Round Accent Table Makeover Using Chalk Paint & Prima Transfer; How To Add Aging With Dark Wax

I’d like to share with you a recent round accent table makeover! I really love the way this table was transformed completely. And this transformation included chalk mineral paint, a furniture transfer, some fun hardware, dark wax to add a more rustic finish, and a little Gemstone Mousse for a touch of bling. So I think this makeover covered the gamut of products and a strange combination of products at that!

This makeover confirmed how amazing it is to use just a few products to give an older piece of furniture a brand new look. I am hopeful that this makeover review encourages you to get creative with your furniture upcycling. As well as encouraging you not to be afraid to try new things! Remember that it is just paint and it can all be redone if you aren’t happy with the end result!

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Check Out This Post For All The Basics of Chalk Mineral Paint Furniture Makeovers – Your Guide For Success Even If You Are A Beginner!

BEFORE THE ROUND ACCENT TABLE MAKEOVER

So, let’s start with BEFORE the makeover of this round accent table. I found this table at a local vintage store. I love shopping here because the owner really does a beautiful job in the styling of the store layout. It’s like shopping in a high end store like Pottery Barn, but it’s all consignment and vendor pieces. She had this little round accent table on markdown because it had some dings and scratches. And if you know me you know that don’t stop me buying a piece of furniture that catches my eye.

This table has one drawer but it had pulls all around the base of the table. It has a round top with a leather insert in the center. The leather insert had some scratches and discoloration. There were several scratches in the table and one small area of loose veneer. But overall I love the shape of this table and the base and legs have really nice features.

Round Accent Table Makeover STEP 1: REMOVE HARDWARE, REPAIR LOOSE VENEER, SANDING AND CLEANING

Removing Hardware

To start I removed all the hardware. I did not replace all those faux drawer pulls and instead filled those holes using wood filler. The final piece would only have one central drawer pull.

Repair Loose Veneer & Fill Nail Holes

To repair the loose veneer I used wood glue and small clamps to hold the glued veneer until dry. Don’t be afraid to try to repair loose veneer. If it is too damaged you can remove the veneer and replace it if needed, but that’s a bigger undertaking than just gluing back some loose veneer. I use a combination of wood glue and Dixie Mud which works great to cover scratches and dings.

Sanding & Cleaning

Once the glued area and nail hole filler was dry I sanded this table. For the base of the table the area with all the repairs, I had to sand with an electric cordless sander to really get all that wood filler smoothed down. I use this Ryobi small sander, which works pretty well for small spaces. For the table top I used a combination of an orbital sander and hand sanding with an 80 grit sanding pad to smooth out scratches. And then finally after I was happy with the smoothness, I gave the whole piece including the base and legs an overall final sanding by hand with a 220 grit. If you are looking for info on sanding, you can find it here in this blog post.

After you sand, especially when you are using a lower grit, or more coarse sandpaper, there is a lot of dust. I used my shop vac to clean up the dust. A good shop vac is crucial to have. I have an older shop vac similar to this model here. Next, I used Dixie Belle White Lightening, the best furniture cleaner ever, to clean the piece.

Dixie Belle White Lightening is a granular product that you mix with hot water. It is amazing at removing dirt, grime, and oil from furniture. For a really dirty piece I make a new batch in hot water in a bucket. But it do also keep some pre-mixed in a spray bottle to use for more simple quick cleanups. Finally, you rinse away the cleaner residue with clean clear water to remove any cleaning residue. For this I use a spray bottle of clean water and a clean lint-free rag.

Round Accent Table Makeover STEP 2: PRIMER

You may or may not need a primer, depending on the stain or wood type of your original furniture. This piece looked like mahogany, which meant it might bleed. And I had sanded it, which may increase the risk of the stain bleeding through. So, the best course is to prime. Who wants to do all the work of a makeover and then have their paint job ruined by stain bleeding through? That is no fun! Been there and done that! So, to prevent that it is best to prime. There are two primers that I use most often. They are Zinsser BIN Shellac-Based primer in white and Dixie Belle Boss in either clear, gray or white.

