Table transformation with paint blending, floral transfers and gold detail

                     

Products used:

This is the 'before'. These tables are not desirable in their original finish, although every time I've shared this piece on social media, you'd think I had defaced a valuable and cherished antique. Truth of the matter is, this is a mass produced reproduction piece and end up in charity shops or even worse, landfill sites.

Before I do anything I need to ensure this is clean. It looks clean but beware! The surfaces of second hand and vintage furniture can have a build up of furniture polish some of which contain silicone. Even if a piece appears clean ALWAYS clean with a de-greasing heavy duty cleaner to ensure your paint is going to stick. 

One of the most used products in my upcycling kit is this primer. It is simply THE BEST. This table has a high shine finish which could be sanded back but it would be very time consuming. Instead I used this adhesion primer. This primer will stick to any shiny, glossy, slick surface to create great adhesion for your paint. That includes glass, metal, plastic and laminate. It is water based, has no nasty odours and is VERY easy to apply. It comes in three colours: clear, white and grey. I use a synthetic brush or a roller for larger areas. Apply 2 coats and wait 24 hours before applying paint. 

Next I applied one coat of Antebelleum Blue Chalk Mineral Paint over the entire table and let it dry. Again, I used a synthetic brush for a smooth finish.

For the second coat, I applied Antebellum Blue around the edge of the table and applied Haint Blue in the centre. I am going to blend the two colours together. 

This is the brush I'm using to blend the colours together along with some tap water in my mister bottle which stops the paint drying too quickly. Its called the 'Big Daddy' brush and its a large flat natural soft bristle brush perfect for blending. 

Chalk Mineral Paint lends itself so well to blending. Just keep a light hand and add a small spritz of water if you start to feel the paint from dragging and drying. 

I left the paint to dry overnight. I always leave it this long before adding a transfer. This design is a huge transfer made up of four sheets but I only wanted to use part of it and didn't want to cover the entire top. I cut part of the transfer out and applied it to one side. 

I wanted this transfer to wrap around one side of the table but there wasn't one piece that worked so I cut a second piece and overlapped it over the original section. You can layer transfers over each other to create you own design very easily. 

Transfers need sealing with a water based top coat. Avoid oil based topcoats like Hemp Oil as they can seep under and cause the transfer to peel. I used Clear Coat in a satin finish and applied it using a Foam and Dandy brush.

This brush doesn't have bristles, instead it has a foam pad attached to a handle. It applies topcoats super evenly and without streaks for a flawless finish. I applied 3 coats in total.

The final thing was to add some gold. I used Gilding Wax in gold (it comes in other metallic colours too) but I felt gold worked best with the colour scheme I chose.

I used an artist brush to apply the gilding wax around the edge to frame the top of the table. Gilding Wax is a highly pigmented oil based wax (not a paint) which applies to pretty much any surface...and its permanent. No sealing required! This is why it's my final step. 

Here's some close ups!

I think the gold adds the perfect amount of elegance to frame the top!

A photo of the top without the staging items!

Here's the finished piece! All of the items I paint are available on my website with nationwide shipping available.

Remember you can order Dixie Belle Products through my personal link if you'd like to create a similar look to this.

If you'd prefer to watch a video or want to see any of the stages in more detail, click on the video below to see the start to finish transformation