This is a great example of how not to be afraid to paint furniture for fear of ruining it. This is the second makeover for my black French poem flip top table. That's the beauty of working with chalk paint if you're not 100% satisfied it can easily be changed with little prep, even after waxing.

The first makeover involved metallic gilding wax and decoupaged paper and still, the table could be redeemed. Heck, it even survived falling onto a concrete floor and part of the trim flying in two directions. My hope is that you walk away encouraged to pick up a paintbrush and give that piece of furniture collecting dust in the basement a fresh new look.

Look What Happened To The Flip Top Table

Today is Furniture Fixer Upper Day where five talented furniture painting friends and I come together to breath new life into six pieces of furniture. You can find links to the makeovers at the bottom of this post.

For last month's challenge, I shared how I completely transformed my glossy white Vintage 9-drawer dresser by giving it Farmhouse charm with chalk paint and sandpaper...a lot of sandpaper.

But first, let's look at the table before I repainted it.

You can see remnants of the metallic decoupaged paper from the original makeover on the top and a close up of the metallic silver gilding wax details.

To see the original makeover and the terrible shape the table was in before that makeover, visit my Antique Scalloped Tilt Top Table post.

There was nothing wrong with the first makeover and I thought the table was quite lovely but it didn't sell. Perhaps the papered top was scaring people off. I decided to keep it but the metallic finish didn't really suit our home so onto plan B.

I think it looks so much classier painted black, wouldn't you agree?

I love all things with a Parisian flair, especially French typography on furniture so I couldn't resist adding a French poem on the top.

"O time, suspend your flight and you, propitious hours, suspend your course. Weary you enjoy the fast delights of the most beautiful nowadays."

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.

Here's how I did it

Like I said at the top of this post you can chalk paint over previous chalk painted furniture, even if it has been waxed. Visit this post on How To Prep Furniture For Chalk Paint A-Z for more information.

Chalk paint over clear wax

It doesn't matter if the wax was applied 15 minutes ago or 15 months ago, as long as it is NOT tacky to the touch, you can paint right over it with chalk paint. I painted over the original white with three coats of Raven black chalk paint from FAT Paint Company.

After the final coat was completely dry I applied black wax to deepen the color and protect the finish. But I didn't do that step until the table was completely finished.

It was at this point went things went awry.

Remember I mentioned the scalloped trim along the top suffered some damage? I had detached the top from the base to remove all the remnants of decoupaged paper and fill any imperfections. I had just finished sanding the top to a perfectly smooth finish and was moving it over to the worktable to start painting when it slipped out of my hands and went crashing onto the concrete floor.

After a few choice words, I threw my hands in the air and marched myself upstairs and straight to bed feeling totally defeated. Thankfully stubborn is my middle name and when I woke up the next morning, fueled by coffee and determination I showed that broken top whose boss.

Repairing broken trim

I reattached the broken trim but the wood had suffered some damage on both ends so it didn't fit seamlessly back in place like a jigsaw puzzle so the repairs are not perfect.

1. On a time crunch to get this table finished for today's post I needed to use strong, quick drying glue. I applied this glue on both the back of the broken trim and the table and held it in place with these clamps until cured. Sorry for the lack of photos of this process, I was in panic mode at this point and didn't stop to take photos.
2. I used non-shrinking, fast drying filler to conceal the joints and fill the missing bits of trim. If I had Bondo on hand, that would've been my preference but this did the job. With my fingers I applied it in two layers, letting it dry about 30 minutes between applications. The photo above is after the first application.
3. Once the filler was dry I sanded it with 180 grit sandpaper. 
4. Then I finally returned to the task of painting the top with the same Raven black chalk paint. 

Stenciled top

I used this delicate surface tape to hold the French Poem Stencil onto the center of the painted top. I didn't risk using stencil adhesive because the paint had only been dry for a few hours and didn't want to risk lifting the paint. I stenciled with this Antique White craft paint using a small stencil brush.

After the stencil paint dried I lightly sanded over it with 220 grit sandpaper to remove the raised bits and then waxed over the entire top with black wax, buffing to a matte finish. The black wax also gave the white paint an aged appearance, which I love.

Next, I attached the top to the base SUCCESSFULLY this time!

