Have you ever painted a table?

[bank5]

I have a solid oak kitchen table that is looking a bit dated. I'm thinking about painting it a deep red but am not sure how it will come out. Another option would be to stain it a dark stain. Have you ever painted an already finished table? Any recommendations?

 

[Moemg]

I have a solid oak kitchen table that is looking a bit dated. I'm thinking about painting it a deep red but am not sure how it will come out. Another option would be to stain it a dark stain. Have you ever painted an already finished table? Any recommendations?

I have painted several pieces of finished furniture . I paint them with a wood paint then I use a cloth and wipe a stain over the finished piece lightly ( I wipe off excess stain so it's only a real thin coat )to add an antiquing detail .

 

[TromboneAl]

I think staining is almost always a better option. I've unpainted a few pieces of furniture, and it's very difficult.

 

[bank5]

I think staining is almost always a better option. I've unpainted a few pieces of furniture, and it's very difficult.

Yeah, it's tough to tell how the red paint would turn out. I'm not in love with the table so if it's a disaster, I wouldn't mind get a new one. Maybe I'll just stain it though to play it safe.

 

[Gumby]

You could try pickling it (also sometimes called liming).

Pickled Wood Furniture - Creative Home Arts Magazine

 

[Oneida100]

If you like the idea of seeing the wood grain then a typical stain would be fine, as long as you strip the paint from the table. If you're not concerned about being able to see the grain you might want to consider re-painting the table with another coat of paint or you could go with a solid stain. Solid stains have more pigment and are much closer to a paint in that you normally can't see the grain through them.

Either way you're going to have to sand the table down somewhat in order to create a "tooth" for the new finish to adhere to.

 

[braumeister]

A table was one of the first things I ever painted. With a really nice still life arrangement on it. Water colors. I think oils are great, but I just wasn't up to it at the time.

I've taken some good photos of tables, too.

 

[Orchidflower]

You could try pickling it (also sometimes called liming).

Pickled Wood Furniture - Creative Home Arts Magazine

Thanks for that link, Gumby. I posted something about pickled pine a long time ago, and didn't find many here that were into it. I love, love, love the look of a good piece done this way myself.

 

[HFWR]

Please don't paint a solid oak table, unless of course it's already painted...

But if you must, you need to use primer first, else the paint won't adhere well to the existing finish.

 

[Westernskies]

Consider old-fashioned milk paint- nothing else is quite as durable. If you want it to look [-]old[/-] timeless, paint it, distress lightly/sand through in a few places to simulate years of wear, then glaze with a darker stain, removing most of the glaze- leave it in nooks and crannies, seams, etc. Finish with a clearcoat. [-]Then take it to Goodwill and go buy a new table. [/-] Enjoy the finished product.

 

[Keim]

If you really want to know the ins and outs about finishes and furniture restoration/repair check out George Grotz book "The Furniture Doctor." Every [-]cheap bastard[/-] LBYMer should have a copy.