Chalk Painted Coffee Table
Are you looking to add a bit of rustic charm to your living room? This chalk painted coffee table might be just what you need! Chalk paint is a popular choice for DIY projects because it helps create a distressed, vintage look on furniture.
And chalk paint furniture ideas like this are easy, even for beginners! So, keep reading to learn more about how you can transform an ordinary coffee table into a unique piece of furniture for your home.
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See more AFTER photos below these printable instructions!
Chalk Painted Coffee Table
Check out this chalk painted coffee table guide if you want to transform your plain coffee table to a rustic or farmhoustyle look.
Materials
- Krud Kutter
- Damp Rag
- 220 Grit Sanding Screens (Use code RAY10 to get 10% off your order)
- Tack Cloth
- Clear Shellac Primer
- Behr Ultra Pure White Latex Paint in Flat
- Calcium Carbonate Powder
- 220 Grit Sandpaper
- Valspar English Tea Party
- Sahara Desert Paint
- Suede Gray Paint
- Black Paint
- Lint Free Cloths
- Minwax Dark Walnut Wood Stain
- General Finishes Van Dyke Brown Glaze Effects
- Varathane Waterbased Polyurethane
Instructions
- First, make sure to thoroughly clean the coffee table with Kud Kutter and a damp rag. This will guarantee a clean surface for better adhesion of the paint.
- Lightly scuff the table with a sander and 220 grit sanding screens to create a better bond between the paint and the wood. Don't forget to remove any dust or debris with a vacuum and tack cloth.
- To prevent stains on white paint, prime your table with 2 coats of clear shellac. This will also help with paint adhesion for a longer lasting finish.
- Make your own chalk paint by mixing calcium carbonate powder, water, and latex paint. Filter the mixture before using a sprayer to make sure the paint is smooth and free of lumps.
- Spray 4-5 coats of white paint onto the coffee table, allowing it to dry between each coat. More coats than usual may be needed for good coverage, especially with light colored paint over dark wood.
- Lightly hand sand the table with the 220 grit sandpaper after the final coat and distress the edges and details. This step adds charm and character to your piece.
- For the table top, start with a base coat of Valspar English Tea Party and layer on Sahara Desert, Suede Gray, and Black using the dry brush technique. This will create a weathered wood effect.
- Apply Minwax Dark Walnut wood stain to darken the top and give it more depth. Then, use a watered down white paint mixture as a whitewash to lighten and weather the top even further.
- Seal the top with Varathane polyurethane to protect the paint and make it easier to work with the glaze. Then apply General Finishes Van Dyke Brown Glaze Effects to finish off the weathered wood look.
- Finally, seal the entire chalk painted coffee table, including the top. Spray 3 coats of Varathane polyurethane for added durability and easy maintenance.
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More Before and After Makeovers
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Click any of these “before” photos below to view the “after” of that makeover.
If you’re tired of your plain coffee table, why not give it a fresh coat of paint? Chalk paint is a budget friendly option for updating furniture, and it’s a beautiful way to add character and personality to your space.
Chalk paint is known for its matte finish and easy to distress look, so you can create a shabby chic or farmhouse style coffee table in just a few steps. You can also choose from various colors and shades; for this one, we’re painting it white for a classic, timeless look.
We’re also making chalk paint, which is a great option if you want to save money or customize your color. We’ll walk you through it, so don’t worry if you’ve never made chalk paint before. Let’s get started!
Supplies Used for Chalk Painted Coffee Table
- Krud Kutter
- Damp Rag
- SurfPrep Sander (Use code RAY10 to get 10% off your order)
- 220 Grit Sanding Screens (Use code RAY10 to get 10% off your order)
- Vacuum
- Tack Cloth
- Clear Shellac Primer
- Behr Ultra Pure White Latex Paint in Flat
- Calcium Carbonate Powder
- Vonforn Paint Sprayer
- 220 Grit Sandpaper
- Valspar English Tea Party
- Sahara Desert Paint
- Suede Gray Paint
- Black Paint
- Lint Free Cloths
- Minwax Dark Walnut Wood Stain
- General Finishes Van Dyke Brown Glaze Effects
- Varathane Waterbased Polyurethane
Preparing Coffee Table for Chalk Paint
First, we cleaned the coffee table using Kud Kutter and a damp rag. This helps remove any dirt or grime that may have accumulated on the table, so make sure to go over everything. A clean surface is important for a smooth and even paint job.
