Thursday, January 24, 2013

Grass Green Table with Crackle Finish



Hi everyone.  Sorry to have been MIA.  Christmas was wonderful, but then came sick kiddos and tax season.  So, I haven’t had a chance to blog in a bit.  I’ve been poking around blog land checking some of your projects out and drooling… And I’ve done a few of my own.  

Since Emerald Green has been named the Pantone color of the year for 2013, I thought I’d start painting a little more green.
 

Grass Green crackle table 1.jpg



Now, this isn’t exactly Emerald.  It’s what I’ll call a “grass green”. But Spring is on it’s way, and from the color palettes I’ve seen, all greens are game in this Pantone color of the year phenomenon.

There is quite a story to this little curvy end table.  I’ll try to make it short and sweet, but I want to tell you about the troubles and triumphs in case you ever encounter such things when buying thrift store items.

I don’t have a picture of this cute little table before I started working on it.  I had a good bit of scuffing and a few knicks on the top and a pretty deep scratch on the top left corner.  So I sanded and sanded until I felt I shouldn’t sand anymore.  I can’t tell you how I knew when to stop.  I just knew.  That’s just one of those things you have to do by trial and error.  This piece had some type of inlaid design on top, so I wasn’t 100% sure what was underneath.  Then I filled any scratches or gaps with wood filler and let it dry.


Scratched Thrift store table.jpg




After the wood filler dried.  I lightly sanded that part with 220 sandpaper to make it smooth to the touch.  It felt totally smooth.  So, I took my homemade “grass green” chalk paint and went to town painting this little beauty.


As it dried, I saw this:


scratch on painted table.jpg

                                                                      (sorry for the glare- cell phone picture)



Ugghh… the green was so pretty, but the scratch was so obvious!  It reminded me of that L- shaped scratch on Mrs. Leefolt’s dining room table in “The Help”.  It IS one of my favorite books/movies ever!  I even wrote a post about it – remember?  Well, I didn’t want to think of Mrs. Leefolt when I looked at my beautiful table! 

So, I wracked my brain for a solution.  And Tip Junkie came to the rescue.  I used this tutorial featured on Tip Junkie to create a crackle finish using Elmer's glue. 

I bravely brushed on a coat of watered down Elmer's School glue over my freshly painted grass green table top.  It was SCARY!  










While the glue was still tacky, I painted another coat of my grass green homemade chalk paint over it.  Again, scary.



But after it dried, it was a wonderful thing!  It hid Mrs. Leefolt’s scratch and those few knicks perfectly!









I left the table overnight to be sure everything was totally dry.  I then sanded just the edges of the table and the base, drawers, and legs as usual.  I waxed them with Annie Sloan's clear wax to seal the finish.


It turned out beautiful, and no one had to know about the scratch.  Hopefully, they’ll just think I’m uber-creative. Ha!










Sometimes the greatest projects come from a little trial and error!
 


Linking up at these fabulous parties:
Inspiration Gallery Link Party, Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed, 
Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring   Weekend Bloggy Reading Linkup
 

13 click here to comment:

Jaime Lyn

What a sweet table! And you just reminded me that I need to watch the Help! I love the new technique that you tried! Score! It turned out great!
Jaime

Unknown

Soo cute. I have never heard of that technique? I'll have to try it some time! Thanks for the lovely post, you have gained a new follower!

Shannon Fox

I love that movie too and have watched it several times. I love the character played by Jessica Chastain. She nailed that. I really rooted for her! The table is Spring ready :) Great hide with the crackle!

Art and Sand

Thanks so much for the tip on crackling. I have wanted to do some crackling, but had no idea how.

Linda@Coastal Charm

Kim,
Thanks for sharing that awesome tip...I'm sure it will come in handy. Your litle green table is a cutie!!

Blessings,
Linda

Unknown

Thanks so much for the tip on crackling. I have wanted to do some crackling, but had no idea how.
residential painting rowlett tx

Youaretalkingtoomuch.com

What a great transformation!!!! Pinning and sharing. Love the color! Can't wait to see more! XOXO Reb

Debbiedoos

Oh that is so happy Kim. I love this shade of green too. A happy accident indeed!

Priscilla

I love what you did to the table!! When things like the 'scratch' happens, it is usually what we need to get the creative juices flowing.

Leslie Anne Tarabella

I can't believe I've never seen this glue trick, since I used to be a Kindergarten teacher - glue expert! It really turned out awesome!

New follower, and I'm so glad I found you from you visiting my "Linda" post! Thanks so much!

Yvonne @ StoneGable

Kim your table is fabulous and what a statement! I like your thinking and problem solving! The crackle top give your piece a whole lot of interest!

Savannah Granny

Love the tip about the Elmer's glue.
Hugs, Ginger

Savannah Granny

Thanks for the tip about the Elmer's Glue. Hugs, Ginger