Painted Thrift Store Tables

Last week I blogged about my thrift store end tables. They are beautiful solid wood tables but I really did not want brown tables because I have so much brown already in my living room. I have always loved the look of white tables and decided to paint them white. 

These were my inspiration tables... 

And this is what my tables look like now...

I have to say these were extremely difficult to paint and if I had it to do over again I might have done things differently. I began painting them with spray paint but because there are three flat surfaces, a four sided scalloped based and fluted legs this job was crying out for a paint sprayer.  

Spray paint cans was not a good choice because it would have required many cans to prime, paint and seal both tables. The amount I saved on buying used instead of new would have been wasted. I didn't have a paint sprayer and wasn't ready to invest in one so I opted to paint them by hand. 

I gave the wood a good sanding before priming. The yellow tops were vinyl so I don't know how much the sanding helped. I had glass tops so I wasn't too concerned about the paint not covering well. I used a sponge paint roller for the three flat surfaces and a bristle brush for the legs and base. There are a lot of nooks and crannies so paint tended to puddle in places. I took my time to make sure the wood was covered and did not put too much paint on the brush. If there is anything I learned it's that you have to get down low when you paint furniture like this. If not you will easily miss spots. You my not notice if you are standing up but if you are ever sitting on the floor the missed spots will be visible. 

I used two coats of primer, two coats of paint and two coats of water based sealer. It took a few weeks to finish both tables because I wanted them to dry thoroughly between coats. The  most important step was to let the paint cure or harden so when I was finished I didn't touch or move them for a week.     

These were easily the most difficult paint project I've ever had. I thought they turned out beautifully and I am very happy with them.