Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a great weekend so far.
See the vintage drum table below? My Mom gave me this table over a year ago and it has sat collecting dust in my basement until about a month ago when I decided it was about time that it received a makeover.
I cannot lie. Refinishing this table has been a real struggle for me! It has taken me over a month to finally finish it and it is has seen no less than 4 different finishes during that time. Really, for only a small table? Well, it has been one of those projects! You know, one that you procrastinate on because your indecisiveness is getting the best of you? Lately, this has been happening to me more than I care to admit!
So when I had set out to work on this table, this is what happened…
First, I stripped the top of the table because it originally was in terrible shape, as you can see below. I then stained the top with my favorite whitewash stain. I really was loving how it was looking so far. Then I primed the base with gray primer and painted it with two coats of creamy-gray paint. Something just wasn’t right with this look. Moving on…next I glazed the table with a burnt umber glaze to try to bring out some of the details on the pedestal base. Nope, not working either. How about a coat of watered-down homemade chalk paint? A little better, but still not there. Lastly, there was the gray glaze that I made with watered-down acrylic paint that was applied over top of everything and the distressing that I did. Now we’re talking! So I thought…
The more I looked at this table, the more I wasn’t totally happy with what I had done. Don’t you just hate it when that happens when working on a project? At this point I was about to give up and just sell this table instead of keeping it for myself. I had already put so much time and hard work into it, not to mention the supplies that I had used up. After a glass of wine and a bit of contemplation, I decided to take a step back and let it sit untouched for a while until I had a vision as to what it should be like.
This table sat there for a couple of weeks until one day last week when I had a “Eureka” moment! The reason I didn’t like this table was because it was too plain. I thought that the french-style top was really cute but the base and legs weren’t anything special to look at. How about if I added some wooden appliques around the drum of the table to give it some style? Hmmm…that wouldn’t work because the table is not totally flat. Well, how about doing some raised stenciling around it instead? Perfect!
Here is what my table looks like all finished! What do you think?
As, you can see I carried the stenciling all the way around the drum. I decided to not stencil the drawer at the front because I thought that it would compete with the handle that was there. I also added one raised design to each side of the legs to give them more interest.
It’s hard to tell here, but in real life it almost looks like this table is covered in embossed leather. Very cool!
Here you can also see a close-up of the whitewashed stained top that I did.
I found out that it is very hard to photograph a whitewashed finish without it looking all washed out! In person, this finish is greyish-white with grey streaks running through it and touches of greyish-yellow here and there. It am so happy with how it turned out!
In this close-up of one of the raised stencils you can see that I also used a bit of crackle medium. I made sure that each raised stencil was a little bit different looking. Some have cracks, some don’t. Some are more aged then others, some aren’t. No two designs are exactly alike!
Here on the pedestal, you can see the distressing that I did but not so much of the gray glazing that is there. It is much easier to see indoors where the sun doesn’t wash out the finish.
I painted over the original brass drawer handle with gesso and crackle medium. After the crackle medium had dried for at least an hour, I put on a light layer of gray craft paint to bring out the cracks. I added more white gesso to the raised parts of the handle to highlight. Finally, I coated everything with a layer of Mod Podge for protection.
Last month, I had shared how super easy it is to do raised stencils in my Decorative Book tutorial. You can find my step-by-step guide HERE.
For my decorative book project I had used Golden’s Light Molding Paste to do the raised stencils. For furniture though, you will want to use something that will not crack or chip off. You want it to stand up to everyday use. For raised stencils on furniture, you will want to use Golden’s Molding Paste. It is much heavier in weight and texture than the Light Molding Paste and much more durable.
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 This is the cute little stencil that I decided to use on my table. I covered over the small flowers with happy face stickers (that’s all I had handy at the time) so that the molding paste wouldn’t seep through when doing the raised stenciling. I thought the addition of the flowers would just make my table look too busy and I liked the simplicity of the medallion by itself.
To stencil my table, I first found the centre of the back of the drum and made a small pencil mark. I made sure my stencil was level and then used my Anthropologie membership card (again, all that I had handy) to spread on the molding paste. It’s just like icing a cake! I carefully scraped off all of the excess medium back into my jar and then lifted my stencil up from one end in order to not disturb my pattern.
As I mentioned in my previous tutorial, molding paste is a PITA the get off your tools if you let it dry. You will want to wash your stencil and tools immediately with soap and water before moving on Also, it may make your stencil all cloudy so don’t use this medium on your prized stencil unless you don’t mind it getting a little messed up. My stencil is still useable. It just doesn’t look pristine anymore. It doesn’t bother me!
