Is it a console table or a sofa table, what's the difference? Well, it could be either. Both console and sofa tables are shallow in depth and table or desk height. Console tables traditionally are placed against a wall and sofa tables behind a sofa. Sofa tables should be no taller than the back of a sofa and no wider than six inches on either end. So I'm calling mine a French Console Table because I've added Parisian flair with a pretty Chatellerault furniture transfer.

French Console Table Makeover With Chatellerault Furniture Transfer

The base of my oval console table has unique octagonal column double pedestal legs and empire style feet.

It is Furniture Fixer Upper Day where six talented furniture painting friends come together once a month to breath new life into a piece of furniture. You can find links to the other makeovers at the bottom of this post. Last month I transformed a rather plain pine children's dresser into a Whitewashed Farmhouse Sideboard Buffet.

For my console table makeover this month, let's take a look at what it looked like before the makeover. The original honey or golden oak finish dated this piece and so I didn't feel guilty about painting it. If it were an antique I may have considered stripping and staining it a darker color.

And here it is now, after the makeover. Big difference, right?

So pretty painted green. The color is called Upper Canada and couldn't be more appropriate considering this coming weekend we celebrate Canada Day.

But my favorite part of the console table makeover is the pretty French Prima Chatellerault furniture transfer on the top. Between it and the paint color, the console table has that lovely French Country charm.

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. At no cost to you, we receive a small commission if you make a purchase.

The pretty Chatellerault transfer may look familiar because a few months ago I used part of it on a Duncan Phyfe Coffee Table Makeover. I've been itching to use the rest of the transfer on another piece and this pedestal console table was a perfect candidate.

I couldn't resist photographing the oval console table with fresh dogwood branches and pretty pink knock out roses from my garden. The scent of the roses filled the room and was heavenly while taking these photos.

Here's how I did it...

Prep for paint

Prepping this piece for the makeover was quick and easy as it didn't need any repairs - such a welcomed treat because that doesn't happen too often.

First I wiped it down with warm water with a drop of Dawn dish soap and 1/2 cup of white vinegar. After it dried I scuffed the surface with 150-grit sandpaper to give the paint some bite and wiped it down with a damp rag, followed by a tack cloth to remove any fine dust particles.

Add the pretty with chalk paint

For this table, I used Fusion Mineral Paint in a pretty Upper Canada green. The color pairs beautifully with the light stain color underneath which will be peeking through the paint for a shabby chic finish. It only took two light coats of paint for full coverage. Once the paint dried I sanded it with 220-grit sandpaper for a smooth as a baby's bottom finish.

A little shabby chic with sandpaper

With 150-grit sandpaper wrapped around an old sanding pad, I distressed the table along the edges for a timeworn look. I didn't apply a lot of pressure on the sanding pad and let the paint dictate where it removed easily.

Add some French flair with a furniture transfer

I love Prima ReDesign furniture transfers. They are so beautiful and add instant drama to painted furniture. I had two pieces left from the Chatellerault furniture transfer that I used on the coffee table mentioned above. This particular transfer comes in three sheets.

The hardest part of using furniture transfers is waiting at least 48 hours before adding them onto a freshly painted surface. I used one complete transfer and just the rose from the other.

I taped the two pieces together just so I could line them up easier before transferring them onto the top of the table.

First I measured the length and width of the transfer to find the center and marked them with a sharpie onto the transfer paper. Next, I marked the center of the tabletop and marked it with chalk. This made lining up and centering the transfer much easier. Of course, I could have eyeballed it but the old eyes ain't what they used to be.

Furniture transfers are so easy to work with and I share some helpful tips below.

Transfer application tips

1. Lay the transfer with the backing paper where you want it on your furniture.
2. Place painters tape on the top portion of the transfer to hold it in place. 
3. Slide the backing paper underneath down about 1-2 inches and rub the transfer onto the furniture using the stick provided. 
4. You can check by carefully lifting the transfer sheet to see where it may need to be rubbed more.
5. Move the backing paper down another 1-2 inches and repeat the steps above until the entire transfer is lifted from the transfer sheet. 
6. Use a lint-free cloth or your fingers to rub any sections that may not have fully transferred.

Prima ReDesigns has small transfers as well that can be used on signs or home decor. I used pretty vintage style floral transfers on my French Terracotta Coasters.

Clear coat protection on the tabletop

So the paint on this table was protected in two steps. The first being sealing the furniture transfer on the tabletop.

