Create the perfect little reading table out of an old end table! 

I found this particular end table at a yard sale and paid just a few dollars for it.

Here are the before pictures:

The top was warn and had a lot of scratches. So I knew it would have to be updated in some way. The bottom of the table also had some additional wear in certain places, but I decided to embrace it and enhance those scratches.

The first step in refinishing any project is to wipe the entire service down with a damp cloth and let it dry really well. I recommend wiping the piece down the day before you plan on painting.

I decided I would only paint the top of this particular piece. I used chalk paint because I knew I wanted to wax the piece when I was finished. I picked a coordinating grey color for the top. I started by painting around the perimeter of the top with the grey chalk paint.

It is important to paint with the grain of the wood.

One great aspect of painting with chalk paint is that it works as a primer and paint; plus there is no need to sand the piece ahead of time. It really makes for a quick and easy transformation!

Once the perimeter was painted I painted the inside portion of the table top. It only took one coat of the chalk paint to reach my desired look!

Once the paint was dry I used Amy Howard at Home Light Antique Wax to finish the top of the table.

When applying antique wax you want to use a very corse brush and put only a very little wax on the brush at a time. Then you want to apply the wax in sporadic strokes. The trick to wax is you don’t want it to looked uniformed.

Once the top was dry I used Dark Antique Wax in sporadic strokes on the legs of the table. This helped pull the top and the bottom together. With dark wax you want to use the exact same type of corse brush.

Once you are finished you can use your new table for just about anything. I decided to use this table as a reading table in my daughters room. It was the perfect place to put her books up and away from our crazy puppies!

Check back soon for other great ways to refinish pieces of furniture with chalk paint!