Who doesn't know someone with a round golden oak table? Maybe you even own one yourself. The overall style of this table is still quite pleasing to me....it's just the orange oak color that has lost its place in today's farmhouse market design trend. This is where just a little bit of guts and a really good product pair up to make the easiest DIY farmhouse kitchen table project for you!
Or, just as my client did, find someone that is willing to do it for you!
Before: DIY Farmhouse Kitchen Table
My client asked for an updated and clean look.....with an ivory base and dark top. She did not want any distressing or heavily waxed look on this outdated oak piece.
Supplies Used
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Creating DIY Farmhouse Kitchen Table
Cleaning the table well!!
I cleaned the entire piece (it's a double pedestal table with FOUR leaves) with White Lightning and rinsed it well with water.
PRO TIP #1: If you are doing this yourself...please don't skip the "cleaning with White Lightning" part. Kitchen tables and chairs have years of wear and tear on them.....and a good degreasing is really important for proper paint adhesion.
Prep the Tabletop
First things first...we removed the top from the base to make the whole process easier.
I sanded the top with an electric sander.
This isn't necessary with the stain that I was planning to use but the surface was rough in some areas as well as had some water stain damage so I opted to remove the factory finish and give it a fully fresh surface.
Once completely sanded, I removed all dust with tack cloth.
I then used a pre-stain wood conditioner. This goes on with a brush and soaks in easily. It only needs 10-15 minutes to fully absorb. Just in case, I wiped the table for any remaining product.
PRO TIP #2: The purpose of the pre-stain is to alleviate any possibility of blotchiness with the dark stain.
Apply Stain to DIY Farmhouse Kitchen Table
I then applied my favorite gel stain, No Pain Gel Stain, an oil-based stain by Dixie Belle Paint. It is available in 6 colors and I chose Espresso which is a rich dark brown....almost black.
I wiped this on with a dry rag working it into the wood in the same direction as the wood grain.
This stain has fantastic coverage with a single coat. You can also layer it for a darker and more opaque look. I chose to stop after just a single coat. I wiped on, let it sit about 10 minutes, and then wiped off any excess.
PRO TIP #3: I also need to mention that No Pain Gel Stain also stains directly over a wood factory finish! As long as your surface is intact, you do not need to sand back! That blows my mind....but it's true.
Seal the Tabletop
I chose to topcoat the tabletop with the ultra-protective water repellant Gator Hide after allowing the stain to dry for a full 72 hours.
I used the DB applicator pad to apply Gator Hide. I applied three thin coats - waiting 12 hours between each coat. That is much longer than the recommended dry time but it just worked into my timeline flow for this project.
More Inspiration: DIY Farmhouse
If you are inspired by the farmhouse style, here are a few other favorite DIY farmhouse furniture pieces
Yellow Farmhouse Buffet - bright and bold
Pale Yellow Farmhouse Buffet - soft and subtle
Farmhouse Hutch - neutral chic
I painted matching oak chairs with spindles to have a matching farmhouse look. You can see that here...including my "rolling" hack for painting chairs.
Painting the Pedestals
I then began work on the pedestals. I chose to base coat the pedestals with Dixie Belle's chalk mineral paint in Drop Cloth. The chalk mineral paint has fabulous adhesive properties that allow it to bond with just about anything!
I let this dry for about an hour and then began my second coat with their new Silk paint in Endless Shore. The silk line has a built-in stain blocker and topcoat and dries with a finish as smooth as "silk"!
PRO TIP #4: It is recommended to scuff your surface before using Silk Paint or to use a bonding primer. The chalk mineral paint has great bonding capabilities and the Drop Cloth color matches the Endless Shore perfectly so I chose Drop Cloth as my "bonding primer"!
I could have stopped with just one coat of Endless Shore....but chose to go back and give a very light final coat. I let this dry overnight.
Painting & Highlighting the Table Underskirt
I then re-attached the tabletop to the base. The tabletop has a beautiful carved underskirt. I painted this with a single coat of Endless Shore and let it dry overnight.
I am now ready to low light areas with dark wax. I chose Best Dang Wax in brown.
I used the tiniest little paintbrush to apply the brown wax into the space where the table legs meet the pedestal as well as the large inset of rings that go around the pedestal.
I carefully applied the wax and then gently wiped it back with a baby wipe. This left just a small amount of dark wax in these spaces serving as sort of a shadow. It just keeps the off-white paint from appearing to sterile or flat. It offers a bit of age or character to the pedestal and really helps it to blend better with the espresso colored table top.
I then applied it liberally with a brush to the carved underskirt of the tabletop. I then immediately wiped back with a dry rag and followed up with a baby wipe. The dark wax settled so beautifully into the carvings! It almost looks like tooled leather. This will not need to be top coated as the Silk has a built-in topcoat and the dark wax is a topcoat itself!
DIY Farmhouse Kitchen Table Finish Look
And that's it folks! This DIY farmhouse kitchen table is complete!
I painted matching oak chairs with spindles .to have a matching farmhouse look. You learn about that chair-painting process here, including my "rolling" hack for painting chairs. They're not my fave thing to paint, but the end result was totally worth it!
And while we're talking about this wood mixed with white paint look...visit my "white cabinet with a pop of color inside" blog to learn how I created my own FAUX wood grain look!
More Inspiration: DIY Farmhouse Furniture
If you are inspired by the farmhouse style, here are a few other favorite DIY farmhouse furniture pieces
Yellow Farmhouse Buffet - bright and bold
Pale Yellow Farmhouse Buffet - soft and subtle
Farmhouse Hutch - neutral chic
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