French Twist- Giving a Table a Vintage French Look!
I am tickled to be writing a guest post for Remodelaholic! Thank you, Cassity, for asking me. I write a little blog called Red Hen Home. Why “Red Hen”? Well, my husband thinks I have a little bit of a “red hen” complex–that is, I have a “Well, then I’ll do it MYSELF!” kind of attitude.
I started blogging close to a year ago so I would have someone to share my little projects (mostly furniture, a little decorating, and even sometimes…knitting) with…my husband tries, but he just isn’t able to generate a lot of enthusiasm for my obsession! I have a definite love for typography…letters, numbers, symbols, whatever! When I saw a beautiful piece of clip art at The Graphics Fairy, I used it to turn this table into a beautiful vintage french table!
I found this little table at Deseret Industries (that’s Utah’s “Goodwill”). It was only $5! Do you see those legs?? I love that barley twist!
Oh…here’s why it’s only $5…the finish on the top is shot, and one of the planks is completely unglued. I couldn’t be happier!
The first order of business was to sand down the table top to remove the old finish–but I didn’t worry about any dings or scratches. That’s just character! I re-glued the plank back with it’s brothers. This is the first time Liquid Nails has failed me. Gorilla Glue came to the rescue!
Then I spent a happy couple of hours searching for just the right graphic at the Graphics Fairy again. This is the one I chose.
And no, I have no idea what it means! I even tried an on-line translator, and all I can tell you is that it may have something to do with hardware, and the last line says “of all kinds & all styles.” Works for me! After printing my image, I took it to Office Max and had it copied onto overhead transparency film. Using a borrowed overhead projector, I set up shop on my kitchen floor after my little ones had been sent to bed!
A smart person, a wiser person, a less-impatient person, would have figured out how to raise this setup off of the floor after the first table. I…am not that person. So I planted myself on the floor with my little bottle of acrylic paint and a brush, and spent the next couple of hours in all sorts of contortions on the floor.
It’s another sign of impatience that I painted with the clamps still on! Here’s the initial result:
Next day I painted the bottom with Sherwin Williams Creamy paint, distressed the black lettering on top of the table, and applied a coat of Minwax Antique Walnut with an old rag.
Later I distressed the paint and glazed the table legs with Minwax Jacobean stain. And here’s what it looks like now!
I moved the table into my front room to get some additional shots. I have two arm chairs in there with one of the first tables I ever painted in between them (painted in the days before I knew about distressing or glazing). I moved the old table (that looks newer) out, and put the new table (that looks older) in…
Cassity Kmetzsch started Remodelaholic after graduating from Utah State University with a degree in Interior Design. Remodelaholic is the place to share her love for knocking out walls, and building everything back up again to not only add function but beauty to her home. Together with her husband Justin, they have remodeled 6 homes and are working on a seventh. She is a mother of four amazing girls. Making a house a home is her favorite hobby.
Wow! What a great table… I am impressed. I have to say I don’t know if I would have the patience to paint the words out.
I love your table! Roughly translated it means : Window latches, split-hinges and door handles of all genres and styles, or of all shapes and sizes. 🙂
I love this! I’m really wanting to try something like this to jazz up my old china hutch. My question is this: How do you get crisp lettering? I know a steady hand makes a huge difference, but is there a particular type of brush that you prefer? And do you thin the paint at all?
Hi Rebecca! This post is from a guest, so if you’ll click over to her site (linked toward the top) then she can give you details about her technique! Thanks!