French Country Table - DIY

I am  lucky enough to have 2 ReStores and many thrift stores all within 15-30 minutes away, so I frequent them about once a week. It makes me happy to just browse them, most times leaving empty handed. One day while at the ReStore, this pretty lady practically stuck out her leg to trip me. I mean...look at her, all fancy, all pretty....how could I resist?

Look at the detail and the charm of that chicken wire....

Piano hinges.......helllooooo

Of course she came home with me, someone had to breath 
new life in to her and she picked me to do it.

I started taking her apart, off with the doors, the hardware and she
was all ready for her makeover. 

I'm using chalk paint on her, Van Gogh, it's amazing ! You don't need to prep, strip or do anything to the wood, just paint it on. (Well, I do wipe it down to get off all the dust and little spider sacks.......ewww) .

See how thick the Van Gogh chalk paint is. It goes on great,
 is odor free and leaves
the prettiest finish.
Yeah, that's a teaspoon, from the kicthen, too lazy to find a stir stick.

You just paint as you would with any other paint, long strokes and I like to give it a heavy application. I made sure I got in all the nooks and crannies.
Click on any photo to make it larger.

Now the fun part, the distressing. 
You have to think about it, where would natural wear and tear occur on this piece because that's where you'll be distressing.

You can use the wet method or the dry method of distressing.
WET method - the one I prefer
You wet a soft white cloth and basically rub off the chalk paint
DRY method 
You use a fine sandpaper to sand off the chalk paint

The hardware still suited the overall look so I just polished it up and used it

Once the distressing is complete, I hand rub the bees wax into
 the piece and hand buff it. This gives the piece a silky feel and adds depth to the finish. You would treat this piece of wood as you do
 any piece of fine furniture, with love.

Let's take another peek.....

She's received all the love and care she needs and now she's all done! 
She's ready to move on and is now looking for a new home.

Any questions? Just ask.....me !

Van Gogh Chalk Paint website
Stan Portley's my local supplier