Chalk Painted Console Table

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I’m all about updating my home on a budget. Looking back over the years, I’ve completed quite a few thrifty projects over the years. Today I am sharing one of my favorite past projects — my living room’s chalk-painted console table. The table has become one of my favorite places to decorate in my home the past few years!

This past Valentine’s Day I decorated the table with some of the heart ornaments my husband  has given me and pretty red lanterns.

In the winter, I decorated the console table in cool winter whites and white lanterns. (I like lanterns!)

I painted my console table in a mixture of “Chalk Paint® Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan in “English Yellow” and “Old White” to give the living room a fun and happy pop of yellow!

Supplies

 Old White Chalk Paint® (I used 12 fluid ounces)

English Yellow Chalk Paint® (4 fluid ounces)

Annie Sloan Clear Soft Wax (I used only a little bit from a 500 ml tin of wax)

Annie Sloan Dark  Soft Wax (again, I only used a little but from a 500 ml tin of wax)

Chalk Paint Brush

Clean white rags (for wiping off excess wax and buffing your finished piece)

Unfinished Shaker Sofa Table

Minwax Wood Finishing Cloths (2 packages) 
Annie Sloan Wax Brush

Full Size Paint Tarp

Instructions

I started with an Unfinished Shaker Sofa Table.  (I got the table for just over $80 on Amazon.) Since the table was unfinished, I didn’t have to sand the tabletop before I began staining my piece. All I did was wipe down the tabletop with a wet, clean cloth to remove any dust, and dried it off with dry clean cloth.

My table came in pieces (the legs weren’t attached). It was easier to paint the legs since they weren’t attached — I didn’t have to worry about getting the stain that I was using on the tabletop on the table’s legs. I also didn’t have to worry about accidentally getting chalk paint on my tabletop!

Staining and Waxing the Tabletop

For my stain, I used Minwax Wood Finishing Cloths in dark mahogany. I used the cloths because I had used the cloths for another project (my Instagram display board) and found that the cloths work perfectly for a small project.

I ended up using two packages of Minwax Wood Finishing Cloths to get the stain color that I liked. After applying the stain, I let the stain dry at least overnight before beginning my  next step. I then applied some Annie Sloan dark wax to my tabletop to get a rich shine. To apply the wax, I applied a small amount of wax with a cloth and then wiped the table with a clean cloth to remove any excess wax. I used this method several times until my tabletop had the sheen that I liked!

Painting  and Waxing the Legs

For the table legs, I used one part of  “English Yellow” Chalk Paint® to three parts “Old White” Chalk Paint® . English Yellow is a very bright yellow paint! The yellow color I ended up with is still quite lively, but I was looking to jazz up my living room and add some fun color to the space. I simply  poured my entire 4 fluid-ounce jar of English yellow Chalk Paint® into a clean plastic container, and then used that same jar to measure and pour in three parts of the Old White Chalk Paint® into my plastic container. I mixed the paint with a regular wood paint stirrer.

I actually used a Minwax Brush that I had on hand to apply the chalk paint to the table legs. I found that the chalk paint went on quite easily, and came off my paint brush quickly when I washed my paint brush with soap and water. Once I painted the console table’s legs, I let them dry overnight. I applied a coat of Clear Soft Wax with my wax brush the next day to the table legs, applying the wax, and wiping off the excess with a clean white cloth like I had done with the wax on the tabletop.

About two days later, I applied a mixture of dark Annie Sloan wax mixed with some clear wax with a wax brush to the table legs. (I wiped off the excess wax with a clean white rag). I found that the dark wax (mixed with some clear wax, since I didn’t want to darken the table legs too much!) gave the table’s legs a deeper and much more sophisticated look!

Once all the parts of my new console table were ready to go, I simply screwed on all the legs with the table’s supplied screws and Allen wrench. It couldn’t be easier! The table was light enough for me to carry and place in my living room on my own. I decorated the table with some pieces I already owned.  I LOVE how my table came out.

This project was shared at Welcome Home Wednesdays, Creativity Unleashed and the Pin Junkie Pin Party