Priming With Zinsser BIN Shellac-Based Primer

For this project I used Zinsser BIN Shellac-Based Primer. This primer is very thin, oil-based, odorous, but provides very good quality coverage and totally blocks stain bleed through and odors. It needs to be used in ventilated areas and is flammable so should not be used inside of near open flame or heat source. It is also important to completely dry out any rags, towels, brushes or other things contaminated with this primer before disposing.

Because it is summer and I can use this primer in my garage with the garage door open for ventilation I chose to do so. I use a small 4 inch paint roller and foam roller refills to apply the primer to the larger areas and a disposable synthetic brush to get into grooves. I would never use my good brushes with this primer. Two coats of primer were applied. As I said, it goes on thin and dries fast so the priming can be completely done even within a couple or hours.

Round Accent Table Makoever STEP 3: PAINTING THE TABLE, BASE COAT AND BLENDING

For this project I started with an overall base coat of Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint in Vintage Duck Egg. Oh my how I love this color. It is a gorgeous light green with a bluish tint. Dixie Belle paint goes on fabulously as it is so smooth. This is the brand of chalk style paint I have used most often and always keep on hand. Although it is chalk mineral paint, it goes on more like a latex or acrylic mix. And as a bonus, it offers great coverage. With light colors, like Vintage Duck Egg, I prime if in doubt of bleed through as I mentioned above.

Choice Of Brushes & How I Blended The Top

I use good brushes by Dixie Belle, either the synthetic Mini-Angle or one of the oval brushes. As well as brushes by Cling-On, the S50 and S30. I also like the Dixie Belle “Belle” Brush, which is smaller and can get into details well. I applied two coats of the base color, Vintage Duck Egg. But for the inside of the drawer I used Dixie Belle Peony, which is a bright pink. Honestly it reminds me of a 1980s nail polish! For some basic tips of using chalk mineral paints, check out the basics of chalk mineral painting.

Next I opted for a blended look for the top. I mainly kept the inner central area of the top the original Vintage Duck Egg, but I used Dixie Belle Stormy Seas and Hurricane Gray for outer rings. You can see this in my video here that I uploaded to YouTube. To blend I first lay down the base coats with the three paints. Next, to begin the blending the colors I used the Dixie Belle Best Dang Brush. But I finished the blending out with the synthetic brushes as I found them smoother and I wanted this blending to have soft lines.

Round Accent Table Makeover STEP 4: APPLYING THE TRANSFER

Okay here’s the fun part in my opinion! I love these furniture transfers. I’ve used transfers by both Redesign With Prima and Dixie Belle Belles and Whistles. But, for this project, I had a transfer by Redesign with Prima, “Beautifully Native”. This transfer was perfect for the look I was going for. It has a very rustic, but elegant feel. Now there is nothing about this original table that screams rustic finish, but that’s the fun part. The goal was to transform it into a totally different look!

Let me say that an important point with transfers is to apply them before the topcoat or wax. They stick best to paint alone. Most transfers recommend that you let your paint dry overnight before you apply the transfer. Transfers come on a clear sheet with a white backing. You can use the whole sheet as is or cut apart and place pieces strategically where you want them. I did cut this transfer into pieces I wanted to use. I applied the transfer to the top and inside the drawer for a fun surprise. If you’d like more info and details on transfers, check out this blog post,

Round Accent Table Makeover STEP 5: FUN CRACKLE FINISH

Next, I want to tell you about a different fun finish I chose for this table. Have you seen Dixie Belle Crackle? This is just the coolest stuff. Dixie Belle Crackle is a thick jelly like clear substance that you brush over a base paint color to cause your topcoat of paint to “crackle”. Hence the name crackle paint. So, to do the crackle finish first you apply a base color. This color will show through your topcoat of paint. I chose Dixie Belle Peony Pink for the base color. Peony matches some flowers in the transfer therefore the choice of this color made sense.

How To Use Crackle

After the base coat of Peony was dry the next step is to apply the crackle. Apply Crackle with a brush, like the Dixie Belle Chip Brush. The Crackle is applied thickly and you can “crosshatch” it to better create the distressed cracked finish in the topcoat. I have a video in which I show how I did this “crosshatch” method. How the Crackle is applied will affect how much “cracking” you get in your final finish.

