How to Paint Dining Room Furniture

Hello Friends,

Can you believe it’s already Week 4 of the One Room Challenge? I know! It’s totally crazy! And this week is one of my very favorite weeks because it’s all about furniture makeovers. 

First know that I kept all of the pieces that I already had. They were all in perfect condition and name brand pieces made of solid wood. Their only sin was becoming blah and outdated.

But thanks to a box full of Fusion Mineral Paint and a boatload of elbow grease, each piece (Yes! all FIVE of them) is now fresh and new.

How to Paint Dining Room Furniture

This post is sponsored by Fusion Mineral Paint, but all projects and opinions are 100% my own. Heather bundle compliments of Emory Valley Mercantile online shop. Affiliate links provided for convenience. Purchases generate a small commission at no cost to you.

Say hello to the dining room table. 🙂

Can you see it mixed in there ~~~ in that sea of dark wood, bronze, and gold?

Oye. 

Now say hello to the maker of all things new ~~ a box full of Fusion Mineral Paints and Waxes.

The Big Ooops!

If you DIY long enough, you’ll realize that nearly every story has an oops. Sometimes the oops is good and you just delightfully keep going. And sometimes the oops is a horrifying and you have to back up to regroup.

In the case of the dining room table, it was one of those totally horrifying and totally must regroup times.

And here’s why.

In the Spring One Room Challenge, I refinished a ton of accessories for the Great Room. And each one was grounded with this most awesome Fusion color called Algonquin. If you’re trying to blend old colors with new colors, it’s the perfect dark greige. I call it Fusion’s “chameleon” because it alters its shade depending on the lighting and surrounding colors.

Algonquin is used on the mirror makeover (photo below) and highlighted with Fusion’s Champlain paint and Espresso Wax. If you’d like to see the full makeover, please click here.

So naturally, I thought this color would be one of the great blenders for the dining room.

Wrong.

Wrong. Wrong. And wrong.

I was half-way through the first coat of Algonquin and stepped away from the table. And that’s when it hit me.

That horrifying moment.

Needless to say, an epic scramble to save my dining room table ensued. So much so that I didn’t even realize I didn’t take a picture until I started working on this post. Sorry about that. You’ll have to trust me on this one.

But, aside from the photoless Algonquin step, here’s what happened.

Getting Off the “OH! NO!” Cliff

First, let’s back up and remember that long before I started applying the Algonquin, the table was prepped.

Step 1 ~~ Prep

OK, so luckily my table was in pristine condition because this allowed for some easy and not usually available options.

To prep this table, all I had to do was:

• Wipe it down with a slightly damp cloth.

• No sanding was required for two reasons. There was no waxy build-up from furniture polishes AND the sealer from the factory was completely in tact. Had I been faced with either of these, sanding or stripping to remove the spent product and then resealing to prevent bleed from the mahogany would have been in order.

• But because this table was super-duper slick from the factory sealer, a coat of Fusion’s Ultra Grip was applied. It applies just like paint and gives a super-slick surface the grab it needs to hang on to the paint.

Step 2 ~~ Apply Algonquin Paint

After the Ultra Grip was allowed to dry (according to manufacturer’s directions), a coat of Algonquin was applied. Even though half-way through, I realized it was all wrong, I completed the table. The way I figured it, now I had a good solid base coat of paint over the Ultra Grip. And while it cured, I could figure out which way to go with the color.

Step 3 ~~ Apply Putty (color) Paint

Luckily, on this rare occasion, I had actually thought ahead and had a container of Fusion’s Putty on hand. Turns out, it is just like Algonquin, but on the light side. Putty is the “chameleon” of the light greige persuasion.

And two coats of Putty later, the table was done.

I will tell you that I buffed (not sanded) the table between the two coats of Putty. This step isn’t necessary to achieve a fabulous finish, but ever-so-gently buffing with a high-grit, worn-out sandpaper seems to add to the buttery, factory-finish created by the Fusion paint.

And just so you know that I didn’t waste the Algonquin application, I opted to do more of a dry brush of the Putty color inside the fret work. This created more dimension and depth so that the piece could marry up nicely with its darker cohorts.

Step 4 ~~ Huuuum. No.

Since Fusion paints are self-sealing, there is no step four. All you need to do is allow the paint to dry and then cure to its trademark rock-solid finish.

See what I mean? Isn’t this the perfect transition color between lights and darks, greiges and grays? Note that the deconstructed slipcover (photo below) is pretty much Algonquin. Funny how that color works on the fabric, but not on the table.

But more on that later.

For now, if you appreciate this makeover, please…PIN the photo below for later.

Resources

And Be Sure to Visit

More Dining Room Furniture Makeovers

Click this link –> How to Paint Fabric and Frame

BEFORE

AFTER

Click this link –> Console Table Makeover Using Fusion Metallics 

BEFORE

This table was originally mahogany and had been painted a minty green color in a chalky-type paint. 

For this makeover, metallic paint in two different colors was applied.

AFTER

Click this link –> Stationary Bar Using Fusion Paint and Wax

BEFORE

AFTER

 Coming soon –> Outdated China Hutch Gets Unique Update

How to Sew A Destructured Slipcover (for the bench below)

How to Paint Faux Antique Brass Drapery Rods (for the rods shown below)

Hosts

And as always, many thanks to our wonderful hosts.  

Linda from the blog, Calling It Home and House Beautiful magazine. 

Please click here to see Featured Designers and here for Guest Participants

We appreciate you so much!

Resources

Fusion Mineral Paint website ~ https://fusionmineralpaint.com

Heather bundle compliments of ~ https://emoryvalleymercantile.com

An online shop for Farmhouse, Vintage, and French Country

THE DINING ROOM MAKEOVER

The Dining Room Makeover Plan – Week 1

How to Design Picture Frame Moulding – Week 2

Tips for Perfect Ceiling and Wall Paint – Week 3

How to Paint Dining Room Furniture – Week 4 (You are here)

How to Paint Faux Antique Brass Hardware – Week 5 

How to Easily Paint Super Slick Surfaces – Week 6

Dining Room Reveal – Week 7

Outdated Bench Refresh – How to Paint the Fabric and Frame

Stationary Bar Cart Refresh – Using a Combo of Paint and Wax

Traditional Meets Trendy – Mahogany Console Table Makeover in Metallic Paint

Easily Add Gold Touches to Furniture and Accessories with Liquid Leaf

Spring 2017 ORC – Great Room Refresh