Refinishing a Vintage Table with Fusion Metallics, Old World Paint...and a Secret (Roller) Weapon!

It's a solid old girl that holds a special place in my heart as did its original owner.  I actually inherited the table from a hilariously crotchety elderly man who lived behind my apartment while I was at uni.

He  was the epitomy of grumpy...and I adored him. I'd take him the occasional meal or plate of cookies, which he'd refuse. One time, I didn't knock,  I just left the food on a table on the front porch. Later from my upstairs bedroom window I saw him come out, snatch the plate and head inside with it. The next time I saw him he said, "well if you're just going to leave food out there to waste..."

When he passed, the family offered me whatever I wanted. I accepted this solid maple dropdown table...and a rocking chair (also due for a relove....)

So here it is in its well-worn, well-used, well-loved state...

Before: Maple drop-leaf table

After: All dolled up and ready for her close up!

I confess...I couldn't be happier with the end result. Although something tells me my neighbour from long ago would think it was  abit of "nonsense..." he he he

I didn't know where I would go or how I would get there. Best advice when not knowing where to start...start at the beginning!

I've been wanting to try Old World Clay & Chalk Paint in Warehouse, a rich, deep charcoal colour. A timeless and elegant near-black.

Old World Clay & Chalk Paint in the colour Warehouse

No sanding, no prep of any kind was required, I painted straight over the varnished finish. One coat nearly covered it, but I like a second coat to catch any spots that were missed and add a bit more depth to the finish.

​The round brushes (either ClingOn  in the Round 12 or Round 18 or our natural bristle ChalkPro Round Brush work beautifully on the turned legs. There is significantly less drag, fewer missed spots and this shape of brush simply makes the job much, much easier. A beautiful tool every furniture upcycler should have in their tool kit.

Round Brushes: Left, Cling on R12 ($20). Right, Chalk Pro natural bristle Round Brush ($21).

Painting the table base with Old World Paint in the colour, Warehouse

It was  a chilly, windy night and I love that Old World Paint is safe enough to use indoors with no ventilation. No VOCs and eco-friendly. 

I hauled the beast onto the deck the next morning and lightly hand-sanded the top to see the result. It was still a bit patchy and I wasn't sure where I was headed so I ran the sander over it very lightly.

I'm often asked how to achieve the weathered, driftwood-like stained top...well this is how I do it. I prefer to leave the marks, the patches, the history and the life, the wrinkles a piece has earned. Many like a pristine, well-sanded finish. I'm very much the opposite. I take it back enough to keep most the patina and use it to my advantage!

After hand-sanding with medium grade sandpaper

After a light sand with the sander

Roughly sanding and leaving much of the "history" before lime-washing or white-washing creates a gorgeous vintage finish adaptable to many styles from Farmhouse Rustic or French Provincial to Beachy-Coastal.  In the photo above, the legs have only one coat with no wax yet (you can see a spot I've missed on the leg).

Old World Paint in Industrial White is ideal for this technique. It has a lovely grey undertone that when washed over the timber ages perfectly.  It lets all the life come through and gives it a beautiful colour.

Washing the timber with Old World Clay & Chalk Paint in Industrial White

I used the Miss Mustard Seed Small natural bristle Paint Brush mainly because I love the drag and texture when white-washing timber with it. I watered down some paint, used a rag and varied the application — turned up the music and had a bit of fun! There is absolutely NOTHING precise about this technqiue. I cannot stress this enough. It's the imperfection that makes it. Paint fully in some areas, watered down in others.

By the way, it never looks good during the process, so don't let that frighten you. But I do love the end result...

​I couldn't wait another minute to play with the Fusion Mineral Paint Metallics so I loaded up my Webster's Patterned Roller in the pattern Grannie's Curtains with the colour Bronze and got stuck into it!

How fun is this?!!

Websters Patterned Roller in "Grannie's Curtains" with Fusion Metallic Paint in Bronze

I'm just going to take a moment here to reiterate how... MUCH...I...LOVE....THESE....PATTERNED....ROLLERS!!! They are SO easy and make everything look amazing. Reusable, flexible and reasonably priced. Buy the kit and you can interchange rollers for different patterns.

And the Fusion Metallic worked beautifully. A match made in paint heaven!

I looovveeee this new product, it's still being finalised and not quite available, but it's the new Old World Liquid Sealer, it's gorgeous, leaves a stunning satin sheen, minimal brush strokes and did exactly what I wanted it to....created even more dimension, bringing through the exposed timber and really making the Fusion Metallic (Bronze) come alive...

Liquid Sealer wet on left, dries to a beautiful satin sheen and is hardy enough for floors, tabletops and kitchen cabinets

As the Old World Paint Liquid Sealer dries, the difference becomes a little less pronounced, but how stunning is this?!!

Once the top was finished, the second coat was painted on the base in Old World Paint Warehouse and when dried, it was sealed with another new sealer...liquid wax (coming soon!)

Dreamy to work with. Just brush on wet, allow to dry about 30 minutes and lightly polish to a beautiful shine. 

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A super fun and super effective project. I cannot believe I left it this long!!! 

I hope you all enjoyed the journey half as much as I did!

It's all here...for the love...
​Sada