Cora and Nora - Twin End Tables Lose Their Label "Boring"

3 Materials
$20.00
6 Days
Medium
Estate sales are a great way to find matched sets.

Twin end tables are rare and are highly sought after in the furniture rehab world. We found Cora & Nora, along with their matching coffee table, last summer at an estate sale in Stevens Point. The finish was "OK" but I like my furniture to be more than "OK". "OK" is good enough for boring people.

True that? So how do we "un-boring" it?
The Top
Step #1 – Clean well
Step #2 – Sand
Step #3 – Coat the top 3X with Java Gel (Java Gel tutorial here)
Step #4 – Wait 72 hours and topcoat with General Finishes Satin HPTC
Do 3 or more coats for protection. I did 5 using a staining sponge because it goes on a bit thinner when you use a sponge.
Step #5 – Tape off the top on the underside so you can paint the apron and legs.
The satin gives just a tad bit of reflection - love this!
The Apron & Legs
Step #1 – Clean well
Step #2 – Sand to rough up the finish.
Step #3 – Mix Extra-Bond into the Driftwood OFMP (Old Fashioned Milk Paint) to help it adhere and paint the base coat. Add a second coat – with no EB added.
Step #4 – Lightly sand off any nubs (If you don't strain your paint, you may get little undiluted pieces of the OFMP that need knocking off.)
     If you do this, be sure to just dust it off with a rag or brush rather than wiping it down with a wet rag. The moisture in a wet rag will reactivate the milk paint and it will peel right off. I learned that the hard way.
 


Step #5 – Dry brush a lighter color on the carvings to accent the details.
Step #6 – Topcoat with a matte sealer – I used General Finishes Flat out Flat.


    
Occasionally the dryness and chilliness of our home can cause my flat topcoats to dry unevenly – giving the appearance of "drag", which is where the first brush stroke dries before you lay down your next pass, causing a milky, scuffed up appearance. In this case, it's what I wanted because I was going for the old-world look. I was pleased when it happened this time. Not so much other times.
It always amazes me how an old boring piece of outdated furniture can be transformed with a little paint and stain combined with just a bit of imagination and technique. Have you tried it yet?


This post was sponsored by The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company by supplying the materials for this project – Thanks, OFMP!


For more details on this project and other tutorials, sample projects and free stuff, visit Love My DIY Home at the link below. Thanks for visiting!
Suggested materials:
  • Milk Paint   (milkpaint.com)
  • Topcoats   (Generalfinishes.com)
  • Java Gel stain   (Generalfinishes.com)
Val Frania {Love My DIY Home}
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  3 questions
  • Christine Critelli Christine Critelli on Jun 10, 2017

    Love it. With the milk paint stick to any type of surface?

  • DecorRestorations DecorRestorations on Jun 15, 2017

    they are beautiful! Thank you for sharing. When you said the drag of the top coat are you referring to the top of the tables where the stain is or on the milk paint because I can't see what you're talking about on the top .

  • Marie Madonna Marie Madonna on Jul 24, 2018

    What color paint did you use on the bottom?

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