Primitive Inspired Desk/Table….
16April 6, 2014 by Terry
Last September I was gifted a beautiful antique primitive table by my sweet husband for our 15th anniversary. I have to say I am totally in love with this table. It serves as our computer desk right now and is , in my opinion, the best antique piece of furniture I own! It has so much character with it’s dry wood and chippy paint. I love that the fourth leg is a miss match…
Note the one square, straight leg on the front…
Now this table is the inspiration for the one I made myself, take a look…
This is a picture of it in my booth…I forgot to take the before picture but I did get some during the making…
I found a table at the local goodwill store, it originally had a top on it that had inlaid floor tiles… I think it was a “redo” gone really bad! I brought it home, removed the top, painted it in French Enamel Milk Paint by Miss Mustard Seed. Then after a very light sanding to remove any chipping paint, I went over it with a heavy(ish) coat of antiquing wax from the same line as the paint.
I also used the same paint and wax on 2 antique chairs to match… I really like the dark undertone of the wood on the chairs, I wish I would have done a dark coat of paint on the table first to get the same look as the chairs. Still, it turned out nice in the end.
For the table top I cut fence boards to fit and nailed them to the top. I created some worm holes in the surface with the tip of a nail and I used a hammer to soften the edges of the cut ends to make them look worn. After all that I went over it with a palm sander to smooth everything out.
I decided that this would look nice in a darker finish to compliment the French Enamel frame. I used my newly discovered mixture of coffee, wood stain and white acrylic paint mixed together….this always turns out fantastic, the colors go on at the same time but yet look so random for an aged look.
Just one long brush stroke looks like beautiful patina…
I almost forgot to take the after pictures! I took it to my booth and forgot to take some pretty pictures of it staged in my home :0(
The pictures in my booth don’t do it justice at all, but they’ll have to do. I love the way this little table/desk turned out. I hope it finds a good home :0)
Hope you have a good week! Take care!
Smiles!
Terry
Linking up to these great blogs:
Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Friday
Twigg Studios: Our Sunday Best Show Case Party
The Curators Collection 
Terry I just had to pin your recipe for aging wood for future reference. Wow, one long brush stroke and it looks like that! So much easier than the vinegar and steel wool method and I like the appearance much better too. Thanks for sharing it with us!
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Thanks Marie! I forgot to mention that I used a sponge brush on this one not a bristle brush. Although the results are the same, I do prefer the sponge one.
Have a great week!
Smiles!
Terry
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Great – thanks for this tip!
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They both are awesome tables. You should be proud of your own DIY table. I bet it will sell quickly :)
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Thank you for the visit and the nice compliment!!
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OK I am totally in love with this piece!!!!! Good work! Thanks for sharing this on DIY Sunday Showcase! I pinned this to our board!!
Shelly
minettesmaze.blogspot.com
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Thank you Shelly! I’m flattered that you love it! Thank you for hosting every week, I look forward to seeing all the great projects posted!
Smiles!
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Thanks for stopping by Terry, i love the desk your husband got you and i love the desk you made as well! The finish looks beautiful!
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Ahhh does anyone know the actual recipe for the paint stain mixture?! Oh my Lord I have been searching google and pinterest to no avail since I pinned this post 2 months ago! I would like to attempt this finish on my ugly cabinets lol I have done a base of americana decor chalky finish and want this perfect easy weathered look!
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Sorry I can’t be more specific but I just played with left over white acrylic paint mixed with coffee (only because I was too lazy to go in the house to get water) and left over oil based stain in a dark brown. When you mix the 3 together they separate naturally and when you dip in the brush it randomly grabs a little of each. When you apply it to the wood it gives it a randomly natural look instead of intentional as you are applying all 3 at once instead of layering them 1 at a time.
Sorry I can’t help more…it was a great fluke how mine turned out… maybe get some scraps of wood and play around on them until it looks the way you want. Good luck! I hope it goes well for you!
Smiles!
Terry
( I also did my mixture over raw wood not painted yet…so it soaked it up right away)
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I cannot tell you how happy I am that you responded so quickly! I’m gonna try it and ill let you know how it turns out on the painted finish [= also, is it just brewed black coffee? Again, thank you so much!
What a brilliant fluke!
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Yes it is just black brewed coffee… Probably paradisio blend from second cup! Lol! I hope you let me know how it goes. Good luck!😊
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So I did it! I used regular old white acrylic paint from Michaels, black coffee (pretty sure it’s Maxwell house lol), and I bought one of the tiny minwax stains in “special walnut” omg I can’t tell you how in love I am with the way it came out! Because it was done over a taupe chalky finish paint (americana decor deco art chalky finish in primitive) it gave it the colors of driftwood. Sooo beautiful! I wish I could share a picture!
The only issue I’m dealing with is because there was no natural wood for the stain to soak into – it’s still a little tacky to the touch, especially where I was trying to be a perfectionist and used a bit more in the beginning (I did it Sunday night- it’s now Wednesday morning. I googled oil based stain over paint and they say over latex paint (and I quote) “good luck with it ever drying!”
Alas, I’m still hopeful because the paint I used was water based and it seems to dry a little more everyday. Eeek, I hope I don’t have to take it all off (somehow) and find another way because it looks beautiful. I think ill give it a couple more days and then try to just creme wax over it. You’re pretty skilled in the dy department- do you have any advice? Does the natural wood still have some stickiness to it?
Sorry this is so involved and I’m ranting but I’m in love with the way it looks and thank you for the “recipe”. I really hope it’ll dry up! [= many many many thanks again! I can’t wait to use this again (on an unpainted surface this time! Lol)
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Hey! Congratulations!!! My advice is …. PATIENCE… it always pays off :0) Don’t be too quick to get into waxing it. It takes paint up to 30 days to cure sometimes so with this not being raw wood I would give it time…waiting could pay off with the exact look you were going for…and… with there being oil based product in it, you should probably NOT wax it but maybe spray or paint on a sealer of another type like varathane. I would love to see your project, you can e-mail me a picture at curator@telus.net :0)
Oh also, in answer to your question … No natural wood does not feel sticky at all after as it all absorbs into the wood. Of course though dry time will depend on how generously you apply the mix.
Glad you had good results! Happy to help :0)
Smiles!
Terry
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Judt painted my table with your technique and I ❤ it! I mix mostly acrylic white paint, quarter dark walnut stain, & quarter fresh brewed coffee. This is only 1 cost, I’m going to layer on an grey chalk paint &antique wax
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Thank you so Match for your input on this technique. I am happy that it turned out for you as well. I love this technique and it works for me every time. I would love to see your finished results! Take care :-)
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