Stain-Over-Paint French Provincial dining Table

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This French provincial table was purchased in poor condition and needed a lot of love to get back to useable condition. We initially wanted to use a simple stain on the top, but the quality of the wood once sanded was not as pretty as we would have liked. So we used a stain-over-paint technique to give it a similar feel. 

materials

• Bosch Orbital Sander
• ​Gator 50-Pack 80-Grit 5-in W x 5-in L 8-Hole Hook and Loop Sanding Disc Sandpaper
  • We used an 80-grit sanding disc for removing the stain and the grim off this project although a 60-grit would have been okay too. We prefer Lowe's' Gator brand of sanding discs because they seem to be the most durable. 
• Gator 50-Pack 120-Grit 5-in W x 5-in L 8-Hole Hook and Loop Sanding Disc Sandpaper
• Gator 50-Pack 220-Grit 5-in W x 5-in L 8-Hole Hook and Loop Sanding Disc Sandpaper
• Wood putty
  • We didn't actually use wood putty for this project although we wish that we had. Read in the blog below to learn about why that's the case. We do recommend using wood putty for projects like this in the future. We would have used a Varathane Wood Putty from Home Depot, but we recommend using the same brand as the stain that you plan to use or just use a white putty if you plan to paint. 
• Pro Grade Precision 9 in. x 11 in. 60 Grit Coarse Advanced Sanding Sheets
  • You will need to purchase some sandpaper for hand sanding purposes. We like the 60 grit sandpaper for more precision stripping, and it seems to be more effective than 80 grit (in terms of hand sanding, not to be confused with what we use on our orbital sander). Make sure to get a pro-grade because it will last much longer than the cheap sandpaper, and the price difference is truly just a few dollars. We also recommend that you purchase the sandpaper in sheets because you can cut them in half or in thirds and double the amount of sandpaper per purchase (this is preferred over purchasing the thinner strips of sandpaper; most hardware stores will sell both options). Finally, if you plan on doing many DIY projects, then buy the contractors pack (bulk pack); this will save you money over time and the frustrations of having to go back and forth to the hardware store for sandpaper. 
• Pro Grade Precision 9 in. x 11 in. 120 Grit Medium Advanced Sanding Sheets 
  • A lot of what we said for the 60 grit sanding sheets apply here. However, we use the 120 to smooth out the wood after being stripped to give it a smoother surface before applying the paint or stain. 
• Pro Grade Precision 9 in. x 11 in. 320 Grit X-Fine Advanced Sanding Sheets  
  • This sandpaper will be necessary for smoothing out the surface between coats of finish.  This will definitely help you to accomplish a great final product. You can use a 320-grit or a 400-grit for this purpose. 
• 3-2/3 in. x 9 in. Imperial Wet or dry 800-Grit Sandpaper Sheets
• Paint and Stain Cloth 
• Mineral spirits
• Frog Tape Trim Painter's Tape
  • Frog Tape was used to keep the stain from the top of this project off of the legs. Frog Tape is by-far our favorite tape to get clean lines. It's tackiness is just right but also still easy to remove. 
• Behr Chalk Flat Matte Paint in White Moderne
• Minwax Special Walnut Interior Stain
• Classic Grey Interior Wood Stain
• Staining Pads
  • There are many options for applying stain to the wood.  However, we have found that using a staining pads allows for more control over the application process.  Typically, you will need to wipe off any excess stains from wood. However, this project does not require this step since the stain is over the paint. 
• Minwax Polycrylic Water-Based Polyurethane
  • We typically like to use oil-based finishes on tabletops due to the amount of use that they get; however, we chose a water-based finish for this project. Water-based finishes work much better on white paints because they don't discolor the paint. We wanted consistency, so we used this on the top as well. We applied about 3-4 coats.
• Purdy Syntox Finish Brush
  • You will need a special brush for the Polycrylic finish. The Purdy Syntox brush will do the trick.
• Purdy 3-Pack Polyester-Nylon Blend Angle Sash Paint Brush Variety Pack​

step 1

We used a screwdriver to take off the legs of the table so that we could maneuver each piece easily to sand them down. We started with the tabletop first. 

We started with an 80-grit sanding disk on our orbital sander to get rid of the grime on top and the stain underneath. The veneer on top was thinning in some areas and we went a little deeper than we had hoped. 

