DIY Patio Table

After we got married, we decided to buy "adult" patio furniture. You know, to replace the fold up camping chairs that had previously perched on the back patio. It was the end of summer so there were a lot of sales going on, and Menards had a cute stone top patio table with 4 matching chairs for $500.  Sold.  Fast forward to four years later and the stone top was literally crumbling and falling apart.


Let me back up for a second and share a little background.  Ever since before my kids could walk, they loved playing in the sand.  I mentioned to my husband that we should get them a sandbox.  He promised to make one.  After quite some time passed I found a used one on marketplace and checked that off the list.  Did I mention he had already bought the wood for the sandbox but never got around to actually making it? Yeah.

So here is a picture of the crappy crumbling stone patio table.  See what I mean? Yuck. Even my kids noticed the mess of a table falling apart.  I decided that the base was in good shape and the chairs were good, we just really needed a new table top.  I removed the table top from the base and gave the base a quick scrub and fresh coat of paint.

The next step was to locate all of the "sandbox" wood to repurpose into a table top.

I cleaned off the dust and gave the wood a good sanding.  I then cut two smaller boards that were the same length as the table and attached it with two screws in each board.  This wood helps keep the table top in place and gives the base something to attach to.

After the base was dry, I attached it to the table top with a few screws.

That's it!  Maybe someday I will stain it but for now I'm liking it natural.  Please note, I am not claiming to be a carpenter and I know its not perfect and I could have framed it out and made it more "pretty" but I think its fine for now. Here is the final product:

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My go-to paint and finish for painting furniture

Let me start off by saying I have tried so many different brands of paint, so I have a lot of experience with different types of paint.  However, my background is business, not science so I can't speak to the chemical make up of each different type of paint, I'm going off my training and experience. Since there are so many different types of paints out there to choose from, which can be overwhelming, I'm going to focus on the General Finishes brand. General Finishes has a great line of water based paints, two of which is milk paint and chalk style paint.

What is General Finishes chalk style paint?  A casual, chalky interior matte paint to be used when you want a textured finish.  A topcoat is recommended with this paint as it is not self sealing.
Advantages: Fast drying, water cleanup, low odor, can be brushed or sprayed, easy to distress.




What is General Finishes milk paint?  A premium interior/exterior rated paint for furniture, cabinets and millwork.  Its mineral based paint named for its low-luster sheen, which mimics the look of old-world furniture paint.  It is not a powdered, casein-based milk paint like some might think, but a premixed modern version that is so durable it does not require a topcoat unless you want to change the sheen.
Advantages: Fast drying, water cleanup, low odor, can be brushed or sprayed, can be distressed, self-sealing.


My first choice for furniture painting is General Finishes Milk Paint.  It sprays so smoothly in my Fuji Paint Sprayer, and provides a nice finish. Even though milk paint is self sealing, I typically spray high performance topcoat in satin or semi gloss to provide even more durability.  Spraying the topcoat ensures that there are no brush strokes, and protects against wear and tear and even spills.


Speaking of topcoats, lets talk about one topcoat that I tried once but will never use again: wax.  Wax and chalk paint seem to go hand in hand, although I don't find any advantage to wax. First of all, the process of applying wax and buffing it is tedious and hard work.  This is why man invented tools (like a paint spray gun) to make our lives easier.  It takes me less than 5 minutes to put on one coat of high performance top coat with my spray gun, why would I choose anything else?  Also wax needs to be re-applied every couple of years, and since my furniture is usually sold to clients I don't want them to have to go through the torture of applying wax on their own every couple of years.  Wax also doesn't protect as well against heat (which is why it should never be used on kitchen  cabinets) or some spills, especially oil based spills.


Something else I never use on furniture: latex paint.  Its meant for WALLS, not furniture.  Even if you find a way to make it into "chalk" paint...at the end of the day, it is still latex paint.  Not to say I haven't done it because I tend to learn best from experience. There are some advantages to latex paint, like the wide variety of colors available and the low price, but you get what you pay for. I have also been tasked with refinishing furniture that was once latex painted.  It tends to gum up when being removed and often peels off in chunks with a stretchy feel to it.  This also makes it more difficult to distress, as the glue can be activated in latex paint so it kind of rolls up or comes off in chunks.  I'm not saying that it can't be used for furniture, I have done it in my own home as a learning experience on my own furniture.  Although latex paint should not be applied unless the proper steps are done to prep, which includes sanding and priming first.  Latex paint should also be sealed with a topcoat for durability, and even then latex paint is not as durable as milk paint or chalk style paint.


To recap, if you are attempting to paint furniture on your own, General Finishes milk paint is a great paint to try.  You can mix colors together (in the chalk style paint or milk paint) to customize. I'm not affiliated with General Finishes in any way, and they have not compensated me to blog about their products.  I'm a firm believer that if I feel strongly about something, I share it.


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