IT. IS. DONE!
Remember when I talked about the DIY project that I Seriously didn't Like! Well, it's all done! Here's what I started with- a traditional table from the thrift store given to us from a friend.
I painted it last year with LATEX paint. BIG, BIG mistake. It started looking awful within months. Look at the evidence below. Embarrassing!
So I finally decided to get my act together and repaint this table. First, I had to strip the paint off- which is the part I don't like. Of all the DIY projects in the world, I hate stripping paint the most.
Once the paint was stripped off, I started over with two coats of primer. The spray primer is for the curvy legs of the table. Notice the beautiful day outside.
I used TWO coats of primer...
and made sure I sanded it down after each coat. This step is so important. I used 220 grit sand paper and it felt so smooth after sanding it.
I did run into trouble though. I used my Purdy brush for the primer, then used paint thinner to clean it. I didn't clean it thoroughly though. I had to youtube how to clean a brush properly and realized I shouldn't be using my brush for both latex and enamel paint. Oops! Lesson learned. I soaked it in paint thinner, but hate using such harsh chemicals. If oil based paints and primers dry on your paint brush, they're pretty much useless. My brush came back to life, but my rule of thumb from now on will be to use disposable sponge brushes whenever I use enamels.
I LOVE sponge brushes in general. I so dislike cleaning paint brushes, and I always feel that these sponge brushes give me a smoother stroke anyway. That's my 2cents on brushes.
Notice again the beautiful day!
I used the spray enamel on the legs.
And I decided my thrift chairs could use a fresh coat, too.
I painted a THIN coat of white enamel, then let it dry for 24 hours. That's the hard part- just waiting. I gently sanded any imperfections then painted another coat. Looking back, I wish I would have painted a third coat for extra measure, but I think the two coats will hold up.
I used a new sponge brush with each coat, using long strokes from one side to the other- starting from the middle and working my way to the head of the table.
By the way, this was Sunday. Nice day, but we had been warned.
Finally, it was time to protect my paint. I thought about using a furniture wax, but the more I investigated, the more I realized wax may not be the best decision. I decided to use polycrylic, a water based protective finish that won't "yellow" the white paint.
Still, a nice day, right?
And here it is. I love my drab to fab black chairs, but they'll be getting a paint job next just to have a more cohesive look.
The enamel paint dries hard, not soft and pliable like latex paint. The table isn't so delicate now. It can handle my family, our meals, books, computers, toys, etc.
I love my "new" table. My family loves it, too. It was a bit of a pain to get through this DIY project, but as usual, it was so worth it in the end. What do you think?
Remember when I talked about the DIY project that I Seriously didn't Like! Well, it's all done! Here's what I started with- a traditional table from the thrift store given to us from a friend.
I painted it last year with LATEX paint. BIG, BIG mistake. It started looking awful within months. Look at the evidence below. Embarrassing!
So I finally decided to get my act together and repaint this table. First, I had to strip the paint off- which is the part I don't like. Of all the DIY projects in the world, I hate stripping paint the most.
Once the paint was stripped off, I started over with two coats of primer. The spray primer is for the curvy legs of the table. Notice the beautiful day outside.
I used TWO coats of primer...
and made sure I sanded it down after each coat. This step is so important. I used 220 grit sand paper and it felt so smooth after sanding it.
I did run into trouble though. I used my Purdy brush for the primer, then used paint thinner to clean it. I didn't clean it thoroughly though. I had to youtube how to clean a brush properly and realized I shouldn't be using my brush for both latex and enamel paint. Oops! Lesson learned. I soaked it in paint thinner, but hate using such harsh chemicals. If oil based paints and primers dry on your paint brush, they're pretty much useless. My brush came back to life, but my rule of thumb from now on will be to use disposable sponge brushes whenever I use enamels.
I LOVE sponge brushes in general. I so dislike cleaning paint brushes, and I always feel that these sponge brushes give me a smoother stroke anyway. That's my 2cents on brushes.
Notice again the beautiful day!
I used the spray enamel on the legs.
And I decided my thrift chairs could use a fresh coat, too.
I painted a THIN coat of white enamel, then let it dry for 24 hours. That's the hard part- just waiting. I gently sanded any imperfections then painted another coat. Looking back, I wish I would have painted a third coat for extra measure, but I think the two coats will hold up.
I used a new sponge brush with each coat, using long strokes from one side to the other- starting from the middle and working my way to the head of the table.
By the way, this was Sunday. Nice day, but we had been warned.
Finally, it was time to protect my paint. I thought about using a furniture wax, but the more I investigated, the more I realized wax may not be the best decision. I decided to use polycrylic, a water based protective finish that won't "yellow" the white paint.
Still, a nice day, right?
And here it is. I love my drab to fab black chairs, but they'll be getting a paint job next just to have a more cohesive look.
The enamel paint dries hard, not soft and pliable like latex paint. The table isn't so delicate now. It can handle my family, our meals, books, computers, toys, etc.
I love my "new" table. My family loves it, too. It was a bit of a pain to get through this DIY project, but as usual, it was so worth it in the end. What do you think?
Blessings,
Lisa
Oh and by the way,
I finished the table on Sunday, and this is what happened on Monday.
Excellent, love it:)
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