Confession: I’ve kind of got a thing for a great side table. Having a proper place on which to set my coffee mug or book is important for a cozy home. There are few things more disappointing than sitting down with a cuppa and realizing there is nowhere for me to set my yummy goodness. Mr. 1915 gives me a hard time about all my side tables sprinkled throughout the house.
Recently, on a whim, I stopped by a local garage sale and found this little side table for just $2. It’s not fancy at all – in fact, it’s really nothing more than a 12″ tile placed on a piece of plywood and screwed into a pretty base with legs. But again…for only two dollars this little jewel had to come home with me.
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Side Table Beginnings
As you can see, there’s nothing really wrong with my side table “before”. It just needed a quick refresh.
So it sat on our back porch, near a rocking chair and served us well there for a couple months. Then, not too long ago, my friends Leanne and Terri over at Diva of DIY offered to send a bunch of their blogger friends some samples of their new Diva of DIY’s Chalk Mix for paint. This special powder transforms any latex paint or craft paint into chalk style paint. Seriously. Just paint, some Chalk Mix powder and a little water and you’ve got some great chalk-type paint on hand. And for a *fraction* of the cost of some of the big name brands. Hallelujah!
It didn’t take me long to decide on the color I would use. I chose white. Of course. (Please act surprised) 🙂
Mixing up Paint for the Side Table
*I received a free sample of Diva of DIY’s Chalk Mix for Paint in exchange for my honest review of her product. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
The Diva’s Chalk Mix for paint came with simple mixing instructions:
- 1 cup latex paint (flat, eggshell or satin is recommended)
- 4 Tbs. Chalk Mix
- 2 Tbs. hot water
As with any homemade chalk mix, you need to mix it well before adjusting the consistency. You can make the paint thinner or thicker, according to your liking and the project that you’re working on.
I’ll say right now that I wasn’t sure how far this paint would go, which is why I chose this tiny side table. Let me tell you…I could have chosen a much bigger piece! This paint goes a long way.
And no, in case you’re wondering, I didn’t do any prep. Of any sort. At all. I wanted to see if this paint would adhere as well as other chalk-type paints that I’ve used.
After I mixed up a small portion of the paint mix using plain old acrylic craft paint in my fancy-schmancy little container, I grabbed my favorite brush and went to town! The paint went on quickly and dried really fast (within 30 minutes!). This is why you can transform a little table like this in under 2 hours. I love fast and easy projects. 😉
Painted Side Table
The Chalk Mix paint covered really well! It adhered to the table well and was very forgiving. Forgiving paint is always a good thing. It did take two coats, but I was going over really dark wood, so I knew it would.
Here’s the side table with my painted velvet chair and my thrifted chalkboard.
Remember the fiasco with my kitchen cabinets? Well, I’m delighted to report that I had no such issues with Diva’s Chalk Mix paint! No bleed through. No hassle. Great coverage.
It is recommended that if you’re going to distress, that it should be done on the same day, for easier distressing. Well, life being what it is, and me trying to squeeze in all the fun things with my four boys this summer, my table sat for two days.
I was still able to distress it successfully, but I did have to use a little elbow grease. No worries though. I love how it turned out and it now stands ready to hold a favorite book and a cup of coffee.
Don’t forget to pin for later!
I’d love to hear about your favorite thrifted find – tell me about it in the comments! I can’t wait to hear of the great deals you’ve found…and be sure to check out these great projects done by some of my friends – all using Diva’s Chalk Mix!
I can’t believe this was only $2, you made it look like it’s worth wayyyy more! I absolutely love this, and I’m super jealous your brush looks like that. Clearly I need to take better care of mine because it doesn’t look that good!
Thank you, Alysha! I love finding good deals!
About the brush…LOL! My paint brushes are one of the few things I’m really particular about. I buy the best brushes I can find and I take care of them like they’re my children. 😀 A good brush, well taken care of will last most of a lifetime. It is one of the few things I splurge on. 😉
Thanks for the sweet comments! <3
It is amazing how a side table can look completely different with a little makeover!! That is just fabulous!! I have a side table fettish too…the only ones that match in our house are the ones in the bedrooms, lol!!
Yay for all the side tables! 😉 😀 Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. 🙂
That is such a pretty table. What a steal for $2! And love the new life it got!! Great job!
Thank you Anika! You’re such a dear – 🙂
Very nice. And you can’t beat a $2.00 price tag. The table has nice lines and looks great.
Thank you, Debra! I’m so glad you like it. 🙂
That’s the most perfect $2.00 table I’ve ever seen. It’s totally awesome. And I share your feddish for side tables scattered about. If you find another one, call me…. LOL… Ok. Don’t worry about finding a table….LOL…just call. 🙂 XOXO Susie from The Chelea Project
Susie, you crack me up! 😀 Side tables are the best, aren’t they?! 😉 I’m so glad you liked this one…
Loving the new look of this little table! It was great before, but now it has style and character. What a great project
Thanks, Heather! I’m so glad you like it – 🙂
What a find! Changing the base color took this table from dated to delightful! Can you imagine having to pay $40 to paint this little $2 piece? This type of project is exactly why we created this mix! Thank you for participating in the Diva of DIY Chalk Mix Challenge!
I would never pay that much $$ for a small pot of paint. 😉 Your mix was great and so easy to use! Thanks again, Terri! <3
Your little side table looks great! I’m addicted to white paint too, although I finally branched out to dark gray for my latest project (it’s still not a real color, but it’s progress!)
Lol! I totally count dark grey as a “color”, too! 😉 😀 Thanks so much for the sweet comment, Vineta – 🙂
I love this little table! It is so very important to have a place to set your coffee mug 🙂 Oh how I wish I had room for more little tables in my tiny house.
I love the paint, I have a ton left after doing two coats on my table. Now I need to find more things to paint with it.
Yay for leftover paint, Toni! 😀 With all your fun projects, I have no doubt that you’ll find a fun new project on which to use your leftover paint. Good luck!
Bravo girlfriend! Who cares about the top, because that pedestal it sits upon is amazing. It’s the perfect height for a chair side table.
I LOVE it!
Thank you, Lisa! I’m so glad you like it- for $2, I figured I couldn’t go wrong. 😀