French Provincial Tables in Java and Antique White

Take a look at these pretty petite bedside tables!

I rescued these beauties from a Craigslist seller looking to even up with their landlord. They came to me chipping and peeling, in a horrid royal purple spray painted color. They under went some serious rehab and it turns out these were, white, yellow, white, and then purple! 

Other than removing the ugly paint these didn't need much work. Jake stripped the tops and took great care to hand sand the previous finish on the edging. That white paint (or primer) was really difficult to get out of the crevices!

I used two different kinds of primer on these. The first two layers are Zinsser Shellac Based Primer, and the following layer was Rustoleum's Flat Primer. I used two different kinds because of their  different abilities to control odor/previous finish, and to provide an even cover for paint. The Zinsser primer was used to seal in what was left of the previous finish. We sanded both tables until they were smooth, but that doesn't mean they were paint free. I didn't know what kind of paint or chemicals was previously used so I didn't want to take the chance of dealing with these having peeling or staining issues. I used the Rustoleum to give me an even primer coverage. The shellac primer can sometimes look spotty, even after sanding between coats, and I use a flat primer to help me get an even coat ESPECIALLY when painting anything white. Somehow, white is the hardest for me to use.

I gave them both two coats of General Finishes "Antique White" and chose not to distress. I love the simplicity of the contrast. Finished them off with 2 coats of HP Top Coat in Satin. The tops took 3 coats of General Finishes "Java" gel stain and 2 coats of their wipe-on urethane. Have I mentioned how much I L-O-V-E their wipe on poly?!

I updated the tacky gold handles with oil-rubbed bronze spray paint and a few coats of clear coat enamel so there is no chipping later on down the line.

Finished them off with a scroll wall paper to match. These tables had a lot of interest and fortunately they sold within a week! I love the look of French Provincial style furniture, but sometimes it's a little too ornate for me. These tables were the perfect balance of simplicity and elegance.