How to Reinvent a Side Table for Your Plant with Milk Paint

As the sun peeps through the rain clouds it seems like a good time to revisit a furniture makeover project which helped me get my feet wet in small furniture restoration projects.

Showing off the plants

I am always looking for new ways to display plants. Ways which will enhance all their amazing features and do justice to their particular shapes and leaf structure.

When preparing for a bigger project it is good to revisit past projects and see what went well, and what didn’t go so well on your with the last attempt.

The side table was purchased from a church thrift store. Even though I purchased the piece I made a mental note to not return to the store as the overall prices for the donated items seemed to be increasingly inflated each time I visited. Given that the Canadian dollar is not the best, and thrifting is supposed to be a win win for all parties, especially as a place to shop for people who do not have much disposable income. From watching American thrifters, it seems that exceptional bargains can be found south of the border when compared to Canadians.

For this drop leaf side table I wanted to keep it simple. The wood is good and I just wanted a hint of modern. The idea was to paint only the top. It came down to a choice of Milk or Chalk paint. Milk won out because it was an unknown, and seemed clean and easy to work with.

Preparing for Milk paint

For this project I used Homestead House Milk Paint in Homestead Grey. This is a Canadian Company. It had great reviews and lovely colours to choose from. I do have an affiliate link with the company, and my views are based on how well the product performed.

Have the following handy for your project:

• Gloves
• Jar to mix the paint in
• Small wire whisk
• Lint free cloth
• Gentle wood cleaner
• Sandpaper
• Bees Wax or Tung Oil
• Soft paint brush

First, I cleaned the piece with wood soap and a lint free cloth. I recommend wearing gloves when working with any kind of cleaners or paint.

Then, I lightly sanded the area to be painted. If you do this make sure you check to see if the area you are about to sand is solid wood or has a thin overlay veneer over particle board.

Luckily mine is solid wood, so I sanded enough to remove the old stain and also to open up the grain to receive the milk paint.

The milk paint comes in powder form with clear instructions on the package for mixing. One just has to mix according to the instructions. Mix the powder in a jar with water. Be sure to whisk thoroughly to remove any lumps, then take your brush and apply applications along the grain. Depending on the look you want, allow it to dry between applications so you can get a better sense of the colour grade.

Finish

It does look simple and the classic grey colour allows it to retain much of its classical features. Once it is painted and allowed to dry, it’s time to coat it to seal and protect. Milk paint is usually sealed with a coat of beeswax, you can also use hemp oil, but I found the beeswax adequate. This gives it the historical look of the old homestead paint before modern textures arrived.

The completed project is now the perfect home for a unique shaped green foliage in a simple pot. The result was an updated classic side table, and the first of many adventures in the restore, reuse, and update unique plant placement pieces.

Complete the look

Of course, the look would not be complete without the plant. The lucky plant is a Philodendron hederaceum, the heartleaf philodendron. It gives a clean classic warmth to the space without being overwhelming.

Time to try your own project. Remember, enjoy the journey to your own creativity.