Dining tables are one of the most important items in our homes. So much of our lives happen here. That means they also take a lot of wear and tear. Today I’m painting my own oak tabletop and showing you how to do it!
As many of you know I decided to paint my dining room table that I have had for over 30 years. I have done a lot of crafting on this table plus it’s gotten a lot of abuse from just being around that long. So many wonderful memories have been made around this table but now it’s time for a face lift. I recorded the entire process each day that I worked on it on my Facebook page called Tami Loves Vintage. Today I’m sharing those videos with you and all the steps of painting an oak tabletop!
Painting an Oak Tabletop
So let’s get started…
First of all, if your table is greasy and grainy you will need to clean it with a product called TSP (trisodium phosphate). You can buy it in the powder formula or already mixed formula either one works fine. Just follow the directions: wipe it on and wipe it off. My table was more used for holiday meals and crafting so I did not have grime on mine.
Time to sand…
Next step is to sand your table. You can just scratch sand it with a medium grit sanding block if it’s smooth and in good shape. Mine had some paint drops here and there so I used an electric sander to sand it really well. I did not sand through the varnished top I just scuffed it up and tried to smooth it out.
Next, wipe off the dust from the sanding.
Then I used a product called Gloss Off. This product just dulls the finish and makes it less shiny so that the paint will adhere better.
And now for Primer…
Next I used a tinted primer that I had on hand which just happened to be gray in color. I figured why paint a dark table white and then take it back to dark again. That might cause me to have to do an extra coat. With the tinted primer the table was still dark. That meant I was able to get away with two coats as I had hoped. I let the primer dry about an hour.
After the primer dries wipe it down with your sanding block. I use the medium grit. This is just to get any lint from the roller that may have stuck in the primer. Standing each coat after it dries helps have a smooth glass like finish in the end.
Time to Stain…
For the next step I used a product by Old Masters called Gel Stain and a product by Country Chic paint which is a chalk type paint in the color called cheesecake. I used a 3 inch brush and applied a gel stain and the chalk paint both on my brush at the same time.
Then I took it to my table and I drug them together and pulled my brush back-and-forth trying to emulate the look of wood. I did work the brush back-and-forth in one direction to mix the two colors – not too much, just enough that they looked well blended and still two separate colors. This took two days to dry.
Drawing the Boards…
After this dried I sanded then wiped it off. Then I began drawing 6 inch stripes on the table. My table was 42 inches of crossed so I marked 21 inches and then I went 3 inches out on either side of that center mark to get myself a “board” that would run down the center of the table. From each line of the center board I went out 6 inches on both sides then again another 6 inches until I reached the edge of the table. My table had seven “boards” when I was finished.
Now for the Tape…
For the next step I taped off my boards and repeated the last step with the gel stain and the chalk paint. I drug again trying to make my coloring a little different so that it would stand out as separate boards. This took one day to dry.
And Antiquing Wax…
After the second layer of stain dried I used antiquing wax from Country Chic paint and I used my straight edge and a medium stencil brush and rub the wax along the lines that I had drawn with the pencil.
Next, I decided to do a horizontal stripes one or two in each “board” and I just randomly laid my level and swiped the wax across. I wiped with a paper towel in the same direction to pick up any excess wax.
The next thing I did was took a very small stencil brush dipped it in the wax and put two dots above and below each horizontal line trying to make it look like nail heads or screws. I dabbed straight down and straight up with a paper towel to try and pick up excess wax. I let this dry overnight.
After this step I rolled on Minwax oil modified polyurethane. I’m always nervous when I use polyurethane because of brush marks and bubbles but I have to tell you this is the very best I have ever used it was flawless and perfect! I wrote on one coat and let it dry for two hours then I lightly sanded it and then rolled on a second coat.
Next, I let the table dry overnight and then I decorated it the next morning. I hope you love how it turned out as much as I do!
Watch the Video Tutorials…
So that’s what I know about painting an oak tabletop! This is definitely a process but it was totally worth it. I love the new life my table has now and can’t wait to use it and show it off! If you have any question please let me know! I’m here to help in any way I can. And, if you give this method a try I’d love to hear about that too!
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If you love creating vintage treasures as much as I do you can also join my membership group, Tami Loves Creating Vintage Treasures. There you will get exclusive tutorials that will teach you how to create beautiful and unique pieces that will fit perfectly with your vintage decor!
