DIY painting kitchen table

Alright folks, here is another DIY project the hubby and I started/finished last year. You may remember I spoke of a dining room table I had inherited from my great Aunt. We love this table, which sits in the highest traffic area in our home. This hand-me-down dining table is full of character.. dents, chips, peeling trim and water damage are indications of many years of meals shared among loved ones. Before adding yet another generation of character to the table, we decided to take on a DIY project and give it a modern update. Specifically, we painted the table and chairs white and added some funky seat covers (more details on the seat covers coming soon...)

Here is a summary of how we painted a previously stained and sealed dining set:

• to remove loose dirt, dust and grease, wipe down all surfaces with a clean cloth dampened with pure, white vinegar - allow to dry
• lightly sand all surfaces using orbital sander and hand sander - 220 grit
• to remove dust, wipe down all surfaces with damp cloth - allow to dry
• chair back-rests: apply two coats of spray primer for indoor/outdoor wicker furniture
• remainder of chair surface and table: apply two coats of acrylic stain killer/primer/sealer with mini-roller for flat surfaces and brush for all other areas
• chair back-rests: apply two coats of white, flat spray paint for indoor/outdoor wicker furniture
• remainder of chair surface and table: apply two coats of white, flat melamine paint with mini-roller for flat surfaces and brush for all other areas
• allow to dry for at least a week  

Here is the set after removal from storage

Note the four matching chairs including a captain chair have a mesh backrest - this proved to be a challenge

Wipe down with vinegar to remove years of fingerprints, grease etc.

Lightly sand with orbital sander

We didn't attempt to remove the finish and get down to the wood since we planned on painting (and not staining)

Here is a close-up of some water damage that had to be smoothed out using a combination of orbital sander and hand-sanding.

We decided to spray paint the mesh back-rests using an indoor/outdoor spray primer and flat white paint designed for wicker furniture, it worked great!

Here is the finished product as it looks today in our kitchen. More on the seat covers in an upcoming post

The finer details slowed the process, but was worth the effort. I love love love the little details.

For the legs, we pained the grooves using a small art brush and then the mini-roller resulted in a smooth, dripless finish.

We think this classic table, looking slightly modern, fits perfect in our kitchen. I love love love the finished product.