Once the transfer was firmly in place, I applied two thin coats of water-repellant clear coat to the TOP ONLY.  Not only will it seal the furniture transfer but will protect the painted top from water rings after it is fully cured.

Give the paint some depth with wax

The Upper Canada color looks gorgeous when paired with dark wax. In the photo below you can see the difference between the unwaxed and dark waxed columns on the pedestal table. See how it deepened the color?

Some dark waxes recommend you apply clear wax first to avoid staining the paint. This allows the dark wax to be more workable for blending and removing the excess. But on this table, I cheated to speed things up by blending clear wax and dark wax together.

I put some clear wax onto a paper plate and added a few dollops of dark wax (a little goes a long way) and blended them together with a painter's palette knife. I applied the wax in sections with a wax brush, letting it nestle into the grain of the oak and wiping the excess with a lint-free rag. I also waxed the tabletop and went right over the furniture transfer with the wax which gave it an aged appearance. Next, I buffed the wax with cheesecloth but a lint-free rag or old t-shirt works just as well.

I went back in with more dark wax along the edges of the table base and top, blending the wax towards the center. For this step, you do not buff the wax. The wax fully cures in 30 days but you can gently use the table within 48 hours.

So what do you think? Have you ever tried Prima furniture transfers? If not, I hope my table has inspired you to give them a try. If a furniture transfer seems a little daunting, try a smaller transfer on a DIY sign, flower pot, or serving tray. I promise once you do you'll be hooked!

If you have any questions about this makeover, please leave them in the comment section below or press the Contact Me button at the top of the blog to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

Please join me to take a look at how my talented friend's transformed these furniture pieces. Press the links below to see the after photos and tutorials.

1. Girl In The Garage
2. Confessions Of A Serial DIYer
3. Petticoat Junktion
4. Just The Woods
5. Salvaged Inspirations
6. The Interior Frugalista (that's me)

I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.

Sometimes just a wee bit of paint is all a piece of furniture needs to be transformed. Case in point, this beech wood cabinet with a Simmons Juvenile Furniture makers stamp suggests it is for a child's room. But with the two deep drawers and middle cupboard what I saw was a whitewashed media cabinet or white sideboard buffet with farmhouse style.

The light blonde wood in excellent condition is the perfect candidate for a whitewash paint finish. Think of pickling stain but with a lovely matte chalk paint patina. I chose a highly transparent finish with just one coat of paint but it can be as opaque as you like with layers of white paint wash and I show you how easy it is.

White Sideboard Buffet With Farmhouse Style

It is Furniture Fixer Upper Day where six talented furniture painting friends come together once a month to breath new life into a piece of furniture. You can find links to the other makeovers at the bottom of this post. Last month I shared a tutorial on how to paint Arborite with my Retro Dining Table Makeover.

We are saddened to announce that our sweet friend, Larissa has left the group to pursue other blogging ventures. She will be missed but this isn't goodbye because we can still catch all her DIY adventures at Prodigal Pieces.

We are pleased to welcome our newest member, the very talented Denise from Salvaged Inspirations. If you are not familiar with her blog, you are going to LOVE her furniture makeovers!

Back to the sideboard buffet makeover. This is what it looked like before...

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. At no cost to you, we receive a small commission if you make a purchase.

I had a clear vision for this makeover going in. Paint the cabinet pure white with heavy distressing, stain the top a medium brown, add these awesome Farmhouse decor transfers on the knobs and part of this furniture transfer to the front of the cabinet door. Sadly, they couldn't be shipped on time so onto plan B.

I added a surprise pop of color to the interior by painting the cupboard Upper Canada green. I used a mineral chalk paint which has a built-in sealer so no clear coat is required and it'll cure rock hard within 21 days.

Part of plan B was to add pretty handpainted floral knobs to the top drawers that picked up the green of the painted interior. I decided not to use them because they took away from the simple farmhouse charm. Instead, I kept the original wood knobs and painted them white and distressed to match the whitewash finish.

Unfortunately, the beech veneer top was a lot worse for wear and couldn't be stained. There was some uneven coloring in the veneer so I couldn't give it a transparent whitewash like the rest of the cabinet either.

Onto plan C, an opaque whitewash with four coats of paint and distress the heck out of it with a mouse sander.

I added Farmhouse typography onto the top but instead of a furniture transfer, I went all old school. More about that further down in the post.

