Do you have a picture of the look you are going for?

I don't think I want a flat (even in a satin) color, I want some depth. I have the white exterior paint, a light gray interior latex, and a darker blue-gray (Twilight). Not really looking for a crackled finish, though "ballardized" might be nice? I do have dark gel stains, though I'm not sure if something as dark (or darker than) as the front door would look right peeking out from under the light blue-gray. I'm looking for a color and finish that will fit in with the weathered white-gray wicker and kind of faded blue stripe fabric. So has to be old looking not new shiny paint but not crackled either.

I saw this when I was looking for "whitewashed" furniture, though I don't think this is actually whitewashed. It does look more or less the same solid color though, maybe I just love the color!

I guess what I'm looking for is 1) do I need to strip the lacquer? 2) Should I do a seal coat of shellac 3) and/or do I need to prime (I'm assuming exterior primer?)? Then

4) do I apply the lightest color first (assuming I'm using all 3) or the darkest first? I'd either thin the 2nd and 3rd colors with water and wipe them on like a glaze, or dry brush them (could use recommendations on which one of those techniques too).

I'm assuming I'll have to clear coat as a final step.

Maybe it would be best to just take a practice board and play around with some of the techniques the gals have talked about. You know, sand lightly, paint base coat, wax wherever you don't want top coat to completely adhere and top coat. Then dry brush for even a more rugged look. Clear coat when dry.

Well, didn't really find anything with google search (too many different techniques), so I just scuffed the bottom of one of the table tops with 100 grit, tacked it, and brushed on a coat of BM Fresh Start Interior/Exterior Acrylic Latex primer I had. It'll probably take 2 coats of that, though I'm sort of liking the brush strokes (very weathered barn flat whitewash look LOL). Still trying to decide whether to use the light gray or the darker Twilight as the next coat - maybe I'll scuff up the other table bottom and prime it too, do one one way and the other the other way and see what I like best. This is probably going to take all week (1 coat per day). Might have been easier to stain but now I've got the paint...

Well, the primer dried by noon, so I painted the Twilight on then a few hrs later tried glazing with the light gray, but I don't have glaze, used water and it was drying pretty quickly even though I was working in small sections. I scrubbed as much as I could off. DH says it's "too white" - what do you think? Should I just paint the blue over it again, see how it looks w/o any "whitewashing"?

I kind of like it, but maybe it's a bit light. Since everything else is white you might try dry-brushing the blue on with a cheap brush. I used the little wood handle ones with natural bristles from Home Depot. The bristles separate and clump in groups making streaking/graining very easy.
The piece below was done by painting the piece brown then using the technique above only using water based stain in a darker brown.
{{!gwi}}

Thanks Becky (why are you the only one responding?). I think I'm going to try brushing more blue on, maybe even a solid coat. I bought a small pine unfinished (slightly distressed) table a little smaller but taller than the dark antique table today - $5 at GW. I think I'm going to try priming it, painting it blue and rubbing the edges down to bare wood, using a stain marker or gel stain on them. Once I've done the small table I'll tackle the larger ones again.

I cut my mom's old chaise (sectioned) cushions apart yesterday, pulled the cover off one that was so UV-bleached and worn it had a hole in it. Part looked a little gray (mildew?) but most was good, I think I'll be able to reuse it, just cut it for one of the smaller chairs. If the others are in good shape too, I'll have enough for the settee and all 4 chairs, won't even have to recover the 2 cushions I have, they're not exactly the right size anyway. I researched sewing techniques last night, think I *might* buy cording, I'm so tight on fabric I don't want to even use a little for bias strips. I won't do zippers but might do Velcro closures *if* I think I have enough to overlap. Worst case I'll just do knife edge cushions like were on them, sewn shut, but baste the opening so I can take cover off to dry-clean (this isn't washable fabric, 100% poly). That way don't have as many seam allowances.

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, so I'll go out and make templates of the seats to make the cushion covers - might even use the old ones as templates after double checking the fit. I figure I'll make the covers, then cut the foam to fit them so I won't have empty corners from cutting the foam too small - I'd rather see what I can stuff in.

The hardest part might be trying to remember how to thread the bobbin from underneath on my machine!

ajsmamma: Found your thread to see what you are working on. I've not used this technique but am bumping your thread for you to see if you can get some more replies. Perhaps you can include a couple of close ups of the tables you are working on. The close up above looks to be the interior which I assume you are experimenting on. How are the cushions coming? I need to make some for my office chairs, but haven't gotten around to it yet so will see how yours come out.

Well, to tell the truth I haven't done anything with the cushions today - not even make the templates. Been doing laundry, messing with fabric for curtains, oiling hinges and googling more furniture painting inspiration/techniques. Filled some depressions (screw holes filled with dowels that were sunk too far) and sanding the little table I bought yesterday. Glued up the loose back on an antique sewing rocker I've been hauling around for years - it's got a caned seat and back in good shape, had been painted green, white, red and blue at various points in the past and not stripped well, so I finally decided I'm going to paint it (let some of the red show through) instead of trying to strip and stain it. I've never really appreciated painted furniture til now after seeing some of the inspiration on this board. I don't have place for it in this house so either I'll finish it in an exterior clear coat (though I don't think a good exterior water-based nonyellowing one exists) and find a place for it on the porch, or sell it. But I'm going to experiment on the $5 GW table instead.

The pic above *is* the underside of the table I was experimenting on. I think it's too light now that I see it in the sunlight. I'm going to take the table top off and just paint the legs. Thinking of staining the tops dark like the front door - what do you think? Too "formal" for a porch? I was just thinking that stain (and oil-based Cetol) would wear better on a tabletop than paint. Even thought of doing a checkerboard on one, though maybe it's best to do the matching pair plain and put the checkerboard on the little odd table if it's big enough (10.5"x18"x 26.5" high)? The matching tables are 24"x24"x24"

Here's the closest pic I have right now

What do your chairs look like? Are the current cushions loose and can you just recover them? Or do you have to make new ones?