Scalloped Top Highlights

At the last minute, I decided to highlight the scalloped edge by rubbing white wax with my finger and buffing it smooth with a lint-free rag. I like how it adds some visual interest AND masks the damage.

I hope this table and its challenges and metamorphosis served as a good example that it takes a lot to ruin a piece of furniture. And that after putting paintbrush to furniture and not being 100% satisfied with the results, it can always be changed. It's just paint!

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!

Now let's see how my talented friends in the Furniture Fixer Uppers group 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.

A lot of us have been there. You need an end table but you're on a tight budget so you head over to the big box store and grab one in a box for under $50. Such was the case with this dark espresso table after rearranging a room in our house several years ago. But what about instead of making due until the budget can accommodate a more expensive table, you make that cheap box store table look like you paid big bucks?

That's what I did when moving the table from the living room to the master bedroom. Too cheap to buy a more expensive one, I transformed that box store table with chalk paint, some scrapbook paper, and a little creativity and I'm going to show you how.

How To Make A Box Store Table Look Expensive

This post first appeared on The Interior Frugalista in June 2015. The post has been updated and reshared for those of you who missed it the first time.

Before we get into the makeover this is what the table looked like before...

Remember the espresso rage a few years back? In my home staging days, this color was so popular and we used it often.

The height is perfect to use as a tall night table, especially for someone who likes to read and have the light cast down. The small drawer is very handy to have too.

Not one to do matchy-matchy, you can see what we used for a nightstand on the opposite side of the bed in my Small Mid-Century Modern Cabinet post. A legless relic that had seen it's better days but now looks amazing with its metallic grey finish and curvy legs.

Here's what we did to the inexpensive box store table

Before you begin

Before you begin putting paintbrush to paint you should read my tutorial on How To Prep Furniture For Chalk Paint first because you may or may not need to prime.

Step 1 - Fresh Paint

The entire table was painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for a beautiful matte finish. The top painted Duck Egg Blue that plays well with the Benjamin Moore Wedgewood Gray HC-146 wall color.

The base of the table was painted Pure White to play off the other white elements in the room like our DIY Master Bedroom Built-In Window Seat.

For a shabby chic finish, the table was lightly distressed along the edges and the paint is protected with clear wax and buffed to a matte sheen.

Step 2 - Gold Dipped Legs

To add more visual interest and echo the gold in the French carte postale bedding, the legs were given a hand-dipped look with gold metallic gilding wax and delicate surface frog tape. Striving for a shabby chic finish, the gold was hand buffed to make the feet look worn.

While I was at it I rubbed more gold gilding wax with my finger along the edge of the top, not being fussy about covering the duck egg blue.

Step 3 - Stenciled Bottom Shelf

It's all about the details, right? A gold flower burst was stenciled in the center of the bottom shelf with the gold gilding wax. Yes, you can stencil with metallic wax but the trick is having very little wax on the stencil brush.

Step 4 - Make The Drawer Pretty Too

Don't forget to make the drawer pretty too! The inside of the drawer is painted duck egg blue and lined with pretty scrapbook paper that I had in my stash and decoupaged with Mod Podge.

Step 5 - Replace The Knob

Replacing the hardware is like adding pretty jewelry to the little black dress. The original wood knob was replaced with this pretty white ceramic gold polka dot knob that echoes the petals on the stencil below.

I've included affiliate links below so you can see what products I used or recommend for this furniture makeover. See my disclosure policy.




Big difference, right between the before and after? If you were to purchase a shabby chic table like this retail you would expect to pay at least $150.

I hope this makeover has inspired you to transform those inexpensive furniture pieces that came in a box. Like my table, it may not have fancy dovetail joints and be made of solid wood BUT it's a very functional table and looks pretty darn cute after given a fresh new look.

Whenever I share photos of our master bedroom I'm often asked about the wallpaper. Guess what? It isn't wallpaper! I stenciled the wall and you can see how I did it in my 12 Helpful Tips On How To Stencil A Wall post.

I'm also asked about the headboard. We built it from a salvaged 5-panel door and you can see how we made it in my How To Turn An Old Door Into A Headboard post.

Even the birdhouses sitting on the headboard are dollar store finds that I upcycled for the room. To see how I did it visit my Easy DIY Spring Vignette Birdhouses For Under $5 post.

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!


I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.