From off-white and orange to sleek and sophisticated dark chocolate and onyx, this dining table (and chairs) makeover is swoon-worthy!

This dining table was in good condition, but didn’t scream “bachelor pad” to my client:

Dining table makeover, kitchen table makeover

Fair enough.  The stain on the dining table was a little outdated and the off-white says farmhouse more than sophistication, so he asked me if I would do a dining table makeover and update the chairs to match.

dining chair makeover

Sure, I thought.

No problem, I thought.

I started (as I always do) by sanding off the old stuff.  For the chairs and table legs, that meant a light sanding (not all the way to bare wood) because they were to be painted BM Onyx.  The dining table top was stripped all the way down to bare wood using 60 grit, 120 grit and finally 220 grit sandpaper to give a nice fresh slate for the dark chocolate stain he’d chosen.

Dining table makeover, kitchen table makeover

I smoothed out as many little grooves and scratches as I could before priming the chairs (and table legs) with two coats of primer.

Dining table makeover, kitchen table makeover

I really should have tinted my primer, but white was what I had on-hand, so white was what I went with.

So far, so good right?

Yup, totally jinxed that!

I brought out my paint sprayer to make painting the chairs easier – but the paint was slightly too thick, so instead of a smooth finish it was spattered.  Not a big deal, I needed to two-coat the chairs anyways, but I was hoping to get away without a thorough sanding between coats.

Second coat – not the paint is just slightly too thin – which meant that, even after I checked every square inch for paint drools, some later showed up.  (Paint drool = that slow drip that runs down your finish causing you to froth at the mouth in fury)

Not just one paint drool…  several paint drools, which meant that I had to do more sanding to clean those up and then re-paint again.

I didn’t take photos.  You wouldn’t have been able to see the chairs through the blue air in my garage.

The drools didn’t stop with the chairs either – the table legs saw more than a few as well.

I won’t whine anymore….  the dark chocolate finish on the table top more than made up for any frustration I had in painting.

Just look at how gorgeous this is!

Dining table makeover, kitchen table makeover

Despite the (minor) setbacks, this dining table makeover is stunning.

Dining table makeover, kitchen table makeover

Dining table makeover, kitchen table makeover

The two-tone finish is so sophisticated with the rich wood and gorgeous almost-black.  It just screams “bring in some navy blue” doesn’t it?

Just me?

I couldn’t resist a little Fall staging:


Fall tablescape, Fall centrepiece, navy and white tablescape, Dining table makeover, kitchen table makeover

I’m pretty sure that the neighbours that saw me setting the table in my garage, and then climbing on a ladder to snap photos, think I’m nuts…

I am, I own it.

Fall tablescape, Fall centrepiece, navy and white tablescape, Dining table makeover, kitchen table makeover

And with this set up, I’d totally eat dinner in the garage as well.

I hope this dining table makeover makes the owner as happy as it makes me – but then again, if it doesn’t, maybe I can keep it? lol

Fall tablescape, Fall centrepiece, navy and white tablescape, Dining table makeover, kitchen table makeover

Have a great one!