Simple Stained & Chalk Painted Coffee Table Makeover

It's not that I'm lazy. I never drag my butt. I've never been lackadaisical (I've always wanted to use this word!). I just have this uncontrollable urge to make things easier and simpler.

Part of the reason for leaving the corporate world was my frustrations around complexity. More processes, more procedures, more policies and more non-value-added work. It was as though the more complex a process was, the more work it involved - the more important the process was. I was constantly looking for simpler ways of doing things.

At reFIND, I continue to do the same. I don't want to waste my hours sanding, stripping, priming & sweating. I want to just get at it and start to see results immediately. Part of the reason I chose to retail the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint was due to the ease of use - no priming, no sanding, no removing of old wax, paint or varnish. Just. Start. Painting.

However, I don't always want to paint over beautifully-grained solid wood. BUT to refinish wood and bring it back its original beauty can take hours and hours of sanding, dust, more sanding, more dust and sometimes stripping with harmful chemicals. And then, the wood may still not accept the stain and you're left doing it all over again. Not to mention, trying to get a beautifully smooth topcoat over that stain can be a big pain in the @ss.

Enter General Finishes Oil-based Gel Stain. AH-MAZ-ing stuff. Gel stains are finely ground pigments in oil and urethane. It literally goes right over your existing stained finish to deepen and enhance the wood, without stripping the existing finish. Simple. And easy!

Here's a quick tutorial on how to do a simple makeover to a solid wood coffee table.

Materials:

General Finishes Java Gel Stain

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (Old White)

Annie Sloan Soft Wax (Clear)

Wax Brush

Foam Brush

Rubber Gloves

Lint-Free Clothes

Wood Stir Sticks

Painters Tape

1. Prepare your piece for staining. Sand the surface with 220 grit sandpaper or a sanding sponge. This is not a heavy duty sanding, just a light buffing. Clean your surface with mineral spirits or a de-greasing cleaner. Tape off any areas you don't want stained with painters tape.

2. I chose the famous General Finishes Java Gel stain colour. This shade is a medium brown, with some lovely red undertones. Stir the gel well (do not shake can) before use. The consistency is like chocolate pudding (YUM! But wait, don't eat it!).

3. Working in sections, apply the Java Gel liberally with a foam or bristle brush. Wipe off the excess stain with a lint-free cloth (I prefer the blue shop towels). Wipe with the grain and blend any adjoining areas to prevent streaking. Always start on the underside of a table, just to get the technique down before doing the table top. And ALWAYS wear gloves when working with an oil-based stain. No one wants stained fingers!

4. If a deeper colour is desired, repeat this process until the desired colour is achieved. It is important to wait for the stain to dry between coats. Dry times vary depending on the temperature and humidity. I generally wait up to 12 hours to re-coat, just in case. If you don't wait long enough, you will have a tacky finish (not tacky as in ugly, tacky as in sticky).

Now, because Gel Stain has urethane in it already - it doesn't need a topcoat! YES! I said it! I love the flat, hand-rubbed finish it has. But if your stained surface will be exposed to a lot of water, it is always best to treat with a wood finishing top coat. General Finishes High-Performance Water-Based Top Coats are a great option with the gel stain. It comes in Flat to Gloss finishes too, depending on how you're feeling that day. Just be sure to wait 72 hours before applying to the newly stained surface.

5. I always love the look of a stained table top with a painted base. I chose to paint my base in Annie Sloan's Old White Chalk Paint. Chalk Paint has a beautiful, flat/matte finish that works perfectly with this style of table. There is no priming or sanding required (unless of course, your piece has chipping paint or imperfections you want to smooth out). I applied 2 coats to the wood base.

6. To protect the painted finish, apply 2 thin coats of Annie Sloan Soft Wax. The wax allows you to properly clean the piece and protect your newly painted finish from daily wear & tear. It also gives a beautiful 'mellow' finish that deepens the underlying colour. Use Dark Wax to give an aged or more rustic patina.

7. Wax can be applied using a wax brush or a lint-free cloth. Wipe away excess wax with a clean lint-free cloth.

8. It is important to only apply thin coats of Soft Wax. This will allow the wax to fullly cure and harden. It generally takes 5-21 days for the wax to cure (depending on humidity/temperature). After about 24 hours (or when the wax is no longer tacky to the touch), buff with a lint free cloth. This will give a slight sheen (not a shine!) to the surface and help harden up the surface.

And that is IT. Simple. Easy.

You can literally makeover a small table like this in a matter of hours (not including dry times). No time wasted prepping - just value-added, simple process & procedure. No complexity here!

Best of luck with your projects!