Two Toned Painted and Stained Furniture
It’s common with painting furniture ideas to use a single color all over. However, if you want to go beyond the traditional and create a unique and eye catching piece, consider two toned painted and stained furniture!
This technique uses two colors or finishes on one piece of furniture, creating a contrast that gives it more depth and personality. So, if you’re looking for a fresh look with a bit more style, this could be just what you need!
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See more AFTER photos below these printable instructions!
Two Toned Painted and Stained Furniture
Materials
Instructions
- To start, remove the hardware, then clean your piece thoroughly with a degreasing cleaner like Krud Kutter to remove any dirt or grime that has accumulated over time.
- Once everything is clean and dry, use an orbital sander and sandpaper in gradually finer grits (100-220) to remove the old finish and create a smooth surface for painting and staining. Sanding also helps the new finish adhere better.
- Remember to tape off any areas that you want to keep free of paint, such as the table top or chair seat. Use pre taped plastic and regular painter's tape.
- Before you start painting, it's important to prime the surfaces first with a clear shellac spray to prevent any bleed through and to help the new coating adhere better as well.
- Mix your chalk paint using latex paint, calcium carbonate powder, and water until it's smooth with no lumps. Using your paint sprayer, apply multiple coats of paint for full coverage, allowing each coat to dry completely before adding another one.
- Once the paint is dry, distress the edges by hand using sandpaper, if desired. You can go subtle or bold, depending on your preference.
- Next, seal the distressed paint with 2 coats of waterbased polyurethane for durability and protection against everyday wear and tear.
- For the two toned look, stain your chosen areas using an oil based stain. Dip a lint free rag into the stain and wipe it onto the wood, then let it sit for a few minutes before wiping off any excess. Add as many coats as you want, making sure to let each layer dry completely before adding the next.
- When everything is completely dry, after 48 hours, apply waterbased polyurethane all over for extra durability.
- Lastly, update and reattach the hardware for a fresh new look. You can paint the knobs and topcoat them before putting them back on the piece. And that's it - your two toned painted and stained furniture is now complete!
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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.
Two-toned painted and stained furniture is a popular DIY trend – it can be as simple as painting the base in one color and staining the top in another, or or you can get creative with fun and unique color combos.
Using two colors or finishes on a single piece is an easy way to give it more personality and make it visually interesting. You can highlight certain details or features that may have gone unnoticed with a single color.
Plus, it makes your piece totally unique – no one else will have the exact same piece as you! So, if you’re ready to step up your furniture game, let’s get started with this two toned transformation! Is two-toned furniture in style? – here’s another makeover to show you.
Supplies Used for Two Toned Painted And Stained Furniture
- Electric Screwdriver
- Krud Kutter
- DeWalt Orbital Sander
- 100, 150, and 220 Grit Sandpaper
- Pre Taped Plastic
- Painter’s Tape
- Clear Shellac
- Behr Latex Paint
- Calcium Carbonate Powder
- Paint Sprayer
- 220 Grit Sandpaper
- Waterbased Polyurethane
- Dark Walnut Oil Based Wood Stain
- Lint Free Rag
Prep for Two Toned Makeover
For this makeover, the client wanted this table and chair set refinished. I started by removing the hardware using an electric screwdriver, including the hinges, so I could remove the door and properly work on the surfaces.
Next, I wiped all the pieces thoroughly with Krud Kutter to clean them and remove all the dirt or grime that came with use over time. You can get more tips on how to clean furniture before painting in this post.
After cleaning, I moved on to sanding. The pieces were solid wood, and I wasn’t worried about the veneer, so I sanded off the old finish from the table top and the chair seat.
Using a DeWalt orbital sander, I started with 100 grit sandpaper, then moved to 150 grit, and finally finished with 220 grit to get a smooth finish without the swirl marks. Learn more about sandpaper for furniture painting here, including what the grit numbers mean.
After cleaning up the dust from sanding, I taped off the top and the seat of the chair with pre taped plastic and regular painter’s tape to protect them while working on the rest. I will stain them later, so it’s important to keep them clean and free of any coating. Learn what is the best painters tape here and how to prevent paint bleed through painter’s tape here.
Then I sprayed clear shellac all over (except those areas I will stain) to prevent any bleedthrough issues and to help the new coating stick. Check out the best spray paint primer for wood options here, including clear shellac.
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Paint Furniture with Chalk Paint
Next, I mixed Behr latex in the color Heavy Cream, calcium carbonate powder, and a bit of water. Mix until you get it smooth with no lumps. You can follow our homemade chalk paint recipe in detail here.
Then, I applied it using our Vonforn paint sprayer. It’s one of the best paint sprayers for chalk paint and one of the best paint sprayers for beginners if you’re new to this tool. I sprayed on multiple coats, about two to three in total, for full coverage.
Once the white finish was dry, I very, very lightly distressed the edges by hand using 220 grit sandpaper. The distressing was barely noticeable but just enough to add a little character. You can go subtle or really bold with these best distressing furniture techniques.
I cleaned up the dust and then sprayed 2 coats of waterbased polyurethane. This is an important step to protect the finish and make it durable for everyday use. Learn all about sealing painted furniture here.
Stain Furniture for Two Toned Look
For the wood top and seat, I used a Dark Walnut oil based stain. To apply it, just dip a lint free rag into the product and wipe it onto the wood, going with the grain or lines. This helps give it an even, natural finish.
After applying a coat, I let it sit on the wood longer to allow it to soak in more deeply, creating a richer, deeper color. Once it had settled enough, I used a clean rag to wipe off any excess. Here’s our more detailed guide on how to stain wood with a rag. This guide has more tips on how to stain wood furniture, too.
After doing two coats of stain, I waited until the stained areas had dried completely for 48 hours (you can topcoat a little sooner with oil based topcoat, but since we were using water based topcoat over oil based stain, we waited extra long to make sure the stain was totally dry). Then, I topcoated everything with two coats of water based polyurethane for a really durable finish. If you’re wondering what’s the best polyurethane for furniture, check out this post!
Update and Reattach Hardware
I updated the knobs that were on the table, too. I made them white the same exact way, topcoated them and everything before putting them back on the table. Here’s how to paint drawer pulls for more tips on this.
And here’s how two toned painted and stained furniture looks when it’s done! I love how the white complements the dark wood finish – it’s a beautiful and unique update to this set. I hope this guide has inspired you to try the two tone trend! For a similar makeover, here’s painting a kitchen bench.
More Painted Furniture Makeovers
- Painting a Wooden Dresser with Two Tone Finish
- Chalk Painting A Dresser
- Two Toned Side Table
- Two Toned Painted and Stained Furniture
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