This is a beautiful vintage card table I purchased at auction. When I picked it up I didn't realize that the top actually flips open and you can use it as a card table. Amazing find! The color is boring and outdated so let's play with some paint and flip this card table to a modern classy piece!
Alright let's begin. What is the first step to painting a table? PROPER PREP of course! What does this mean? Well, remove all the hardware. Open the drawers and remove the top. Once you have opened up everything your ready to clean! This is the worst part of flipping furniture, but its a necessity. You can NOT put paint onto a piece that has not been cleaned well. Old oils and dirt will stop your paint from sticking!
I use White Lightning to clean all my furniture. White Lightning is a powder based cleaner that you disperse into water. I put mine into a spray bottle and clean the entire piece, inside and out. Then rinse with water. I then scuffed up this shiny wood surface with my sander to prep for paint.
Lets pick a color. Since this is a classic piece I want to make it look upscale. Let's choose In The Navy by Dixie Belle. It's a dark navy that goes well with gold. Since I'll be keeping the original hardware and painting it gold, this is a perfect combination.
After cleaning and sanding the base of the table I applied one even coat of paint with a flat medium brush. I also use a spray misting bottle filled with water to help minimize brush strokes.
I waited till the first initial coat of paint has dried. On the second coat I applied a smooth finish using my misting bottle to help keep those brush strokes minimal and smooth.
After the second coat has dried I felt like there was still something missing. I decided to add a WoodUbend applique to the front of the drawer. Woodubend mouldings are amazing! They bend and heat up to fit any surface! The drawer front was a curved surface.
Woodubend is a amazing company that makes moulds! These moulds can be purchased here, or at www.woodubend.com there are over 3000 to choose from and the can beused for furniture or crafts.
See video above for application. Since the drawer is curved I used my hear gun to warm up the moulding. After it is warm it becomes pliable. I added the glue to the back, I used wood glue, and stick it to the drawer. I used my heat gun again to make sure its is moulded to the front. As soon as its on you are ready for paint! I covered it with me In The Navy and waited for it to dry.
Once my woodubend moulding was dry I decided to add some glam to the table. I used the new Gemstone Mousse (release date fall 2020) applied with a brush to give it some shine. I also applied to the edges of the drawer.
Let's talk about the top of the piece. It opens to reveal a small card table. So I needed to fix the top and inside of the piece. I cleaned to top with White Lightning and then wiped it dry. I love No Pain Gel Stain because you apply it directly overtop of the existing finish. I used Espresso color. I used a rag to apply a even coat, in the direction of the wood grain on the inside and out. Once that coat of Espresso has dried to a rich coffee color, I used Gator Hide to seal the piece. I find using the blue sponge that Dixie Belle has on the website the easiest application. Using it while damp and applying the Gator Hide in a smooth motion.
I sealed the base of the table using Satin Clear Coat. Again using the blue sponge to apply. This allows the Navy color to deepen with a touch of shine!
Re install the hardware and watch this beauty shine! What a amazing makeover thanks to Dixie Belle!
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For some short tutorials and to see some of my fun furniture flips, have a peek at my TANGI! Tangi is a fun creative way to feature your crafty makeovers!
Want to watch another Navy makeover? Click here!
Thanks for joining me on my painting journey!
Melissa
The Top Drawer RVA
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