Here's a close up of what the transparent whitewash looks like on the lower cabinet and the opaque whitewash on the top.

Part of the deciding factor for giving this piece a farmhouse style makeover was the skirt. Even though I believe it would be considered a craftsman or mission style base to me it had farmhouse potential.

The chicken wire frame sitting on top of the farmhouse sideboard is another DIY project. You can see how I made it here in my repurposed window message board post.

The little girl holding a chicken was painted by my Mom several years ago and is one of my cherished possessions. She was a landscape artist and rarely painted portraits so this is one of just a few.

Here's how I did it...

Prep the cabinet for paint

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is the most dreaded step (at least for me) when doing furniture makeovers BUT it is one of the most important for a long-lasting paint finish. You'll find many helpful tips in my How To Prep Furniture For Chalk Paint A-Z tutorial.

How to whitewash with paint

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in the color Old White that I had on hand. When doing a paint wash the more water to paint, the lighter the wash. Typically a 1:1 ratio is used but I thinned mine to the consistency of milk. Sorry, I didn't measure but probably closer to a 2:1 ratio.

You can apply it with a lint-free rag (old t-shirt) or brush it on like I did. Wipe the excess with a lint-free rag before the paint dries. For larger pieces, work in sections. In spots where I got more paint, I used a fine mist spray bottle and just moved the paint with the brush to thin it out.

Like I mentioned earlier in the post, I only applied one coat of whitewash but on the top, I applied four coats.

Distressed farmhouse finish

After the paint dried I distressed along the edges and around the drawer fronts with 150 grit sandpaper where it would normally age over time. I also gave the area around the knobs a worn finish. On the top, I went crazy with a mouse sander, especially along the edges and corners.

Stencil and graphic add more farmhouse charm

Saddened I couldn't get the farmhouse furniture transfer on time but determined I would add farmhouse typography to the top, first I used this grain sack stripe stencil (not an affiliate link) with pewter grey chalk paint to stencil down the middle of the buffet top.

Next, I found this Huge Sign Making Bundle with 40 different design sets on Etsy (not an affiliate link) and printed the Welcome To Our Farmhouse graphic in png format and set to print on legal size bond paper. Instead of including step-by-step instructions on how I applied it to the sideboard, you can find a detailed tutorial in my Graphite Paper Image Transfer Technique post.

Painted with a script liner art brush and Hurricane dark grey chalk paint. Once the paint dried I distressed both the grain sack stripe and graphics with 220 grit sandpaper for a timeworn appearance.

Protect the paint with wax and clear coat

The cabinet base and drawer fronts are protected with white wax applied with a wax brush and buffed with my go-to car detailing wool buffing pad (any of these would work). Mine is meant to be used with a drill but I hand buff instead.

For added protection on the top, I used a water-repellent clear coat tinted white, thanks to a genius tip I learned from Kandice Just The Woods, my fellow Furniture Fixer Upper friend.

After giving the jar a good shake, I poured some Gator Hide onto a paper plate and mixed about 1/2 teaspoon of whitewash glaze.

Applied with a damp car detailing foam applicator pad (any of these would work) in long even strokes. I applied two coats with a 2-hour dry time between coats.

So what do you think? Would you whitewash wood furniture or is a solid paint color more to your liking?

If you have any questions about this makeover, please leave them in the comment section below or press the Contact Me button at the top of the blog to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

Please join me to take a look at how my talented friend's transformed these furniture pieces. Press the links below to see the after photos and tutorials.

1. Girl In The Garage
2. Confessions Of A Serial DIYer
3. Petticoat Junktion
4. Just The Woods
5. Salvaged Inspirations
6. The Interior Frugalista (that's me)

I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.

Did you know that you can paint over mid-century modern Arborite furniture? It's totally doable but there are two simple but important steps to doing it right for a long lasting finish. In this post, I'm sharing the scoop on how to paint Arborite as well as a retro dining table makeover. The mid-century modern table is small and has one drawer that I think would also make a great desk or vanity table.

I'm sharing the retro table makeover first and the Arborite painting tutorial further down in the post.

How To Paint Arborite Retro Dining Tables

It is Furniture Fixer Upper Day where six talented furniture painting friends come together once a month to breath new life into a piece of furniture. You can find links to the other makeovers at the bottom of this post. Last month I tried my first attempt at a painting technique that I had been itching to try and I'm pleased with how the Pink Ombre Waterfall Dresser turned out.

