Chalk Painted Dining Table Makeover

This is the story of my grandparent’s old dining room table and how I gave it a good chalk paint dining table makeover in farmhouse style.

The older I get the more I appreciate antique furniture. Every piece has a story, you know what I mean? This dining table was passed down to me from my grandparents. Of course it didn’t look like this when I got it. After I decided to give it a chalk painted makeover, I couldn’t be happier.

I can remember visiting my grandparents in Richmond VA as a small child and sitting around the dining room table in their kitchen watching my grandparents cook dinner. It’s crazy to think that the table I’m feeding my children on is the table my mother and her sister used as kids too!

That’s one thing I love about older antique furniture. If you find a good dining room table that is made from real wood, it can possibly last you many many generations.

This brings me to my dilemma with this kitchen set; it’s a perfect piece of solid oak with so much history. It just doesn’t match my style.

Time to break out the chalk paint and give this vintage dining room table a good makeover.

Side note; if you are new to chalk paint you might want to look over my post titled all you need to know about chalky style paint.

Chalk paint dining table makeover

I love a good DIY table up cycle.

This was a beautiful kitchen set in its heyday but today, it screams “Country Kitchen!” Yuck, not my modern farmhouse style.

I love furniture painted in an antique white, specifically ANNIE SLOAN CHALK PAINT Old White.

I wanted to keep the top of the table looking like wood because I wanted the contrast between the white and dark wood color.

I started by chalk painting the chairs.

I painted two layers of old white on the chairs and then I took a fine grit sandpaper to “distress” the wood. I finished it up with Annie Sloan clear wax.

After I finished chalk painting and waxing the chairs, I had to remove the polyurethane finish on the top of the table so I could stain it.

Wow, this was a labor of love. I think over the past 60 years my grandfather probably put 20 layers of polyurethane on this bad boy–seriously. I used a spray can of paint stripper by the brand “Skean Strip.” I like the spray can because I didn’t have to “ruin” a brush or a cloth to apply it.

Finally, all I needed was to paint the legs white.

Do you like the look of my two toned DIY dining room table? I’m super pleased with the way this chalk painted dining table project turned out.

I put a piece of glass on the top (my kids are not forgiving to furniture) and ordered 4 seat cushions from Ballard Designs.

I Hope we will have many years of happy meals at this table. It’s so cool to think that its been used since the 1950’s! Oh how the conversations and meals have probably changed.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ve been inspired to repurpose an old heirloom or up cycle a piece of furniture yourself!

PRODUCTS USED:

Minwax Wood Finish stain in Ebony

Annie Sloan chalk paint in Old White

Annie Sloan clear wax

Did you like this post? You might enjoy this vintage dining room table in our new rustic beach cottage!

Lindsey*