Farmhouse style kids table and chair makeover

I have been hard at work in our guest room giving several pieces of furniture a makeover.  And this one might be my very favorite! 

I knew I would eventually want a kids table and chair set for our little girl to use in our office so it was on my “to find” yard sale list.  I also knew if I found a set now that my nieces and nephew could get some use out of it for coloring or building legos before our little girl was able to use it.  So I came across this set on a facebook yard sale page right after we moved and for $15, I had to snatch it up!  I actually googled before I picked it up and found it was a PB kids table and chairs set so I knew I was getting an awesome deal!

It definitely needed some work – but it was solid wood so some paint and stain could make it look amazing!

Materials needed: (affiliate links)

• Random Orbital Sander
• Sandpaper disks
• Varathane Kona Stain
• Rustoleum Chalked paint in Linen White
• Rustoleum Chalked Matte Clear Topcoat

I always get asked if I sand before I paint especially when using chalk paint.  The answer is I only sand areas that need to be smoothed or fixed.  In this case, the seat of the chair and top edges – the paint was cracking and raised and rough.  So I sanded all of that smooth.  I had to sand all the way down to the wood in the chair seat to get all the old paint off and smooth.  

I didn’t have to sand the legs of the table at all and just did 2 coats of the white Chalked paint on them.  I sanded the table top completely to remove all the old finish so I could stain it.  The wood was so pretty and cleaned up great!

I wanted a dark finish on the top so I used Kona Varathane stain which I loved!  I wanted a darker, non-red brown and this was perfect for the farmhouse look I was wanting.  I just applied the stain with a rag and sort of wiped off at the same time.  I wanted a dark but not too dark finish and Varathane stain is thicker/more penetrating than other stains so 1 coat is all it took.  I will probably go back and apply a clear matte polycrylic on top later to protect it. 

So here’s the whole finished set!  This turned out so cute!!  I don’t think I even imagined how cute it would be. 

LOVE, love, love that table top!

This was honestly a one day project – and honestly just maybe 2-3 hours not counting drying time.  I sanded and got it ready for painting in maybe 20 minutes and then did all the white paint first, 2 coats letting it dry for a few hours in between (although chalky paint dries fast!), and then stained the top. 

So here’s the before and after!   I so look forward to my daughter sitting at her little table while mommy works at her desk in the years to come!

So keep your eyes out at those yard sales – look beyond the chipped and cracking paint and see the possibilities!