This month it's a bright bold vintage table makeover that works well with the unique mid-century modern gold metal legs. But I couldn't stop with just a bright color. Remember my Geometric Waterfall Dresser? Well the stencil I used on that makeover was calling my name and it added a fun playful vibe to this retro table.

To see where we started, this is what table the looked like before...

And here it is after the makeover paired with a Glam Vanity Stool I refinished last year to show you how the table would make a cute vanity table.

The legs were showing some wear and so they got freshened up with gold paint.

The table is glam on the bottom and party on the top with this fun blue and white geometric pattern.

The inside of the drawer has a little stencil surprise too.

And rather than replacing the original knob like I normally do, I decided to keep the brass knob and paint the wood button in the center white. It plays nicely with the gold trim around the table top and the table legs.

How to prep Arborite furniture for a lasting finish

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience so you can see what products I used or recommend to make this project. See my full disclosure policy.

The next three steps for prepping Arborite furniture for paint are the most important for a lasting finish. I'll be the first to admit that these steps are tedious but if you skip them, you will regret it later. Ask me how I know!

Clean

Remove any dirt, grime, and grease with a scrub pad and pail of warm water, 1/4 cup of vinegar and a drop of Dawn dish soap. Another option is using this cleaner but I ran out and have it on my shopping list.

Sand

Sand the Arborite to rough up the smooth surface. I used a mouse sander with an 80-grit sanding pad. Be careful not to sand beneath the veneer.

Wipe the dust with a damp microfibre cloth and follow with a tack cloth to remove fine particles. Rub your hand over the Arborite to feel if it's rough to the touch. If not, carefully repeat the sanding process.

Dust free sanding tip:

If you paint indoors like I do, here's a great dust free sanding tip that I learned from my fellow Furniture Fixer Upper pal Kandice at Just The Woods. Connect the end of your sander to the hose of your shop vacuum and hold them together with duct tape. Genius!

Prime

Prime the roughed up Arborite with two coats of primer, rolled on with a foam roller. Wait about an hour between coats and lightly sand with 220-grit sandpaper for a smooth finish.

NOW that we've done the necessary dirty work, it's time for the fun part, making the vintage Arborite table pretty with paint.

How to paint Arborite furniture for a lasting finish

For this retro dining table, I decided to go bright and bold and keep the retro vibe going with a fun stencil.

Paint

I painted three coats of Peacock blue chalk mineral paint over the primed surface with a small foam roller. I waited an hour between coats and lightly sanded the paint with 220-grit sandpaper followed by a wipe with a tack cloth.

The table apron and inside the drawer was brushed with three coats of Fluff chalk mineral paint.

The metal legs were showing some wear so I removed them from the table and headed outside. It was the perfect sunny Spring day to refresh the legs with this pure gold spray paint. It's a good thing I painted them when I did because the weather turned the following day.

Stencil

Like I mentioned earlier, I couldn't stop at the bright Peacock blue paint color and decided to add some retro fun with this geometric wall stencil.

To stencil the table top I poured the same Fluff chalk mineral paint onto a paper plate and dabbed the excess onto a paper towel so very little paint remained on the brush.

I opted not to use the quicker method of stenciling with a stencil roller because the top had only been painted less than 12 hours earlier and I didn't want to risk using stencil adhesive to hold the stencil in place.

Instead, I used delicate surface Frog tape to hold the stencil in place and pounced the paint with a stencil brush.

A surprise waiting inside the table drawer

The outside of the drawer was painted the same Peacock blue and the inside the Fluff white. I added a surprise to the bottom of the draw with this polka dot stencil.

Protect

Normally I wax my chalk painted furniture pieces but with table tops, they will likely have drinks set on them and so I protect the chalk paint with three thin coats of this matte water-repellent clear coat. This will give the table a rock hard finish after 48 hours.

Part of me wonders if I should have painted the apron Peacock blue and the drawer front white. What do you think?

I'd love to get your feedback and/or any questions you might have about this makeover. Please leave them in the comment section below or press the Contact Me button at the top of the blog to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

Please join me to take a look at how my talented friend's transformed these furniture pieces...

Press the links below to see the after photos and tutorials...

1. Girl In The Garage
2. Confessions Of A Serial DIYer
3. Petticoat Junktion
4. Prodigal Pieces
5. Just The Woods
6. The Interior Frugalista (that's me)

I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.