One of my favorite furniture finds – and one of my favorite projects – this dining table makeover – came about while hunting for pieces that would give our new home the French country character I loved. While our house was being built, I found this dining table and chairs for just $60 in an online listing. I loved the shape immediately and it was exactly what I was looking for – the cabriole legs, carved details and oval top had all the character I wanted. But the chair upholstery and glossy traditional finish weren’t quite right for my home.
So naturally, I painted it.
And then I painted it again.
And eventually….I stained it.
That’s the thing about decorating a home over time: sometimes the first makeover isn’t the last one. Your taste changes, the room changes, and occasionally you realize that the piece you already own doesn’t need replacing – it just needs another chance.
Now, here’s how I did it. I bought some regular toile du jouy fabric (not upholstery fabric) for the chairs and simply unscrewed each seat base, cut the fabric to size with plenty to overlap and stapled it to the back of each seat base.
Dining Table Makeover #1 – Paint and Toile
For the paint, I used Waverly chalk paint in “Cashew” for the base, and “Elephant” for the top (makeover #1). I used Minwax dark finishing paste to protect the paint and give it an aged, distressed look, and sprayed ample amounts of scotch guard on the seats. This was a 2020 project and here in 2026, there are zero stains on the seats!
Dining Table Makeover #2 – The Aged Look
I decided to lighten up the top and give it an “aged” appearance. I used Waverly chalk paint in “Mineral” to achieve the lighter color, then added Minwax dark finishing wax to give it some age and dimension.
Dining Table Makeover #3 – Back to Wood Tones
At this point in my decorating life, I was transitioning to more wood tones. So, I decided to use some Minwax gel stain (that we already had from other projects) in Walnut for the top. I left the base and chairs alone because I really like the creamy, almost buttery tone of Waverly “Cashew” chalk paint (as you will eventually see I have used it on many other furniture pieces in my home).
Now here’s where you may ask “she did whaaaaat?” I took my favorite natural bristle paint brush and, using a dry-brush technique, applied the gel stain right over the painted top – without stripping or sanding a lick of paint! If you don’t already know, dry painting or brushing is essentially a technique where you use a nearly dry brush with very little paint (or stain, in this case). I used long strokes, and accidentally created a sort of wood grain texture. That was completely by accident, I just wanted to give it something different. After it dried, (it took about three days) I added three coats of satin Minwax polyurethane.
And that’s it. From the hunt and the $60 bargain to multiple transformations, we’re still using the same table and chairs, six years later. I’d say we’ve gotten our money’s worth.
Love a good furniture find? You might also like my $120 vintage hutch that barely needed a makeover.
For the original makeover, I used Waverly chalk paint in Cashew and Elephant. Unfortunately, those particular paints are no longer available on Amazon, but I’ve linked the other products I used below.
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- Strong fabric protection repels spills for easier cleanup
- Ideal for household items like upholstery, curtains, pillows, table linens, backpacks, luggage and more
- Perfect for use on clothing like shirts, dresses, silk ties, suits, outerwear, canvas shoes and more
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