Refinished Craigslist Kitchen Table - No Streaks and No Sanding

Would you believe that this table….



….used to look like this?

 

Yep, when we bought this table and chairs off of Craigslist for $50 last summer, this is what I had to work with.  Many might have overlooked it, but I saw a diamond in the rough.  Who wouldn’t want a beautiful pedestal table and chairs that if purchased brand new, would cost anywhere from $500-1,000?

 

I was glad to finally replace our old table and chairs.  There was nothing wrong with the old one.  I've just  been wanting a black pedestal table for a long time, so I was very thankful to find such a great deal on Craigslist.

When it came time to refinish the table, I found myself in a dillema. I needed the finish to be smooth yet durable. I really wanted the finish to look sprayed, but I didn't want to purchase a paint sprayer.

 Because I was wanting a certain look, I knew I needed to find a different technique than the one I used in “Painted Furniture.”

 

Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for this project was also not gonna happen.  ASCP worked fine for “Craigslist Dining Room Table and Chairs

 Makeover”, because we rarely ever use our dining room table.  What I didn’t know about ACSP when I painted the dining room table was that it is not a very durable paint, even though it is very easy to work with.  Because we use the kitchen table on a regular basis, I needed to find a more durable paint.

While I love the technique that I used for the master bedroom furniture in "Trash to Treasure”….

….and in “Refinished Craigslist Armoire”, the finish was too glossy for what I was looking for when painting the kitchen table. 

That’s when I came across this post from Just A Girl.  Much of her technique was what I was already doing, but she used a black paint that was completely new to me.  As you can see, her technique paid off! My table ended up having exactly what I was looking for – a matte finish that looks sprayed without any streaks.  I have no idea what is in this paint to make it so special, but I can tell you that it is my new favorite paint for refinishing furniture with a clean modern finish.

 

Her method was pretty straight forward.  Start out by cleaning the furniture with TSP cleaner.  You can find it in a spray bottle or a powder at a local hardware store.  I buy the powder, add water and put it in my own spray bottle to make it last longer.

 

After cleaning the furniture, I applied one coat of Zinsser primer.   I love this stuff, simply because you can usually skip sanding when using it.  It comes in both oil base and water base.  Oil base was suggested for this project.

Then it came time to apply the black paint.  I called every paint store that carried Benjamin Moore asking for the paint that she used, only to be told that they didn’t make it???  I was completely bummed!  Fortunately while calling the last store on my list, a guy who had been working with Benjamin Moore paint for years answered the phone.  He said the paint is just called something different now, and he had it in stock.  I ended up driving out of my way to get this paint, but it was completely worth it!  The paint that I bought was Benjamin Moore’s DTM Acrylic Low Luster Black 25 80.  I used two coats for the table and chairs.

 

And of course I used the magic of the simple foam roller for this project.  It does really well preventing streaks.  Combine the roller with the paint, and my table was lookin’ pretty good.

Add a bouquet  of $4 flowers from Trader Joes and some pretty napkins from World Market, and I was in business! 

 

I really love the finish on this table!  The only thing that I noticed about this finish is that when we had kids over for the holidays, their greasy finger prints did not wipe off easily. Once I sprayed some citrus table cleaner on it, it came off just fine.

 

Overall, this was a great investment for us.  After a year of searching for a pedestal table and chairs at Goodwills, garage sales and Craigslist, I finally found one that I could work with.  My patience paid off!  Definitely $50 well spent:)