As part of our “A Safer Way” Blog series here is a two for one.
Shabby Paints & Coastal Candy teamed up to take a broken oak table and create a coastal farmhouse inspired treasure. This table has it all from a salt-air textured finish to a driftwood stained top.
Style- Coastal Farmhouse
Coastal Farmhouse Table
First find a piece screaming for a second chance at life. This table was yelling at the top of its lungs for help.
Supplies needed- Shabby Paints in your favorite colors (I used Tiffany & Jewel), Coastal Candy, Sheer VAX and an electric Sander.
Choosing the right color Combinations-When creating a Coastal inspired finish, I love to pair bold greens and blues. I’ll put together a post on color combinations for different styles soon. Until then if you are looking for inspiration for a certain style join the Coastal Candy support group or Shabby Paints Support group for help.
Make the necessary repairs.
Prep your Piece
Prep your piece to last a lifetime: Clean like there is no tomorrow! I’ve been doing this for a while and no one wants to paint a piece and later realize they didn’t get all the dirt or waxy furniture polish off. Not doing this properly can cause you to have to start over. I’ve learned the hard way, do it right the first time.
CLEAN all surfaces and hardware! Shabby Paints recommends a 50/50 warm water, white vinegar mixture
and adding a few drops of Dawn to help cut grease. This is the most important step. Your paint must have a clean grease free foundation to adhere. A kitchen scrubby pad or foam sanding block can really give you an extra advantage. Grease and dirt have spent years building up so take the extra few minutes to make sure you have removed all the years of dirt and grime. RINSE-Equally as important as cleaning. Left over cleaner can impede adhesion. Rinse with a clean, damp rag.
The Table Base
Coastal Candy mixed with Tiffany
Coastal Candy Base Coat
Mix: Start with your base color choice. This is the color that will show through after you sand. Make sure the two colors you choose contrast and compliment (if you are using two colors).
Ratio: The ratio I use is ½ cup of Coastal Candy to every 8oz. of paint. Some paints are thinner than Shabby Paints and might require more Candy.
Apply
Apply your Coastal Candy Mixture. I prefer to keep it random by brushing it on thick and dabbing. (See the video) This is where you drop the OCD perfection and get messy. Let it dry completely.
Tip: For a more realistic finish avoid dabbing uniformly. Remember a Salt-Air aged finish would not be perfect it would be beautifully imperfect with varying directions and thickness.
Paint
Now you are ready to paint your contrasting color (No Candy required for this coat) Allow to completely dry.
Sand
This is the best part! Sand to reveal your base color. The more you sand the more of your base coat shows. A palm sander will yield the best results.
Clean
After sanding clean with a damp rag to remove pigment and dust.
Protect
I applied Sheer VAX with a Cling On! brush. If you want a more aged look black or Hazelnut reVAX would be perfect. I do not recomend using a Shabby Applicator Sponge over a Coastal Candy Finish, It is an authentic aged finish and will snag your sponge and shorten the life.
If you are new to the world of VAX then check out how easy it is to add permanent, zero VOC protection without buffing or yearly reapplying. #neverbuffagain #nomorewax
Driftwood Stained Table Top
Supplies needed- Ugly table, Shabby Paints Chalk-Acrylic in Great Greige paint, electric sander, soft brush and/or Shabby Applicator Sponge, water, Black reVAX, White reVAX
I chose a weathered driftwood finish to compliment the salt air aged legs.
Sand
If needed sand the old finish off, clean off dust and open the grain with a damp rag.
Stain
Follow the grain use a Shabby Applicator Sponge or soft brush.
1st Coat Diluted Great Greige
1st Coat-I diluted Great Greige Chalk-Acrylic paint with water and applied with a Shabby Applicator Sponge. Keep it thin so you can still see the grain of the wood. This helps tone down the golden undertones this wood has.
2nd Coat- Applied all over- Grey reVAX (50/50 Black/White reVAX) Let Dry.
3rd Coat- Alternating layers of Black, White and Gray reVAX for depth and Contrast.
Alternate the above products to get the look you want.
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