Refreshing Update to Our Tired Kitchen Table
Our kitchen table was tired and really needed some updating. With a few coats of General Finishes Gel stain and Milk Paint, we have a brand new table!
Before and after!
This is where I started. The finish on the table top was never very good. You can see heat marks on the top in this image. I also used it as a work surface for part of our remodel, so I had some work to do! I very lightly sanded the top of the table making sure to go with the grain. There were a few areas where I had to sand a little more - particularly one nail polish mishap, but otherwise, it was light.
This is after the first coat of stain. It's pretty streaky, but it can be hard when the grain goes in several different directions. I had the same situation with our kitchen cupboards, but it gets better as you add coats. The stain is General Finishes Java. I purchased a big bag of rubber gloves, grabbed some old socks and got started.
First coat of General Finishes Antique White Milk paint and second coat of stain on the top. It was nice that I could do both in one sitting or this would have added a few days to the process! I recommend one coat of stain per day but the milk paint dries after just a few hours so you can add a second coat same day. The chairs were quite time consuming, but even after the first coat, they looked great!
Third coat of stain and second coat of milk paint. I only used 2 coats of paint on the chairs and table base. There were some areas where I didn't cover it as much, but it worked great for the antiqued look!
After I finished painting, I took a 220 sand paper back to the edges and design areas on the chair to add a little aging. The chair on the left is just after sanding. The chair on the right is after I added the General Finishes brand Glaze Effects in VanDyke Brown. This is generally easy to use but could get a little tricky in some of the tighter nooks and crannies! I recommend gloves and two old towel scraps - one for applying and one for immediately wiping off. I love the antique look that the glaze adds!
This is after Sanding and adding the glaze to the chairs and table base.
The end result!! I added to coats of polyurethane to the table and chairs - same method - good ole rubber glove and an old sock. It looks beautiful over the milk paint - I was shocked! The top of the table is now gorgeous and cleans up wonderfully after a meal!! This old table that I was ready to get rid of is now updated and brightens up our dining room!
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I"m looking for a big table
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Love, love, love...........this table and chair bring out your flooring......absolutely gorgeous!!
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Thank you!!! I just redid it again this past January. The stain had a few scrips in the top and I wanted to brighten the room a bit. I’m loving it! The chairs and bottom are Persian Blue and the top is Antique White - both General Finishes milk paint. Man does that hold up well!!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
I'm am confused. You laid down coats of Antique White Milk paint between coats of stain? Doesn't seem stain and paint would go together. Could you educate me?
Did you have to take the pieces outside to do the finishing? Polyurethane has a high smell to it.
My table top is laminate, c
an I use this same method?