A New Painted Finish Makes Everything Better

This is a super cute side table that I spotted at a local thrift store. It looks great from a distance, and don't get me wrong, it IS a great little table, but it had issues. But a new painted finish will make everything better!

Luckily it was sturdy. The problem was with the painted finish. It was a fairly good paint job, but the paint was left unsealed which led to many areas being dirty and stained. It's hard to tell in the photo below, because I already started cleaning it. I half-hoped the cleaning would be enough and I wouldn't have to re-paint it.

I used a scrubby sponge and diluted soft scrub to clean the painted finish. This was also a good way to test if the paint was durable. Luckily it was, so I didn't need to strip the paint beforehand. But it didn't clean up as well as I hoped, so a couple of new coats of paint was required.

I put a fresh coat of pure white on top and painted the base Duck Egg Blue. I lightly distressed the blue to allow some of the original white to show through. However, I wasn't happy with the transition between the  Duck Egg and the white top.

Luckily it was above freezing, so I took the project outdoors to do some sanding.

The previous paint adhered almost too well, and it took some elbow grease and heavy handed sanding to distress the finish. I used a sanding sponge block (affiliate) to work through the tough paint.

Once I was happy with the overall effect I sealed the paint with soft clear wax. I definitely recommend sealing chalk paint with clear wax, but if you're using another product be sure to check if the manufacturer recommends a sealant. It really does help keep the finish lasting a long time. Applying the wax goes quickly and isn't hard to do. I used my new wax brush and a small amount of wax. Use the brush to lightly massage the wax into the paint and then use a lint free cloth to wipe away any excess wax.

AFTER (VIGNETTE #1):

Here's the side table with it's new fresh coat of paint. I think it has a coastal beach vibe, so I staged it accordingly.

I like the contrast of the bright white against the Duck Egg Blue.

The next few photos show the white paint peeking through the blue. There is some texture to the painted finish because of the previous paint, but it works so well with a coastal theme.

Well what's a staging day without multiple vignettes? (VIGNETTE #2) 

While I had the table out I styled a couple more vignettes in case I need them for advertising the table for sale. (For items that don't sell immediately, I change my ads with fresh photos so the ad isn't stale.) Looks like I've got a lot of Duck Egg Blue happening in my studio!

This is mostly the same staging, but I tweaked it by adding a more colorful mason jar.

The mason jar has a coastal theme which works well with the other staging items.

My niece actually created the design on this mason jar! She is very artistic and I love the jar -- especially the little silver sand dollar charm.

(VIGNETTE #3):

For a more traditional style I used a bowl of peonies with a Parisian print in the background for an elegant feminine theme.

I hope you enjoyed today's project. Thanks so much for stopping by The Black Sheep Shoppe today.