After I did my first set of stencils, I left them to dry, which only took about 20 minutes. Then I worked on the opposite side of the center stenciling in the other direction as to not mess up my fresh stencils. I placed my stencil over top of one of the previously stenciled designs and continued on. This helped to keep my stenciling in a straight line. By the time I got to the last set of stencils on each side I found out that this stencil fit perfectly within half a centimeter from the end on each side. No cutting needed and no half design to deal with. This was the perfect stencil for this project.
After I finished all of my raised stencils I let them fully dry for about 2 hours before painting. To paint my raised design I first glazed it with medium gray craft paint. Then I re-applied my stencil over top of my raised design and stenciled on a coat of white gesso. I then applied crackle medium randomly and once that was dry I sparingly glazed over the cracks with more gray craft paint making sure to wipe away the excess immediately.
Finally, to protect my table, I coated it with three coats of my favorite clear finish sanding in between coats.
This drum table was a labor of love for sure! It is definitely a keeper now!
If you are interested in replicating this finish on one of your own pieces, I have included the products below that I used for this makeover. If you are a regular visitor to my blog you may notice that I have again used some of my tried and true finishes when refinishing this table. You can read more about my absolute favorite products to use when refinishing furniture HERE and HERE.
Drum Table with Raised Stencils Product List:
Table top:
Circa 1850 Soft Strip, Minwax Whitewash Stain, General Finishes High Performance Waterbased Topcoat in Satin
Table base:
Water-based Glidden Gripper Primer tinted in Behr Dark Gray, Martha Stewart’s Sharkey Gray paint, white acrylic gesso, DecoArt Americana Driftwood acrylic paint, Minwax Polyacrylic Topcoat in Satin
Raised Stencils:
Golden Molding Paste, DecoArt Americana Driftwood acrylic paint, white gesso, DecoArt One Step Crackle Medium, Minwax Polyacrylic Topcoat in Satin
Drawer Handle:
White acrylic gesso, DecoArt One Step Crackle Medium, DecoArt Americana Driftwood acrylic paint, Matte Mod Podge
Have you had a chance to try raised stencils before? Either way, I would love to hear about what you think of my table, so please leave me a comment below. I appreciate that you take time out of your busy day to leave me your thoughts.
Until next time,
Parties I’ve Linked Up To:
~ I should be mopping the floor – Mop it up mondays ~ Craft-o-maniac – Craft-o-maniac mondays ~ DIY Showoff – DIY Project Parade ~ Six Sisters Stuff – Strut Your Stuff Saturday ~ Between naps on the porch – Metamorphosis monday ~ Sumo’s sweet stuff – Market Yourself Monday ~ Skip To My Lou – Made By You Monday ~ Home Stories A to Z – Tutorials and Tips Tuesday ~ Springtown Home – Tricks and Tips ~ A Stroll Thru Life – Table Top Tuesday ~ Not Just a Housewife – Show Me Whatcha Got ~ Coastal Charm – Nifty Thrifty Tuesday ~ Primitive and Proper – POWW Party ~ Liz Marie Blog – Link Up With Me Liz Marie ~ Addicted to Decorating – Addicts Not So Anonymous Link Party ~ Miss Mustard Seed – Furniture Feature Friday ~ Doodles and Stitches – Fabulous Friday ~ Shabby Creek Cottage – Transformation Thursday ~ The Brambleberry Cottage – Time Travel Thursday ~ My Romantic Home – Show and Tell Friday ~ The Shabby Nest – Frugal Friday ~ What About Co – Show Off Friday ~ Craftionary – Friday Fun Party ~ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating – Flaunt It Friday ~ French Country Cottage – Feathered Nest Friday ~ Five Days .. Five Ways – Feature Friday ~
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37 comments
Audrey Zumwalt
August 19, 2012 at 7:56 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Oh Carrie … that little table is just lovely and you did a fantastic job on it. The tutorial is great and I will bookmark it so I can refer back if/when I ever decide to do this.
Thanks for sharing your talent.
Blessings,
Audrey Z.
Carrie
August 21, 2012 at 10:07 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hello again Audrey! I hope you are doing well. Thanks for stopping by to check out my table makeover. Your always leave me such wonderful comments.
Thanks again!
Carrie
Shannon Fox
August 19, 2012 at 8:35 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
That is stunning! You did such a beautiful job. It’s a gorgeous transformation :)
Carrie
August 21, 2012 at 10:06 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks so much Shannon!
P.j.
August 19, 2012 at 9:18 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Wow! You really knocked it out of the park with this one! (Baseball lingo from someone who’s not even into baseball! :-) It’s gorgeous, & something I would like to try myself. I especially love the stencil, used with the colors you chose. Very, very, nice! (This was seconded by my Design Muse daughter, who’s visiting this weekend & currently sketching some of our ideas for the kitchen!)
Carrie
August 21, 2012 at 10:06 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
P.J., your comment really made my day! I am so glad that you and your daughter loved my table makeover.
