Taking Away the Blues....French Bistro Table Makeover

We picked up this table at an auction a while back. Good sturdy table with nice detailing on the legs. I also picked up this VERY blue paint at Home Depot....Darn you Home Depot for making colors look WAY different in your light! Anyways, I painted this table the previously mentioned blue. And boy was it blue! So, sadly enough, I had to makeover a table that I had already made over! Oh well, you live and you learn! The table had a nice flat, rounded top, perfect for some detail work!

First, I painted the table gray.

I really wanted the table to have that French Bistro feel, so I decided to paint the top just like a sign right out of a bistro in Paris. I stenciled the letters, then went back over them with a paint brush for a more hand-painted look. I also added some decorative designs to enhance the look. 

 

I also added a design to the middle of the bottom shelf.

Once the lettering was done, I distressed the whole table using 100 grit paper around the edges and 150 grit paper over the whole table, including the lettering. Once the table was distressed, I rubbed a charcoal gray over the whole table. When using stain as an aging technique, I like to rub a heavy coat over a part of the table, let sit for a minute, then wipe it back off. This leaves just the right amount of stain behind.

Here is the finished product. I love it! Looks like it came right out of a French Bistro!

Happy Painting Everyone!

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