question is "WHY"?!
~*~
Linking up with Ivy & Elephants & Open House Party & SSS and at Transformed Tuesday.
