How To Create a Woodgrain Finish with Paint: Table & Chairs Makeover
Create a woodgrain finish using only paint, a simple way to makeover your table and chairs without sanding
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Who doesn’t love a good furniture makeover, something about taking an outdated piece and giving it new life makes my soul happy.
There is a part I dread though, sanding…
I loathe sanding, it takes forever, it’s messy, and the mask makes my face sweaty 😅
But I love a woodgrain finish so sanding wasn’t optional, until I found a paint that would create the finish I wanted, no sanding required!
I used Retique It countertop paint when I made over my parents laminate kitchen countertops and was super impressed with how natural the woodgrain looked & felt.
So I thought I would give their tabletop kit a try on this gorgeous table and chair set I found on FaceBook Marketplace.
It has so much character and charm, plus It is the perfect size for our newly added breakfast nook!
The table is damaged on one corner but because we are using paint & not regular stain, this won’t be a problem!
Plus the Retique It Tabletop Kit will give me a real wood finish right over the old finish so no sacrificing the gorgeous wood grain look.
How To Create a Woodgrain Finish with Paint: Table & Chairs Makeover
Supplies:
- Retique It Wood’ n Finish Tabletop Kit (we used Walnut)
- Retique It Ultratique (we used Alabaster)
- Wood Graining Tool
- Wood Filler
Prepping The Table
I started by repairing the damaged spots on the tabletop using wood filler.
After the wood filler dried I lightly sanded the area & shaped the filler to match the rest of the corners.
Once that was taken care of, I started prepping the table.
Mix 1 part rubbing alcohol with 1 part water and wipe down the entire table.
This table had a glossy finish on it, so I used 120 grit sandpaper to lightly scuff it up and give it tooth.
Priming The Table
Now that the table is prepped and ready it’s time to prime it!
I used the Retique It Wood’ N Primer to prime the entire tabletop.
It’s a high coverage primer and contains 60% of wood fibers.
I applied two coats with a flat brush and let it dry completely before moving on.
Adding the Woodgrain
This is the fun part, adding the woodgrain!
The Wood’ N Stain is the newest technology of gel stain that actually contains wood fibers.
Apply a thin layer of the stain with a flat brush.
While the Wood’N Stain is still wet, run the wood grain tool through the stain in the direction of the natural wood grain.
I like to work in small sections because it dries very quickly (to speed up drying you could also use a blowdryer)!
Applying The Stain
Once the grain portion is dry, add the last layers of stain.
Use the same Retique It Wood’N Stain you used for the graining, brushing it on with a flat brush.
This is the difference one layer of stain makes:
You can do multiple coats of Wood’N Stain, with each coat the color will get darker, we went with two coats total.
Sealing the Table
The Retique It Tabletop kit also includes a sealer to protect the finish.
I applied two coats total moving in the direction of the grain.
The best part of this sealer is that it won’t yellow the finish like most sealers do!
Painting The Base and Chairs
Now that the tabletop portion is complete, I moved onto the base & chairs.
We went with Retique It Ultratique paint in Alabaster.
This paint contains a built-in primer and sealer so we could get right to painting without any extra prep.
The coverage is really great, I only had to use two coats.
I used the same color on the chairs too.
Recovering The Chairs (no sew)
The chairs’ fabric seats were stained and not really the look I was going for, so I decided to replace them.
This plum fabric is from Walmart and it’s the perfect rich contrast for the Alabaster chairs!
I laid it out and cut it down to size, then attached it around the cushion and wood base using staples.
This is the method I use for most of my recovering projects because I can’t sew 😅
Table & Chairs Makeover Reveal
Y’all this table and chairs makeover came out even better than I thought it would!
I am in deep love with the Walnut woodgrain finish on the tabletop.
It looks and feels like real wood because the Retique It primer and stain have over 60% real recycled wood fibers in it, no-one would know it’s paint and that I got to skip the long sanding process!
The Alabaster compliments the Walnut wood grain really well and I big puffy heart love the matte chalk finish.
Our little breakfast nook it almost complete, next up we need a cushion for the built-in bench!
