Robert Hayes
We originally purchased it from Pottery Barn, so while I still liked the square size and classic lines, the top was scratched and worn and the edges were even chipped in places. My style has evolved from dark, brown, cherry-esque stain that the table came with, I wanted to try a gray/farmhouse-like finish on it that would update it to my current lighter taste.
I have never been afraid to throw on a coat of paint to update a furniture piece but honestly, I wasn’t sure how changing out the stain would go when I started this project.
I did some research online as to the best way to achieve the gray, weathered ‘Restoration Hardware’ look I was hoping for, I found it to be fairly simple, the key was just in using the right products.
I grabbed a random ‘gray’ stain off the shelves at Home Depot instead of the Rustoleum one I’d read that was recommended for the project. It failed completely, giving me a patchy and pale color, so be sure to take my advice and purchase Rustoleum’s Weathered Gray Stain to do something like this.
It seemed crazy to me to restain my table back essentially to the brownish color similar to what it started with when it came from Pottery Barn, but the gray didn’t show up correctly without this first. Another tip is to always lift your furniture up when refinishing, I use small blocks leftover from when my kids were little, but that way you can paint all the way to the very bottom of the feet/legs.
So far it has held up great, I constantly pick up abandoned drinks and we haven’t had any trouble with a condensation rings at all. If you make a purchase after clicking on these links, we will earn a small commission, which helps to keep our content free.
