Cheap table makeover | How About Orange

December 13, 2013

Cheap table makeover


Months ago we bought a $10 table via Craigslist to hold up a lamp in the guest bedroom. It was in sad shape:


So I decided to give it a quick paint job to make it look more fun. Sort of Jonathan Adler-esque, except for the curvy base that doesn't make much sense with the geometric design I put on it. But when a girl wants diamonds, she wants diamonds.

I'd heard about adding Floetrol to latex paint to level out the brush marks and asked my local Ace Hardware guy about it. He said it was an option, but instead recommended door and cabinet paint for my little job. It already has an additive similar to Floetrol in it to smooth out brushstrokes. It's latex, making cleanup easy, but it doesn't have the stickiness that latex sometimes does. (Which from experience, I've learned can be a pain. I painted latex on some wooden boxes to use as monitor stands, and our monitors stick to them, pulling off the paint when you lift them up.) The Ace fellow said oil paint is generally best for furniture, but since this table won't get much wear, latex is fine.

I had my choice of Ace brand cabinet paint or the higher-end brand they carry. I went with Ace since the table is cheap and I didn't want to invest much in it. Which is also why I didn't bother to buy primer.

The Ace guy opened the quart of white I bought, dumped out a little into a new can, and tinted that portion orange so I didn't have to purchase another entire tinted can for the tabletop design.


After painting three coats of white, the table looked decent. I loved the way the paint behaved. Brushstrokes really did disappear, and the coating is smooth and hard. Despite sanding, though, the table top's veneer was still damaged so the wood was a little bumpy. But it was a cheap table, so I didn't mind.

After the white was applied, I made a template for the shapes and taped around them. I started with Frog tape and realized it was too wide, so I switched to skinny tape. I applied a coat of orange paint and started pulling off the tape, which also pulled off flecks of white along with it. Awesome. Yeah, priming might have made the white paint adhere better; we'll never know. Heating the tape with a blowdryer seemed to help it come off better with minimal peeling.

The orange paint had squished under the tape in many places, so I touched up all the flaws with more white paint and they don't show.


I think it adds a little something to the guest room and looks better than a scuffed up brown table, for sure.



14 comments:

Grandma G said...

Cute table! My bedroom just keeps getting prettier all the time! I'll have to come and sleep in it again soon! :)

Mum

marmalade said...

so awesome!

lp said...

This is cool! I actually like the curvy base with it. I think it adds to the visual interest. I think Jonathan Adler would be proud. :)

Jojo said...

Love it! Very cool & colorful!

LT said...

You inspire me so much - and I love ORANGE! This table is lovely!!

jabbott said...

The table looks fabulous, with the makeover.love how you place the pink lampshade to set it all off.

Unknown said...

Beautifully modern!

annie dee said...

Perfect paint job for that table. Great job

LL said...

Right before I read this post I was scouring the internet to find the necklace Evangeline Lilly wore on The Daily Show. The pendant was such a fantastic shape!

I love it on your table - what a great transformation!

Sarah @ *Tadaam! said...

This is a really nice pattern !

Jessica Jones said...

LL, wow, I had no idea there's a necklace to match the table! Nice. :)

Larissa Holland said...

My mantel was painted with latex when the house was built, and ten years later things were still sticking to the paint. We finally repainted with oil paint and voila, no stickiness. Lesson learned! I also think that's why all my baseboards stay cruddy looking - latex paint combined with dust. Your table looks awesome!

Jessica Jones said...

Thanks, Larissa. This is good info! I currently have baseboards that are stained wood combined with dust, and it hides the dust fabulously. That's an upside to dark woodwork--the house can be filthy and nobody will know. Score!

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing! The table really turned out great :) I might have to try something like this with one of the many beat-up pieces I'm always finding at the thrifts!