Once the Crackle is dry, which can take a few hours, next the topcoat of paint is applied. This is the coat in which you want the cracks. I chose to use Dixie Belle Drop Cloth. The topcoat is best applied thinly, brushing in one direction across the Crackle base. And avoid re-brushing or going back over areas which have already been painted. If the topcoat is laid down too thickly you will not see much cracking. When the topcoat dries it will “crackle” allowing the base color, in this case Peony, to peek through. And this creates a really cool distressed finish.

Round Accent Table Makeover: STEP 6: TOPCOAT

Once all the paint was dry and I was happy with the transfers, I applied the topcoat. I used Dixie Belle Clear Coat In Satin, which I typically apply with a good brush, like the Dixie Belle Mini Angle or the Cling On S50. I did two coats of Satin Clear Coat on the table base and legs. For the table top I applied Dixie Belle Gator Hide, two coats. Both topcoat are great choices. Gator Hide is just a little tougher against water damage and scratches than the Clear Coat. I will often use a combination, Gator Hide for top and Clear Coat for the base and legs.

Here is a blog post on how to choose a topcoat if you need help deciding which topcoats are best for your next project.

Round Accent Table Makeover STEP 7: ADDING COLORED DARK WAX

Okay, so to finish out the table I chose to add dark wax. I love to use dark waxes to give painted furniture a rustic or “old” look. To do this I used Dixie Belle Best Dang Wax in Brown. While you can add the wax before or after the topcoats, I prefer to add after topcoat. That way the wax is more “removeable” with a towel. If you get a little heavy handed it is easier to correct if the piece is already topcoated.

To apply the wax I use a wax brush, the Annie Sloan Wax Brush. Dip the brush in the wax then blot off excess wax onto a paper towel. You will want very little wax on your brush. Then strategically rub in wax to areas where you want the dark aging effect. After the applying the wax with the brush, use a shop towel or lint-free rag to buff it in and rub off any excess. I add wax around the edges and around the transfer and on raised design features in the furniture piece.

Round Accent Table Makeover STEP 8: ADD HARDWARE AND ANY OTHER ACCENT FEATURES

Lastly I added my chosen hardware. While I could have used any cute drawer pull, I had come across a longhorn steer drawer pull at Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby has the best drawer pulls. I like to buy them when they are on 50% off though! I decided to use Dixie Belle Gemstone Mousse in Amber to change the color tone of the hardware and the metal pieces at the base of each leg.

How To Use Gemstone Mousse on Hardware & Metal

Gemstone Mousse goes on nicely. Before using Gemstone Mousse mix it well in the container to make it creamy. I apply with a small art brush. One tip I have for using Gemstone Mousse is to apply in thin layers and let each layer dry thoroughly. For me it has taken longer to dry then I expected. Even after 24 hours when I touched the area painted with Gemstone Mousse it would rub off. I think this is because I applied it too thickly. So, expect it to take longer to cure than you might expect. So, I ended off rubbing some off of each metal feature to make it match, giving it a distressed look.

A Fun Accent

Lastly for a fun little surprise accent, I used a decorative twine rope I found in the crafts section of the the local Dollar Tree. I literally paid $1 for this rope. After cutting lengths needed for each section, I attached the rope around the base of the table with a hot glue gun for a fun rustic cowboy-style accent. This inexpensive decorative touch really added something fun to this project makeover. Again, this is a reminder not to be afraid to try something fun and different in your furniture makeover projects!

AFTER THE ROUND ACCENT TABLE MAKEOVER

So, here are a few photos of the finished project. Overall it was a really fun transformation. Much more creative overall than what I usually do. This project was a fun deviation from basic painting just for the purpose of changing the color. What I learned from the project, is not to be afraid to try new things and really have some fun with your painting. There are so many ways to add flair and embellish your pieces, so the options are truly endless.

If you have any questions about this or other projects, just shoot me a DM on Instagram or Facebook. And you can also find me on Pinterest! I’d love to have you follow me on social!