Chalk Painting A Laminate And Rattan Table

I sold my last kitchen table for $20 less then what I bought it for on craigslist.  It was in fine condition and a perfectly wonderful table, but honestly it was a little bit too high for me and it made me feel like a little kid (not in a good way).  You have to remove one thing to make room for another so I decided it was time to send it on it's way.  My new table and chair options are a bit pricey.  I have a hard time spending money on new furniture when I know there are even better vintage options for less money.  But my home is a mix of highs and lows, new and old and that's what keeps it balanced.  Here's the options I was considering:

I love the tulip table but I'm concerned it will start to wobble after constant use.  Tulip tables definitely have a wide price range and something makes me nervous about buying a cheap one.  Like it's only for looks and will not live up to my three kids.  I'm thinking the wooden table is the way to go and I plan on hiring an artist on ETSY to help me design it similar to the one in the photo.  I'm not sure what size, as my old table was five foot and that always felt a bit too big.  But what's too small?  I want a rustic finish that will hide the wear and tear, but will also be wipeable from spills.  My husband has the reclaimed wood table from Restoration Hardware at his office and it has cracks and crevices full of food particles that can't really be cleaned....gross.

I've always had my eye on the metal cafe chairs.  You can find them in a lot of online catalogs, but be sure you check all the measurements.  Some are less expensive because they are nearly child sized.  The chairs at Restoration Hardware are one of the largest you can find.  I decided to end my compulsive searching and just buy them...seven of them.  Five for full time use and two that we keep stacked in the guest room for when the grandparents come for a visit.  Whichever table I end up with long term, I know these classic chairs will work great.

So....meanwhile.... I happen to have an extra table in my garage.  I recently painted seven vintage chairs for my dining room table by my shutter wall.  When I purchased them, they came with a table and I'm not one to say no to free.

It has a rattan base with a four foot laminate top.  Nothing much to write home about.    But I thought it would be perfect on a temporary basis and a good way to experiment with size.

So...live or die, I decided to paint it with coral chalk paint and see how long it lasts.  Chalk paint (please note, not chalkboard paint) promises to adhere to nearly anything without any amount of prep.  I even made my own and painted my daughters desk which turned out great.  I'll share soon.

I washed the table with a mild soap and scrubbed it with a kitchen Dobie.  Just like the chairs around my dining room, this table was super dirty.  Like DA ERT TEE!  I painted two coats of FolkArt chalk paint on both sides of the base and three coats of paint on the top.

After the paint dried, I brushed on one coat of creme wax on the base and three coats on the top.  You can buy a special brush just for wax coats, or you can use a rag.  I've done both for varying projects.  When using the brush, make criss cross X strokes across the flat surface.  Just remember that the texture of the table will be defined by the strokes of the wax.  On another project I used circle strokes with the rag.  The texture really becomes evident if you decide to put a tinted wax over the clear wax.  This will give the piece an aged look.  You can also tint the clear wax yourself with paint but I digress.  Perhaps I'll do a tutorial on these techniques if you're interested. All I did was the clear Creme Wax by Americana Decor.  I imagine I will need to add another coat every month or so depending on how often I wipe down my table.  We've been eating outside a lot this summer so that's been helping the longevity of the wax coat.  I'll keep you posted if you're interested.

I sold my previous red round rug on Craigslist as well and am super excited about my new 9 foot jute rug.  Overall the coral table is not a favorite of the boys in the house buy my daughter and I love it.  It's fun to have change and the pop of color makes me smile.  So far the size is working out great.  We are more inclined to have one conversation at a time since we are so much closer.  It's a tight fit but we can put all seven chairs around the table when needed.  There's not a lot of extra space for food but usually the food is set up like a buffet at the kitchen island anyway.