It's the fourth Thursday of February and you know what that means, it's the second month of Furniture Fixer-Uppers. I had been planning for weeks to share a fun and funky mid-century modern makeover with you today. The fabric was purchased, the prep was started and then BAM I got hit with a bug that knocked me flat off my feet. Determined not to miss this challenge, one sleepless night during a coughing fit I took my box of kleenex and pajama-clad body downstairs to look for something that would take the least amount of physical exertion to makeover. I had this set of Turned Leg Nesting Tables in the queue but I kept putting it off because I couldn't narrow down a paint color.

When you feel like you've been hit by a bus, it's amazing how quickly you can make a decision. My gut was saying green and so green it was.

Turned Leg Nesting Tables With Jacobean Floral Stenciled Tops

Here they are pulled open...


The paint finish is looking rather dull in these photos because I ran out of energy before taking the photos to apply a protective finish.

This is what the tables used to look like...


The plan was to take photos of each step to include in my tutorial but it took everything in me just to pick up a paintbrush, let alone a camera. Most of this makeover was done on a rolling mechanics stool - oh how I can't live without this gem in my workshop.

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Prepping for paint

I always have a bucket of warm water, rubber gloves, an old toothbrush, clean cloth, dish soap, and a bottle of liquid sander/deglosser at the ready to give these pieces a good scrub. You can see in the photo above there was paint splattered on the feet so I carefully removed it with a 3M scouring pad.
Because of the light glossy finish, I ran a medium grit sanding sponge over the wood to give the paint some bite. When using a mineral based chalk paint you don't necessarily have to do this step but I'd rather err on the side of caution.

It's hard to tell in the before photo but there were a lot of scratches on the top of the largest nesting table and so I filled those and sanded smooth once dry.

Painting the tables

I used mineral-based chalk paint by Dixie Belle Paint Company in the color Sea Glass, isn't it such a beautiful color? I applied it with a paintbrush and just love the self-leveling qualities of the paint. I like to dip just the tips of my brush in water and then the paint to achieve long smooth strokes before having to reload my brush. It only took two coats for full coverage.

Accenting with white paint

To break up all that green and add a little accent, I painted the grooves on the table skirts and feet using a large script liner art brush and white acrylic craft paint. I left the groove between the ball turned detail on the legs green because otherwise, it looked too whimsical.

Stenciling the top

I applied a Jacobean Floral stencil down the center horizontally across the top of each table using the same acrylic craft paint used to accent the grooves. I used a brush to apply the paint although a small foam roller would have been much quicker had my brain been functioning on all two cylinders.

I prefer using a swirling motion rather than dabbing motion when stenciling with a brush, offloading the excess paint onto a paper towel until my brush is almost dry.

I used Frog Delicate Surface Tape to hold the stencil onto the fairly fresh painted surface. Considering the paint was applied just mere hours before stenciling, I avoided using repositionable stencil spray adhesive.


I'm quite pleased with how these tables turned out, especially considering how sick I was. The color will be even deeper once I apply a clear coat satin finish.


Before I share more beauty shots, let's talk a little bit about the Furniture Fixer Uppers series.


It's a monthly series where six blogging friends, who have a passion for rescuing furniture that has seen it's better days, come together to bring you six furniture makeovers with tutorials and helpful tips. The goal is to inspire others to breath new life into dated furniture at a fraction of the cost of replacing it with something new.

If you missed our first challenge in January, I turned an old Mid-Century Modern Bookshelf into a Funky Bar.

Like the bar, my nesting tables were looking rather dated and beat up and not something you would want on display in your home. But they were in perfect working condition and would be a shame to end up in the landfill. With a little paint and some creativity, they were completely transformed and can be used for many years to come.


I'm quite pleased with how they turned out and I hope you like them too.


Are you as excited as I am to see how the talented gals in this group transformed these Fixer Uppers? We had a little chuckle over how two members picked the very same dresser without realizing it.

Let's head over to each of their blogs by pressing the links below...


You will find this project shared at these inspiring link parties.