Cottage makeover for pine dining set

Pine furniture is an affordable way to add wood furniture to a home but there are ways to paint, stain and seal pine furniture to give it a unique look for a cottage or country style home.

 

Most people tend to slap on a couple of coats of varnish and end up with yellowish pine furniture that is ordinary and doesn't really add style to a home. But there are plenty of other ways to finish pine furniture and this pine dining set is just one example of how you can paint and stain pie.

If you want to give varnished pine furniture a new look the first step is to sand to remove the layers of varnish. You can spend hours hand sanding, or treat yourself to an orbital or random orbit sander and use sanding methods that will save your time and money.

 

 

HERE'S HOW:

1. You will find sensible sanding methods here, so decide what grit of sandpaper to start off with depending on how many layers of varnish have been applied over the years. A rough grit sanding will speed up the removal process and then you will follow this with higher grit sandpaper to repair and smooth.

2. When it comes to sanding chairs with fine detailing or spindles you will need to revert to hand sanding. A sanding sponge is available in rough, medium and fine grit and available at most Builders stores. A sanding sponge allows you to sand around curves easily. Alternatively, use chalk paint on these areas to cut out the sanding process. When using chalk paint it is only necessary to lightly sand the surface before application... yippee!

 

3. To achieve the finish of the pine dining set above there are three processes involved:

- Paint the chair back and table legs with homemade chalk paint (recipe here) or buy Annie Sloan chalk paint. After application of two to three coats of chalk paint and once the paint is dry, use 120-grit sandpaper to distress the edges, or surfaces if you prefer a more distressed finish.

- After painting with chalk paint, apply Woodoc Antique Wax over the painted finish. Apply with a soft cloth and leave for 15 to 20 minutes before buffing with a clean, soft lint-free cloth. The wax seals and protects the painted finish and should be applied as and when required for ongoing protection.

- Use Woodoc 5, 10 or 20 in your choice of wood tint to seal the chair seat and table top. It is important to read the instructions for proper application of three coats of Woodoc interior sealer. As an option you can use Woodoc Gel Stain in your choice of colour and then finish off with clear Woodoc interior sealer.

Note: These images were sent to me and I am unable to cite the original source. Please let me know if I need to add details for the originator of this project.