My FB marketplace table.

I had a pedestal table with a pleather top that belonged to my grandmother. I painted the pleather bronze (because it was red) but the paint never cured. I put a glass top on it  and that furthered the disaster. It looked like this and drove me crazy.

I knew if I took the top off the leather will tear. So I looked on marketplace for a table.  I didn’t think I would find one  but I did.  The table was round with a built in extension.  It came from Ikea and it was selling  for $20.  Sold!

Of course for $20 it had some damage. Nothing a little sanding and painting won’t cure!

The seams were swollen

I sanded it down. (The table is separated to avoid it stucking together when I paint it)

I tried to make a chalk paint recipie from  website called the creativity exchange. The formula is equal parts of lightweight spackling, primer and Flat paint.

I was wondering if the color would change if I use white primer and the spackling so I made a small mixture of 2 tablespoons of each of the 3 ingredients and painted a piece of wood. When it dried the color was a little muted, but in a good way. It definately has to be sealed though.

Not bad, right?

I am painting the top a very very light gray. I am not sure what color to do the bottom.

I mixed up my real paint as instructed but when I brushed it on the wood it was streaky and grainy. Yikes. Did I just destroy my table??

So then I decided to roll the second coat on. You shouldn’t have to use more than one coat of “chalk paint” but I guess that’s why the real paint costs so much. 

The rolled on layer looked better so I let it dry then put on a third coat.

It still wasn’t perfect but better. I mixed one part of the mixture I had left over with 1 part primer and 1 part paint. I rolled it on and it went on much better.  Now I am not liking the lt. gray color.  I am keeping the legs dark because they match the chair legs but I don’t like the stark contrast. I am going to make the top look like granite.  So I gathered my colors.

Dab dab dab. I dabbed the colors on in layers.

Still didn’t like it and I was tired of dabbing so I changed tactics. I mixed a little navy blue, a lot of  metallic blue, some extreme glitter in black and a dab of black craft paint into polycrylic. Polycrylic is clear, never yellows and protects like polyurethane. Also an important point is that it cleans up with water. I mixed it with the paints and swirled it on. I put on 3 coats and hmmmm now my table looks like leather. Lots of texture and shine. If I say so myself it looks really pretty. I cleaned my brushes with water and a little Dawn for cleanup.

I then brushed on some polyshades in expresso to use on the wood trim and legs. I wanted the whole table to look new. Polyshade is a mixture of polyurethane and stain. You brush it on and let it dry. No wiping or anything extra. I used the satin finish and it’s shiny like gloss.  I used cheap nylon paintbrushes that sell 3 for $1 in Dollar Tree. Polyshades has an oil base so you can’t clean your brushes with water so for me… cheap brushes and in the trash they go. It worked well and then as promised the brushes got trashed. By the way…I would not use these cheap brushes with paint. They are way too soft.

Two days later I scraped the paint off the glass with a razor and cleaned the residue off with goo gone.

Then I cleaned the glass with my secret weapon: a white hotel washcloth, hot water and a little dawn dish liquid.

Oh and this time I put 8 small rubber bumpers between the glass and the table. I won’t make the mistake of putting the glass on a freshly painted table again.

Summary. Paid $20 for the table and about $15 in supplies. I am happy with it.

By the way I also got my chairs from FB marketplace (they came from World Market), the clock shelf in the back from the thrift store and the hutch on the left from my neighbor.

Now on to the livingroom…

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