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phylrae

Need EASY idea: to add color to wood table/chairs

phylrae
14 years ago

We have a kitchen table/4 chairs & 2 benches we bought about 12 years ago from a place like Walmart...blond wood top (will ignore for now)....but the sides/legs are painted white (factory)....

I don't want to invest a lot of $ or time in this basic furniture, but I was hoping that there might be an EASY way to ADD COLOR (greens, blues & some yellow)...

I don't know...is there any kind of paint or easy stenciling (not cheesy either) that can be done to the white without having to sand it all, etc.?

I obviously don't do a lot of crafts...don't have time & not good at huge complicated projects...

I had originally hoped to just take the pieces out on my deck and paint the spindle type legs with the extra latex paint I did the kitchen and halls in, but guess I would have to first SAND everything, then PRIME, then paint?

Are there any stencils or rubber stamps etc. or paints available at my local AC Moore craft store that I could EASILY just paint on?

I hope I'm not asking for too much! We have friends coming from far away in a month, and I am doing other house & garden projects, plus a fulltime job, so don't have a lot of time...but I LOVE color and was hoping I could do SOMETHING artistic & NOT "cheesy!"

Comments (6)

  • concretenprimroses
    14 years ago

    It wouldn't take long to just sand lightly with a medium to fine grit sandpaper. You are not trying to take the old paint off, just to make it less smooth (give it some tooth is what they say) so it will accept the new paint. I love the new fangled sanding "sponges", they make it very easy, you might want to try one. I would guess 3 minutes per leg more or less depending on how fancy the spindles are. Then wipe them off with a slightly damp cloth so no dust is left behind, let dry then paint. If you try to skip the sanding the new paint will probably rub off easily. In painting preparation is the most important step! There shouldn't be a need to prime in my opinion as long as you sand. Using your leftover hall and kitchen paint sounds like a great idea and it will tie your table into the rest of your decorating scheme. Whole project should take about an hour and a half assuming some fancy painting with mixed color on the spindles.
    Good luck
    kathy

  • concretenprimroses
    14 years ago

    Oops I was thinking just your table. The other legs being smaller shouldn't take much time and the bench sides are probably smooth, just run the sand paper or sanding sponge over quickly. The sanding doesn't take near as long as the painting. I really think it would be worth doing it right and not really take that long. I change my estimate to 1.5 to 2 hours including clean up which you have to do no matter how many pieces you are painting.

    Another thought is that you could decoupage tissue paper on the legs. Then let dry completely and paint with clear urethane.
    kathy

  • phylrae
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thank you, Kathy! I'm sorry I didn't get back to you more quickly on this. I am going to go look for some sanding sponges today & maybe some blue paint (don't have). I'm also going to check out what you mean by "decoupaging tissue paper" .... sounds interesting, but maybe more complicated?
    :0) Phyl

  • luvstocraft
    14 years ago

    There is also a liquid sanding product that might work for you. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and talk to one of the staff there in the paint dept. Hope you find a way to redo the table. Luvs

  • nodakgal
    14 years ago

    I bought a small used table and 2 chairs that sounds similar to yours for DS. White and butcher block top on the table and seats of the chairs.
    I removed the top from the table and seats from chairs (mark the seats so you know which chair they go to.
    I sanded it lightly.
    I painted it black and it just scraped off with my fingernails.I had to take every bit of black matte paint off! I tried the Liquid Sandpaper, it helped the paint stick but not well....by then I'd learn to do one piece, let it dry and check to see how well it adhered.
    The secret for me was to buy primer. I used the spray on primer. Then painted with the black and no problems!
    My $25 steal ended up costing me a bit more before I got it right.
    Primer is the key IMO. That white finish repels alot!

  • phylrae
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks, Luvs and Nodakgal, for the advice and ideas....
    I spent all weekend doing the table, chairs and benches...what I ended up doing was sanding them down somewhat, using the yellow & mild evergreen (a med. lime)latex paints I had leftover from the walls...I sponge painted, let them dry, and then added some acrylic (blueish shades)on top, and then sprayed with a clear spray that AC Moore recommended (after all had dried). They look very impressionistic/"artsy!" Husband loves them...20 yo daughter STILL insists our house is starting to look like "an Easter egg." LOL She and I have such different tastes...she loves browns esp., & I "tolerate" them! I love happy color!!
    :0) Phyl

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