Happy Thursday Everyone!

Before I get to today’s project, I just wanted to take a second to note a few little “milestones” here on my blog! This past weekend was the weekend of “The 200s”…I topped over 200 Google Friends Connect Readers, 200 Facebook fans, and 200,000 hits – so exciting! I just wanted to let you know that I see and get excited over each new reader, fan, like, pin, or comment! I so very much appreciate each of you who stops by to see me a few a times a week – I know there are tons of great blogs out there, and I am honored that you make time for mine! I really, really enjoy sharing my projects, as well as connecting and inspiring all of you…so thank you 🙂

Okay…enough sappiness…on to today’s project! Take a look at my little man’s new play table!!!!!!!!!

This little table and chairs didn’t start out so cute. Here’s the quick story: I’ve been on the lookout for a table and/or chairs for a while now. My Henry is now at a size and age where he likes to sit and build, color, bang, eat, etc…and I knew a mini table set would get lots of use! I was open to all sorts of ideas, including making our own or modifying a coffee table; however, I did NOT want to spend a lot of time or money on the project!

A couple weeks ago, I stopped into our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I had literally just said to my mom as we were walking in the door: “I don’t want to spend more than $30 on a small table for Henry, if I can find one,” and literally stumbled upon this complete set for a whopping $20!!!!

Now…before I brag about my good deal too much…I realize this is an IKEA set that I probably could have bought brand spankin’ new for not much more. However, our closest IKEA is 5+ hours away, and I had been on the hunt for a similar set for FOREVER. The price was right, the size and shape were right…and I knew that with a few hours and a few cans of spray paint…I could make this beat-up old eye sore into something spectacular!

How do you think I did? Want to see how I did it?

I’m not going to lie, this cheap-o table was in pretty rough shape! The seats and backs of both chairs had tons of sticker residue, which (thankfully) came right off with some Gu-Gone. The table top had significant scratches, paint stains, and pencil holes.

  •  a. After cleaning off all the sticker residue, I wiped down the chairs with a damp rag. Since I was going to be using an all-bonding primer, I didn’t even bother sanding (it was scuffed up enough anyway 😉 I didn’t want to paint the white plastic seats, so I covered those with blue painter’s tape.
  • b. Even though the top of the table appeared to have a fake paper veneer top, I went ahead and gave it a sand with 60 grit sand paper. To my delight, it sanded smooth, and took away all of the ugly blemishes!
  • c. For the table, I used both spray and roll-on Zinsser 123 Primer. I used the spray version (my new favorite product!) on the legs and “lip” of the top, and then used a 4″ roller to cover the table top.
  • d. The chairs were primed with the spray on Zinnser 123 Primer. I painted everything; let it dry for a few hours…sanded everything down and then primed again.

After sanding the second time around, I wiped everything down with a dry lint-free cloth. Adamant not to spend a ton of money on this project, I decided to use the same paint I used on my new red garden bench. I had both spray and roll-on versions of the Apple Red Rust-Oleum paint on hand: the spray was used for the chairs, the roll on for the legs of the table.

My one purchase for this project was the chalkboard paint for the table top. After seeing it all over the web, I was super anxious to give chalkboard paint a try and knew this was the perfect project! After letting the red legs fully dry for a day or two, I taped off the legs and painted the top with a 4″ roller.

This project would have been done A LOT sooner if I hadn’t given the table top so many coats of paint. Here’s the thing: I wanted the table top to stand up to banging and other toddler antics so I gave it four full coats of paint. The kicker? Each coat requires 24 hours of drying time. Urg. So…every morning, I scooted out to my garage in my jammies to spend three minutes applying a coat of paint…only to then wait another 24 hours before I could do it again. Oh well…I found other projects to keep me busy (sneak peaks in the background of the photo below!).

After I applied my last layer of chalkboard paint, I pulled all the tape off of the chair seats and table and let it sit out in the garage ANOTHER 24 hours (it’s been hot and humid here, and I wasn’t about to bring slightly sticky furniture into the house!).

I am pretty amazed at how great it turned out! I mean, I know paint can do a lot, but this set was in really rough shape! I LOVE before and after shots, so let’s take a quick look:

So many things about this project were very gratifying!

  1. I held out and waited to find the exact furniture items I was looking for.
  2. I didn’t pay any more than I wanted to pay for exactly what I wanted!
  3. With the exception of the chalkboard paint (which will get used for other projects), I didn’t purchase anything for this makeover – I did it all with the supplies in my garage!
  4. I did it right! After skipping steps on too many paint projects and then being frustrated with the results, I committed to taking my time and doing this one right. I sanded and cleaned….then primed…sanded and clean again…primed again….sanded and cleaned AGAIN and then used both spray and roll-on application to get the best color coverage with no drips. Lastly, I followed all recommended drying times. So far, I am thrilled with the durability of the table!

I brought the table and chairs back into the family room while Henry was sleeping. When he woke up, it was like Christmas morning! He spent much of the afternoon getting on and off the chairs and building blocks on his new table. I am thrilled with the final result and hope it gets lots of use!

Now it’s play time!

This is my second furniture makeover since moving into our house 2 months ago. This is just the tip of the iceberg (so they say!). I’ve been super hard at work in the garage and have lots more to show you so stay tuned! Have a great weekend!

Megan

See You Soon!
Megan