To fix these spots, we attempted to use a technique in which you place wood glue on the area and sand while the glue is wet. This allows the dust particles to mix in and it will create a natural wood putty that matches the type of wood being used. We felt that this technique didn't work as well on a table top as we would have liked. Instead, we recommend using this technique to fill in cracks, such as when gluing boards together. 
Lesson learned: use wood putty on veneer and sand it off once dried to create an even and level surface. 

To get a soft and smooth surface, start with 80-grit sandpaper and move to 120-grit, then 220-grit. Skipping through these steps will not give you as good of a finish. Spend the time doing it now and you'll be thankful in the end. 

step 2

Next, we used 80-grit sandpaper to sand the edges by hand. We don't have a picture of these process, but you can see the fully sanded top portion below. 

Follow the same sanding steps below by moving from 80 to 120 to 220-grit sanding around the edges. 

step 3

Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of the legs during the process of sanding.

​Since we knew we would be painting the legs from the beginning, we chose not to sand them down to the wood because of the shape and the spiral at the bottom. Instead, we used a 120-grit to sand off any grime that was there and then used a light 220-grit to smooth out the surface.  

Once all the sanding is complete, we used a shop vac to clean up the dust hidden in any cracks and used mineral spirits and a cloth to wipe away the dust on the flat surfaces. Let it full dry before moving to the next step.
Note: You can use any kind of vacuum with a brush to clean this up if you don't have a shop vac.

step 4

Since we tried to stain the top and disliked it, it was time to move on to plan B for our project. We ended up painting the top and the legs with multiple coats of paint. Because of the paint we used, we felt that we did not need a primer. We don't typically use a chalk paint, but it worked out perfect for the look we wanted for this piece. 

Pro tip: You can use a 220-grit sanding in between coats of paint to smooth out any dust that might get in the paint between coats. It helps to create a perfectly smooth finish. Wipe the dust off before applying the next coat of paint. 

step 5

We used a stain-over-paint technique to create a faux wood grain feel with stain colors. We love this technique when the typical staining process isn't an option because we love the tones that stains have and the contrast between the stains and the paints. You can see another stain-over-paint piece we've done here for more ideas. 

We started by applying two coats of special walnut stain. We felt that this made the top appear as if it were dirty and we didn't like it as much as we hoped. It was time for plan C lol. We began moving forward with this plan by adding on a Classic Grey stain on top of the current stain. We alternated with grey and ... stains until we got the desired effect. 

Be mindful that stain over paint takes much longer to dry than what the instructions on the can typically state. Applying stain over paint tends to leave a very tacky finish until fully dry. Be patient, even when it's hard. 

The pictures above are the ... stain and the grey stain blend. We used a 220-grit sanding between coats to smooth out the finish. Once we were happy with the color, we used a 120-grit sanding to add distress marks as we wanted this piece to have a rustic feel. 

Lesson learned: We didn't realize until after the staining was done that our strokes near the middle had a curve to them. In hindsight, we wish that we had taken out the table leaf and done it separately in order to get smooth strokes. However, we did appreciate that the colors blended smoothly across the top. Maybe we just need to grow longer arms...and we, means Sydney needs to grow longer arms lol. 

Wipe the table clean after sanding and attach the legs again. Now, you are ready for the next step. 

step 6

We used the same paint that was used on the top to paint the legs and base of the table. We had to use about 4 coats of white paint on this part to get a smooth finish that we were hoping for. Unfortunately, we don't have pictures of this step. 

step 7

We're almost to the end now :)

The last step was to apply a finish. On kitchen tables we typically like to use polyurethane as a finish because of its durability. However, we chose to use polycryclic because it still provides a strong finish but it does not turn yellow on white paint because it is water-based instead of oil-based. 

We use the same process with sanding here as we do with the paint. Allow the finish to dry. Then, use a 220-grit sanding between coats. Wipe off the dust before applying the next coat of finish. We applied about 4-5 coats on the top and about 3 coats on the legs. This was based on the appearance we wanted and the durability the table would need for daily use on the top. 

Note: Polycrylic tends to appear as a semi-gloss finish, but some of our photos give it a shiny appearance due to the time of day the photos were taken outside.

It's important to let the final finish fully cure before use. This table was sold within 2 days of being listed. We recommended that the family allow it to sit for 1-2 weeks before using it heavily.