Painting a Table - The Easy Way

Happy Mama-Made Monday!

 

I've been talking about Munch's big girl room here-and-there for quite some time.  I finally feel like her room is at a "done" point.  Remember, her room is large (the auxiliary room over the two-car garage).  I originally thought it was perfect and that we would NEVER crap-ify it.  I quickly learned, however, I have a little person who has knack for accumulating and spreading her crap about any room.  Size doesn't matter; she can make any room feel small, lol.

 

Anyhoo, remember how I devised my plan and created my wish list?

 

 

You can read more posts about the Big Girl Room here. 

Shorlty after we moved in, I decided to come up with a plan for the design.  I made a quick ROUGH mock-up for the room; my goal was to ensure the space was well-planned and would accommodate our growing girl.  Here's the layout as I saw it a year ago:

 

 

It's not to scale.  The colors are off.  It doesn't have the guinea pig area or the leave-your-pile-of-clothes-here-and-drive-daddy-batty area BUT you get the point.  I had a plan... and, because I thought through the layout for the room in advance, every purchase had a place and a purpose.  If I saw something for Munch's room while out shopping, and it wasn't on the diagram, it needed to be justified.  By justified, I mean "is __ more important than the other projects remaining on the Big Girl Room to-do list?!"  It was a GREAT way to hold myself accountable for completing projects.  It was also a great way to track the room's progress.

 

Sure, I made some progress but, after one year of living in the house, her room wasn't finished... nowhere near finished... one of the areas that remained undone, you ask?  The game/puzzle area.  Initially, I needed to find the perfect table.  I started my search knowing I didn't want the typical "kids' table" because she's getting bigger and her little long legs will soon outgrow the smaller furniture.  My hunt ended when I got a table months ago. 

 

Yep, you read correctly...

 

I've had a table for months! 

 

So what?!  It still sat... in the garage... for months.  I wasn't sure of the color I'd paint it. 

 

Then, I decided on the color and it sat... in the garage... for weeks... because I couldn't find the time to paint it.  Last Friday, when my training professor released the class 2 hours early, I hit up the paint store to find the perfect shade of yellow and to knock this project out!

 

I didn't want a bright yellow or a baby nursery yellow; I wanted a yellow that would compliment the softness of the Gentle Butterfly [Benjamin Moore] paint color on the ceiling and armoire:

 

 

I found the perfect shade of yellow and I set out to get the painting done.  I've learned when the 'feeling' hits me, I should go with it... ya know, before the feeling of eh-it's-so-much-why-not-just-wait-and-be-lazy takes over.

 

So, in case you're wondering, here's how to paint a table the easy way!

 

Supplies

 

- Damp cloth

- Paint (I used Valspar per the recommendation of the Lowe's sales associate but you can ask what's the best paint/primer for furniture at your local store)

- Paint supplies (paint, brushes, rollers and a drop cloth so you don't have to hear your husband's mouth about stains on the garage floor)

- The table

 

Now, I've spoken about this table in previous posts.  Sherry sanded hers down and stained the wood a fabulous dark cherry color.  The table top is solid wood and the base is a very heavy metal... they're restaurant sturdy, if you will. 

 

I was so pleased to get it from Sherry's husband for, wait for it, FREE!!!! Isn't the table so cheap that it's PERFECT?!

 

 

Step-by-Steps

 

1. Use the damp cloth to wipe down your piece.  Take care to ensure there's no gunk or dust; painting over these blemishes can really make your paint job look bad!

 

 

2. Roll the paint onto the top of your table.  Then along the sides of the table top.  Wait between each coat for 15-20 minutes.  Waiting is important because sometimes you can roll paint on and off and NEVER get good coverage.

 

 

While we're waiting, did you see the base of the table?

 

 

It's heavy and textured and, rather than roll paint onto it, I thought it would be easier to spray paint.  I had to decide on a color... White? Gold? Pink? Aqua?

 

Aqua.  That should be an easy enough color to find, right?!

 

 

WRONG!!

 

AND that's just one brand in the photograph above!  OMG!  I had to think about what shade I wanted.  After a few stops to the hardware store, I found the perfect shade of aqua...

 

      Krylon Catalina Mist

 

It's perfect.  While I waited on my tabletop to dry, I sprayed the base.

 

3.  Repeat step 2. Paint another coat onto your table.

 

While I waited on the next coat of paint to dry, I pulled out a thrifty find I'd been waiting to paint for Munch's room, the memo board:

 

 

It's seen better days but I thought it was perfect for Munch to hang her pictures and artwork in the homework nook (it only cost $.50 at the thrift store).  I painted the entire board yellow (frame and cork) between coats on the table top.  Don't worry, I'll share pics of that project later this week because both Munch and I had fun with it.

4.  Spray a coat of Polyurethane on the table to seal the paint and to minimize chipping.  This step came highly recommended by the sales associates.

 

 

 

I simply followed the directions on the can and I'm glad it didn't leave a film or taint the color of the table.

 

5.  Allow to dry overnight.

 

6.  Move your table into position.  I was so smart that I blocked Hubbs from parking in the garage!  You guessed it! It was in Munch's room before I woke up the next day!  He moved it on his way to do yard work.  Good guy... better wife ;)

 

7.  Enjoy your new fabulous table!

 

 

You can see the puppy planter made it into the kid's room after all.  O and I got the Ikea lazy Susan as a steal from the thrift store (a whopping $3).  It's large and allows her craft supplies to be centrally located and spinning makes the supplies easy to share.

 

I know the walls look incomplete but don't worry, the above photo was taken before some updates I've made.  Stay tuned for those updates this week ;)

 

I love the color combo and the fun pops of color in the room.  I still need to find affordable seating but the game table area is one step closer to completion!

 

Cheers to a productive week!