A Glaze of Glory
As dining sets continue to be a best selling item for me, I am always trying new ways to make them beautiful.
After staring and staring at a set for some time, I generally formulate a plan, and get started!
This table was a little different, as the top is formica, and is generally NOT stainable. What to do? What to do?
I knew I had to paint it... it was my only logical next step.
I started by painting on two coats of General Finishes Dark Chocolate Milk Paint. I really love this paint color, as it was formulated to look exactly like the Java Gel Stain by the same company. (Want to try the milk paint? You can buy it using my affiliate link here!)
Another GREAT thing about General Finishes Milk Paint is that it is self leveling! What does that mean? You will not typically see your brush marks when it dries (See above pic showing the brush marks when wet, and no brush marks when dry). AMAZING!!
My next step was to come up with a color for the base and chairs. Knowing that mushroom is a really popular neutral color right now, I decided to mix my own. Did I mention that you can mix any of the water based products from General Finishes together to come up with your own personal blends? Sooooo cool and fun! (I know, I get excited about the littlest things!).
My base color was chosen: Millstone it was!! (try it for yourself using my affiliate link here!) I wanted more of a carmel-ly tone, however, so I decided to mix a little of the Van Dyke Brown Glaze effects, and little of the Clear Base Glaze Effects.
I used a 50/30/20 blend: 50% Millstone, 30% Van Dyke Brown, and 20% Clear Base. Ohhhhh, but she was looking like cake batter! (Yummy!)
The GLORIOUS combination!! OMG, OMG!! What a looker! I can't wait to see it all together.
Next, I made a glaze out of the Dark Chocolate and Clear Base, a 50/50 blend, to give a little extra glow to the table top, then it was time to move on to the chairs.
I'm not going to tell a lie here. This is the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I HATE painting chairs. It's a necessary process for me one and sometimes two times per week. Dining sets sell. And fast!! Lightning fast! So I really just suck it up, and get 'em done. Every week. I know for sure the results will be super pretty, but be honest, don't those spindles look daunting? UGH!!
I applied two coats of my super awesome mushroomy color blend to each chair. Since I am painting with a brush, and not spraying, I am fully aware that these will be lightly distressed. It is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to paint a spindly chair without some imperfections.
Here is a shot to show you the difference a second coat makes. This is SUCH A GREAT COLOR!! These chairs looked heavy and clunky before, now they are light and breezy, and fit in any decor.
Because this paint mixture has glaze right in it, I move on to my last step, which is two coats of General Finishes High Performance Topcoat in Satin over the entire set: table top, base and all 6 chairs (You will want to try this! It's literally my favorite top coat of ALL TIME!! You can easily use my affiliate link and buy it here).
The fabulous result!! And how amazing is my booth space at The Bees Knees Homestead?! Barn wood from floor to ceiling. SWOON!!! I am so lucky to have a room like this to decorate and stage a few times per week! Let me tell you, I do not get bored with it. NOT EVER (Note the hilarious cameo of Mike patiently waiting for me to finish putzing around. Ha!)
This mama chair is pulled out conveniently for you to plop in and get ready for a delicious meal. I really, really love the dark top with this homemade mixed mushroom color. Such a good contrast of light and dark with out being overwhelming to the eyes.
Did I mention this downsizes to a circle? Look at how cute the base looks!
You have just got to try mixing your own color combinations. It's really fun (for color junkies like me!), and in the end, this set turned out so pretty. I would tell you that it's waiting for you at my booth, but it sold in TWO HOURS!! Woo Hoo!! I am sooo lucky to be able to paint and play for a living. Don't get me wrong, I work my tail off every week, but when you love your job, it really does feel like playing. Except for maybe moving all of this stuff! My back is killing me :)