Next, we lightly scuffed the coffee table using our SurfPrep Sander and 220 grit sanding screens. This step helps to create a better bond between the paint and the table so the paint will adhere properly and last longer. After sanding, we used a vacuum and tack cloth to remove any dust or debris. For a more detailed guide, here’s how to prepare furniture for painting.
Priming to Prevent Stains on White Paint
Since we’re going for a white finish on our coffee table, it’s important to take extra care to prevent any stains or discoloration from ruining the final look. Tannins on wood can cause bleedthrough on light paint, and we definitely don’t want that. For more helpful tips, check out our blog post about how to stop stains from coming through paint.
So we primed our table with 2 coats of clear shellac. Clear shellac is the best primer for blocking bleedthrough – it’s easy to apply, especially the spray can version, and it dries quickly. This primer also helps with paint adhesion for a longer lasting finish. Here’s our list of the best chalk paint primers if you want to learn about other primers besides clear shellac.
Chalk Painting Coffee Table
While the primer dried, we made our own chalk paint. We mixed 5 tablespoons of calcium carbonate powder with some water first, then added it into 1 cup of latex paint. We used Behr Ultra Pure White Latex paint in Flat, and we got this straight off the shelf at Home Depot. Here’s our homemade chalk paint recipe you can easily follow!
We filtered the chalk paint into our Vonforn Paint Sprayer to make sure it’s smooth and free of any lumps. Then, we sprayed 4-5 coats of white paint onto the coffee table, letting the paint dry between coats. We used more coats than usual to make sure the white paint had good coverage over the wood. Here’s how to use Vonforn paint sprayer if you’re not familiar with using this paint sprayer.
After the final coat dried, we lightly hand sanded the table to give it a slightly rustic look. We distressed the edges of the table and around the details of the legs, among others. This step is optional but adds extra character and charm to the piece! Then we wiped all that sanding dust away with a tack cloth.
Creating Weathered Gray Look on Table Top
We wanted to do a weathered wood look for the top to add more depth and contrast with the white coffee table. We started by brushing on a base coat of Valspar English Tea Party then we let it dry before layering Sahara Desert, Suede Gray, and Black using a dry brush technique.
The key to dry brush painting is to have very little paint on your brush, wipe it off on a paper towel, and then brush it onto the surface in long, light strokes. We continued to layer the colors until we were happy with the wood grain effect.
After the paint dried, we applied Minwax Dark Walnut wood stain on the top with a lint free cloth, then wiped off the excess with another clean cloth. We let the stain dry completely before applying a watered down white paint mixture as a whitewash. This helped lighten the top and create a more weathered look.
Then, we sealed the top with Varathane polyurethane to protect the paint and make it easier to work with the glaze. We finished off the weathered wood look by applying General Finishes Van Dyke Brown Glaze Effects. Here’s how to create a weathered wood gray finish for more detailed instructions!
Sealing Chalk Painted Coffee Table
We wanted to make sure our chalk painted coffee table would last for years, as chalk paint alone is not very durable. That’s why we always seal our chalk painted furniture! Applying a topcoat not only protects the paint but also makes it easier to clean and maintain in the long run.
To seal our coffee table, we mixed our favorite Varathane waterbased polyurethane and sprayed 3 coats of it all over the coffee table, including the top. We love using a sprayer for this step because it gives us a smooth and even finish without any brush strokes. Learn more tips on how to spray polyurethane here.
That’s how our chalk painted coffee table with a beautiful weathered wood top turned out! We love the contrast of the white base and rustic top, and it’s the perfect addition to a farmhouse or cottage style living space.
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