Farmhouse Makeover for a Vintage Handmade Side Table

The weather has finally cooperated and I have been able to snap some pictures of my painted table....maybe a few too many pictures!  My apologies if you feel I'm getting you a little too up close and personal with a piece of furniture.

So, when you last saw my yard sale table, it looked like this.....

It started out looking like this.....

And here is how it looks now....

My fears of this table being too blue and bright were laid to rest after I took some 80-grit sandpaper to the chalk paint finish, followed by some antiquing wax.  The color really ended up the exact French blue color that I was imagining.  It is a lesson to not get too scared by color before the project is done.

And as always, I love how the stained table top ended up.  After I had removed the previous finish, I re-stained it with American Walnut stain , which is what I've been using on my furniture projects.  The color ended up very red toned on this wood, though.  So, after it dried, I rubbed on a darker brown stain (it's an old can, so I have no clue what the color is).  That darkened the top to the perfect color I was looking for.

I love the look of the color of the wood next to the blue paint.

The details of the wood are so much more noticeable after the paint and distressing.

The turned legs stand out so much more with the addition of a little white paint....just enough to highlight the table,  not detract.   

As I said when I first showed this table, I know that not everyone enjoys seeing old furniture painted.  I know that not everyone enjoys a lot of distressing.  

But, the top of this table was worn and needed re-stained anyway.  The table had already been refinished at least once in it's past, so I wasn't destroying a perfect antique table.  And I haven't actually destroyed the table....paint can always be removed and the table can be re-stained.

I love the look of my finished table.  And I enjoyed really distressing it to make the table look like it has been painted and used for all of its hundred or so years.