top of page

Grain Sack Side Table

When one of my fellow vendors at Morgantown Market brought this table into her booth, it caught my eye immediately. The shape of the legs and the scalloped details along the apron won me over and I scooped it up at a fabulous price!

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk PaintIf you look closely in the photo above, the table had a shiny glossy finish and it wobbled a bit from side to side, but it had the potential to look with a fresh coat of . Whenever I work on small side tables, I usually prefer to paint them in a light neutral color. I think they look best in various neutral tones, and they'll be more likely to compliment a wide range of color palettes in customers' homes. For this particular table, I picked one of my absolute favorite MMS Milk Paint colors - Grain Sack.

As you can read above, Grain Sack is a cool off-white that has some gray undertones. It's meant to mimic the color of faded antique European grain sacks, and it's a lovely color to paint.

Before I could begin painting, I had to do some prep work first. To address the wobble issue, I installed four L-shaped corner brackets underneath the top. They fixed the legs to the underside of the table top and gave it some much-needed stability. Then, I gave the entire surface a healthy scuffing with 100 grit sandpaper. The pre-existing finish was a thick poly, so I was going to need the help of Miss Mustard Seed's Bonding Agent in addition to a good sanding.

Bonding Agent is a milky white product that is mixed into MMS Milk Paint to help it bond with slick and shiny surfaces. It did a great job adhering the table and it took me two coats of Milk Paint to get the coverage I wanted. I used 400 grit sandpaper to smooth everything out, which is a big tip I have for anyone who may be struggling with getting a smooth finish with Milk Paint. Doing a finish sanding with a fine grit (such as 400, 320, or 220) will knock down any sediment that did not brush out and will leave you with a buttery soft surface. After my piece was smooth, I went back with a more aggressive grit of 150 to do some distressing. Much to my delight, I got some chipping in certain spots despite the use of the Bonding Agent.

For my topcoat, I went with Miss Mustard Seed's "Tough Coat". This water-based product is non-yellowing and is ideal for protecting high-traffic surfaces such as table tops.

I applied the Tough Coat with a foam applicator brush on the top, which ensured that I would not have any brush strokes. For the spindles and apron, I used a smaller artist's brush, which allowed me to get around all the curvy shapes and into tight corners with ease.

After allowing the table to dry for about an hour, I brought it upstairs from the workshop and staged it with some pieces I have in my "staging stash".

The faux boxwood wreath adds a nice touch of freshness, don't you think? If you like it, I have others that you can purchase from my booth at Morgantown Market for $44. I also have some of the faux air plants scattered around my booth as well if you'd like to pick one up. The clock was purchased from Painted Table Designs in Elverson, and I keep it in our family room when it's not being used as a staging prop.

The legs and bottom of this little table have the prettiest shape! I think it looks much better with a light paint color. The meandering curves of the apron make for the prettiest silhouette.

Isn't it darling?

This little table is currently available at Painted Table Designs if you're in the market for a piece like this. If you like the look, you can pick up some Grain Sack MMS Milk Paint and Tough Coat sealer from my display while you're visiting.

This table measures 24 inches wide, 16 inches deep, and 24 inches tall. You can contact Painted Table Designs directly for pricing by visiting in person or calling (484) 794-3787. They are conveniently located next to Morgantown Coffee House and two miles down the road from Morgantown Market and the PA Turnpike!

Here is the final before-and-after shot so you can see how far this little table has come.

As always, thanks for reading!

Recent Posts
Archives
Follow Me
  • Facebook Basic Square
  • Instagram Social Icon
bottom of page