DIY Farmhouse Table & Dining Set Makeover with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®

Ooh I'm so excited... It's officially Fall! AND I get to talk about a couple of my recent obsessions, Repurposing furniture & Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan!!

If you follow me over on my My Youtube Channel & Facebook, you've probably already noticed that I've been essentially living in our garage, painting furniture like a maniac. I've been bit by the DIY bug, and no piece of wood is safe from my paint brush! ;)

If you've ever delved into the world of painting furniture yourself, there's no doubt that you've seen a lot of beautiful pieces painted with the famous Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan. So of course I had to try out this amazing paint for myself! I decided that an old dining set I found on Craigslist was the perfect first project ( side note: come to find out, a giant old dining set is probably NOT the perfect choice for a first project haha ). 

Here are a few pictures of what the dining set looked like BEFORE. 

I scored this large table complete with 2 leaves, and 6 chairs for only $100! *Happy Dance* 

She was in good shape but needed a little love, and updating.. elephant fabric chairs anyone..? no?  ;) 

 While the original look of the dining table was nice, I knew immediately that I wanted to switch out the legs for something with more of a farmhouse look. Thanks to the beyond fabulous folks over at Osborne Wood, I ordered 4 of these deliciously chunky Husky Dining Table Legs in a gorgeous unfinished hard maple. I still squeal every time I see them, they are the PERFECT farmhouse table legs! 

Luckily, my handsome handymen husband and dad were easily able to make a few cuts and attach these new legs to my dining table. I could see my farmhouse table vision coming to life! :) 

Once the table was put together, hubby and I began the slow, messy and laborious process of stripping and sanding the tabletop. I would just like to pause here and say that I don't recommend stripping furniture to anyone... ever... seriously just don't do it lol.

Before, During & After using Citristrip Stripping Gel

After 2 solid hours of sanding (thank you hubster!) 

I chose to stain the tabletop with my favorite Minwax Wood Stain in English Chestnut, and then sealed it with 2 coats of polyurethane for durability. Here is what she looked like after! As you can see the top is now much lighter than the original finish (on the apron).

Now on to the fun part of this makeover, PAINTING! 
With the help of the amazing folks over at Annie Sloan Unfolded, I decided to paint the table apron, legs and all of the chairs with Chalk Paint decorative paint by Annie Sloan in the colors Old White & Old Ochre, in addition to a topcoat of Clear Soft Wax. 
To apply the Chalk Paint, I also used Annie Sloan's FABULOUS Pure Bristle Brush. I do intend to do a full review of this particular brush as well, because frankly, it deserves a post all it's own.. yes, it's really that amazing.

Fresh can of Old White

After painting only a few swipes of Old White Chalk Paint® on the table apron, I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY at the coverage. I have painted a ton of furniture white in the past few months and let me tell you, no other paint had such amazing coverage with only one coat! Chalk Paint® is much thicker and creamier than typical paint, and it's coverage is more opaque. I highly recommend picking up her Pure Bristle Brush to apply it, as it's dense bristles hold the paint incredibly well and help with achieving very full coverage with just one coat. I did try painting with one of my Wooster brushes as well, and while it still applied nicely, it didn't have quite the same opacity.

After One Coat of Old White

In total, I applied 2 coats of Old White Chalk Paint® to the table apron, and just ONE coat to the table legs! This paint covers like a dream! My arms have thanked me ten times over for using Chalk Paint® instead of my usual enamel ;) I will say however, it does dry very quickly, so make sure to watch for any globs while painting and swipe them up! 
To top it off, I applied 1 coat of Annie Sloan's Clear Soft Wax to the table apron and legs using a lint free rag. Applying the wax was a bit of a learning curve for me, but I loved how it took the paint from a chalky texture to a smooth, durable finish. 

After 2 Coats of Old White Chalk Paint 

Next I painted all 6 of the dining chairs. Painting chairs is definitely NOT my favorite ;)  You never truly realize how many little nooks and crannies that a ladderback chair has until you have to paint one.. lol But I will say, using Chalk Paint® easily saved me a good 2 coats of paint, and the thick bristle brush was a lifesaver for covering lots of area in a small amount of time.. :) Hallelujah!
I decided to paint the dining chairs in Old Ochre, a slightly darker and creamier shade than Old White. I'll be honest though, I made this decision AFTER I had already painted 2 of the chairs in Old White... aaah indecisiveness at its best ;) 

Chair Before

Old Ochre Chalk Paint

I wanted to show you guys how AWESOME the coverage is with Chalk Paint® in Old Ochre. I've found that the darker colors are even more opaque, and So creamy!! 

Here are 2 of my dining chairs, the left chair is painted in Old Ochre, and the right is painted in Old White. As you can see, Old Ochre is just a bit darker. I decided to go with this color on the chairs to add a little extra contrast to the dining table base. After painting, I lightly distressed all of the chairs with medium sandpaper.

Adorable shiba helper not available with purchase ;) 

After 2 coats of Old Ochre on each chair, I then applied a top coat of Annie Sloan's Clear Soft Wax with a lint free rag. Below you can see my picture of the before & after. The Clear Wax darkens the paint color a bit, and adds dimension and character to the piece. It also makes the texture of Chalk Paint® smoother than a baby's bottom and super durable against spills, love it!

Last but not least, (sheww.. we're almost there folks!) we upholstered the dining chairs with a gorgeous new fabric from Brentwood Interiors. The fabric is Lacefield Design's popular 'Document' fabric in the colors Sepia (top) and Fossil (bottom). I highly recommend this fabric for any upholstery projects that you may have in mind; not only is the french script pattern on trend, its also very heavy and durable.
(side note: I will be sharing another blog post soon explaining how I reupholstered the chairs!)

and.. tada! Our dining set was complete!
It turned out even better than I had envisioned. I love how the natural top provides a warm contrast against the fresh white table legs & ivory chairs.
I can't wait to sit around this table with family, enjoying many delicious meals and memories together in the future :) 

If you have any questions, please leave me a comment down below and I will be happy to answer them! :) 


& for more information about Chalk Paint decorative paint by Annie Sloan visit these links,        

• Find a Retailer or Stockist
• Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan
• Annie Sloan Soft Wax, Fabrics and Books
• Annie Sloan Unfolded Facebook fan page, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube

& to see more of my DIY projects, along with easy to follow video tutorials CLICK HERE.