Tina
August 19, 2012 at 10:02 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
OMGOSH! that is an amazing job you did! i Love the table and the way you did the stenciling is perfect….:)
Carrie
August 21, 2012 at 10:05 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Tina, aren’t you the sweetest? Thanks for your wonderful comments. I am so glad that you like my table.
Harley
August 19, 2012 at 11:10 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I love your table Carrie. I especially like the stencils! Great job!
Carrie
August 21, 2012 at 10:04 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Harley, thanks so much!
Take care,
Carrie
Monica Livas
August 20, 2012 at 3:25 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Lovely table! So pretty!
Carrie
August 21, 2012 at 10:03 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks for stopping by Monica!
Cecelia DuPriest
August 20, 2012 at 10:35 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I am so excited to give thid raised stencil look a try. This is the first time I have seen this tecnique. Your table is just beautiful. I love it!
Carrie
August 21, 2012 at 10:03 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Awww… thank you Cecelia! You are so sweet! Raised stencil is addicting once you start. You may want to stencil everything in your house after you try it.
Dido
August 20, 2012 at 11:23 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I love this table, just the kind of thing I would buy in a minute if I saw for sale by me.
Dido
Carrie
August 21, 2012 at 10:02 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thank you Dido.
Terry Moore
August 20, 2012 at 2:04 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
This really turned out nice. I have done the raised design on the back of a rocker up at the top before but I have not done it since…I need to do this trick again. Thanks for the reminder.
Carrie
August 21, 2012 at 10:02 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
You’re welcome Terri. Thanks for your wonderful comments.
cassie
August 21, 2012 at 8:17 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
beautiful job, carrie! the raised stencil is so pretty, and i am also loving the gorgeous hardware!
Carrie
August 21, 2012 at 9:58 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks so much Cassie!
Take care,
Carrie
Marty@A Stroll Thru Life
August 22, 2012 at 4:58 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
How fun and what a great idea. Love the stencil, and great transformation. Thanks for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty
Tami Von Zalez
August 24, 2012 at 11:04 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Lurvs it in white and I didn’t one could do raised stencils!
Popped in from What-about.co’s SOF.
thriftshopcommando.blogspot.com
Carrie
August 25, 2012 at 2:01 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks so much Tami! Raised stencils are a lot of fun. You should try it sometime!
Nicole@ Show Off Friday
August 25, 2012 at 9:31 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Wow, that is gorgeous! You did a wonderful job and I love that stencil pattern you chose!
Carrie
August 25, 2012 at 2:02 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Nicole, thanks so much for your wonderful comments and for stopping by! Thanks also for hosting your linky party each week.
Rita
August 25, 2012 at 9:51 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Found your beautiful blog through Feathered Nest Friday.
I love your table. it’s beautiful beyond words. I especially love your raised stencil decor: it’s definitely the perfect touch. and now I’m off to check out your raised stencil tute. What a serendipity: this is exactly was I was looking for today!
rita
Carrie
August 25, 2012 at 2:04 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi Rita,
Awww, you are making me blush. You are so sweet to leave me such nice comments about my table. Thank you! :) I am happy that you were able to find what you were looking for too. If you decide to try the raised stencils I would love to hear about how it worked for you.
Take care,
Carrie
Kristi
August 25, 2012 at 11:28 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Carrie, this is so beautiful!! What a lovely job. I’m featuring this tomorrow night at Mop It Up Mondays…thanks so much for linking up last week!
{HUGS},
kristi
Carrie
August 27, 2012 at 7:18 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Kristi,
Thanks so much for featuring my drum table on your blog! I am thrilled!
Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage
August 29, 2012 at 6:18 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Great idea, Carrie! Love the raised stencil effect. The table looks terrific now.
Thanks for linking to Time Travel Thursday. Hope to see you again this week. Be sure to stop in tonight to see yourself featured.
Blessings,
Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage
Carrie
August 30, 2012 at 1:39 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks so much Liz! You totally made my day. I am honored to be featured this week.
All the best,
Carrie
Jeannie-JB
August 29, 2012 at 7:36 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Loved your table on Time Travel Thursday – so beautiful and I love the added detail of the raised stenciling. Following you on Pinterest! Great job.
Carrie
August 30, 2012 at 1:39 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Jeannie,
Thanks so much for stopping by and for the kind comments. I am off to check out your blog as well.
Take care,
Carrie
Nicole
August 30, 2012 at 6:55 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Wow, you completely transformed the table. I love the idea of the raised stencil. I’m gonna have to remember that. Thanks for linking up at Doodles & Stitches!
Carrie
August 30, 2012 at 1:40 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thank you Nicole!
sherry
September 13, 2012 at 6:31 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Beautiful work!
Carrie
September 14, 2012 at 10:57 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks so much for stopping by Sherry and for your kind comments!
Carrie