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Hi. We are looking to give our tired dining table a Hampton style makeover. We'd appreciate any advice on:
1) What best waterbased primer and paint to use for the skirt & legs?
2) Your thoughts on clear varnish versus a very slight grey stain on the tabletop.
3) do we need a sealant over the stain to ensure longevity on all parts of the table. This is of course a highly used part of the dining area - my family loves to gather around the dining table!
The photo I attached will show what the table looks like now and what we are trying to achieve. Appreciate any advise.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @MP2020. It's fabulous to have you join us and many thanks for your questions.
Our range of Rust-Oleum chalked paints has a massive following from the furniture makeover community and would be fantastic on the legs and surround. It would perfectly complement your Hampton style makeover and can be protected with Rust-Oleum 887ml Matt Clear Chalked Protective Topcoat. Alternatively, if you just wanted a paint for the legs and surround then Dulux Aquanamel would be a great hard-wearing finish. Both of these ranges would perform well over Rust-Oleum Zinsser 3.78L Bulls Eye Primer Undercoat Sealer and Stain Blocker.
I believe either a clear varnish or grey stain would look attractive. From your inspiration image, it appears that they are using some type of matt finish on the bare timber or a very slight grey stain. If you don't use some type of sealer on the tabletop you'll find food stains/liquid will penetrate the surface and you won't be able to remove them easily. For a matt finish option, you might like to have a look at Cabot's 1L Water Based Matt Cabothane Clear Polyurethane Varnish.
You should find this step-by-step tutorial helpful: How to paint over varnished timber.
Let me mention @Tara86, @prettyliving and @marikaknows to see if they have any suggestions for your project.
Please let me know if you need further assistance or had any questions.
Mitchell
Thank you, Mitchell. This is most helpful.
This is my grey stain inspiration (see photo). The blog showed grey washing then coated with Polycrylic protective finish. Is this the same as the Polyurethane Varnishes? What can you recommend that's great for grey wash? Thanks again.
Hi @MP2020,
I've investigated as to what the difference is between Polycrylic and water-based polyurethane. Polycrylic could potentially be a product name, similar to Cabot's calling theirs Cabothane. I can't find any definitive answer as to their difference. I have found some reference as to Polycrylic being just a standard water-based urethane the same as Cabot's 1L Water Based Matt Cabothane Clear Polyurethane Varnish. Essentially it is a polyurethane product but in a waterbased form. Hence the name Poly-Crylic or Polyurethane-Acrylic
As far as I'm aware you can't source the product named Polycrylic within Australia and a waterbased polyurethane like the Cabot's product would be a suitable alternative.
For a grey stain, you might like to look at the Cabots interior water-based stains. There's a liming white which might achieve the look you are going for. I'd always recommend a test section of the stain on an inconspicuous section underneath the tabletop first before applying it.
Let me mention a few knowledgable woodworkers @Poppop, @r23on and @woodenwookie to see if they have heard of Polycrylic or knew if it was just a standard water-based polyurethane.
Mitchell
I’ve used liming white on timber furniture before and it turned out pretty much exactly like your inspo pic. The one I used was was a stain & varnish so I didn’t need a clear coat but you can also buy it just as the stain and then put whatever clear coat you wanted on top.
