I personally would not paint it. Maybe upholster the chair seats with a summery print and add a pretty centerpiece. Very nice looking table.

Lovely table! I'm afraid I'm with grandmaof3 on this one: I wouldn't paint that beautiful wood. I would re-upholster the chairs with a light patterned fabric.

What a beauty. Changing the seat fabric will update the look. I would not paint it; it's too pretty.

I had a table like that--that I had started to paint but never finished it...

That looks like it's in really nice condition. BUT I would paint it if that is the look you are going for.

Or at least try it out as is, live with it for awhile and then go from there.

Let me see if I can find my inspiration picture that made me want to paint mine--

I guess I'm the voice of insanity.

Paint It! Why not? And yes a pastel color would be nice and coastal. But, so would a bright fun color!

Did you see centsational girl's bamboo chest she painted peacock blue? I'll attach the link. Not saying you have to go blue, but I love the way traditional stuff can be made fun and up to date with paint.

Here is a link that might be useful: centsational girl's peacock blue chest

Ha, a tie...counting me.

The existing finish is worn in places. And there is a chip in the top. So I' m not wrecking a pristine piece. And that 70s black speckled finish now isn.t pretty or fun up close.

I want it to be more fun, beachy, casual... But not shabby cheezey. Maybe a robins egg blue or blue gray with some glazing? Or a milk paint and wax? A yellow? The shoebox condo has no window in the dining area, so a lighter look would be good. Otherwise that deeper blue would be nice.

Recommend any sites for inspiration or painting tutorials?

I'm with beekeeper......paint it! It'll look gorgeous and will be so unique.

If you've ever watched Sarah Richardson you know she transforms many pieces with paint. Yours will look just as lovely!

Beekeeper.....THANKS for that link! I'm now inspired to tacked some pieces I've become bored with.
I have the exact table shown on the blog except mine is weathered more than hers. It's solid teak and cost $$ years ago. Now I know what to do with it!

Here is a link that might be useful:

I need to slightly revise my response. From the picture, the wood looks really lovely and looks to be in perfect condition. If it is lovely and in great condition (and not just appearing that way in the picture), I'd try to avoid painting it. It looks so lovely and I am always sad to see beautiful wood pieces painted when they are in good condition. However, if the finish really isn't that lovely or it's not in great condition, I think the table would also look lovely painted. I'm not certain of your home style, but I would maybe do a pale blue or pale seafoam green. I like white, but a color could be really fun too.

I waste a lot of time reading blogs about painting furniture. Here are some I like:

http://whimsicalperspective.blogspot.com/2011/07/whimsical-makeover-buffet-edition-annie.html

http://thepaintedhive.blogspot.com/search/label/Furniture%20Rehab

http://relovedrubbish.blogspot.com/2011/06/rain-washed-blue-and-white-vintage.html

http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/search/label/Hand%20Painted%20Furniture

You get the idea. And you could get lost forever on the web clicking link after link as you go through everyone's blog and then all the blogs they suggest!!

Have fun.

I would leave it alone...and just recover the seats...but I think the bookmatching on the top is lovely. It looks like fruitwood to me. Hickory Chair is a VERY reputable/high-end company. That said...if you hate the wood, and the finish is worn...go ahead and paint it. The lines are lovely. (I might consider having it sprayed professionally, were I you. It really is a good set.)

melanie

That's a great-looking set.

What about chalk paint for it? Then recover the seats? I don't know if I would mess with the top even if it has a chip and maybe just paint the legs.

I have never seen DYI painted furniture that looks professional.....
If the top is really bad....may I suggest you paint just that and leave the legs alone....and upholster the chairs the same c9olor as the top...will make it look smaller in a small space.
Linda C

Paint, paint, paint! Even if the finish is in nice condition, if you don't like it then why should you have to live with it?

Thanks for the input. We are all over the map on this one, hey?

The set is lovely, but the finish reminds me of my MILs set, very 70s. Those little black dots spattered all over it bug me. And there is the chip and some dings here and there. I do want light and happy. Not serious.

My instinct is to strip and salvage the graining pattern on the top, repair it, and finish it in a richer less greenish and muddy tone without those speckles. Does fruitwood HAVE to be done in speckles? Yikes, could the wood itself have black speckles? I have no clue. Research!

For the rest I agree a bad paint job would be a crime. The pressure...

Soooooo, I went to Goodwill and picked up this number for $15 to practice on, (looks to be same era, same wood, same speckled finish, though looks much darker in left picture).

I am compelled to try accenting with an artist acrylic product DH and I use in painting paintings. Introduces a fascinating transparent layer, not exactly an irridescence but a little like that, sort of a sudden glint of pearlized blue or gold or silver that then disappears. I'll risk the coffee table for practice. A bonus if it comes out well. Good size and build, so it too just might then have a life at the condo - all being done on a very thin dime BTW.

We'll see. I have no clue about mixing layers, but am excited to experiment. I have many months to work at this since the condo is rented for now. Feels like fun.

not sure if you poked around her site further, but centsational girl has a whole tutorial on painting furniture.

Her stuff looks professional.

As you know, a great end product is only achieved from great prep. Take a look.

Here is a link that might be useful: paint tutorial

In one of those blogs listed above there was a table similiar to yours in color and style and they painted the apron and legs of the table black and recovered the seats. It is beautiful.

Here is a link that might be useful: blog

Celticmoon, where have you been? And paint baby paint!

While I am not a big fan of painting furniture I am starting to change my mind. Go to Miss Mustard Seed's blog. She has painted several tables like yours and they look great. I think a creme would look great in a Florida condo.

Thanks all!

Cooper, LOL, too busy with the real world... Tickled I am remembered.

You all, those blogs, wow. Just wow. So much cool stuff people are doing out there. The milk paint and chalk paint are so luminous. That settles it: Wood tone top and some sort of painted apron and legs. Can't wait to see if Golden's 'Blue Interference' can be part of the mix.

I grew up with fruitwood with the little black dots and I'm not a fan either. I'm for painting it too - but only if it can be done so that it doesn't resemble the table my SIL destroyed. She inherited not one, but two beautiful dining tables, one mahogany with a double pedestal the other cherry. She removed both pedestals, used a saw to cut the oval into a circle and then reattached one pedestal in the center of the round. Then she painted it with milk white wall paint without stripping or sanding the wood. It was so sad.

ow! Marie, that hurts just to read it.

After too much viewing, I am sure I do not want either stark white or a painted top

I do like a wood top

{{!gwi}} see what I mean by the leaf side looking funny/incomplete on some?

{{!gwi}}

but again, not the stark white bottom. So more like this

But in a clearer, more playful color tone like these pieces. Somewhere light blue to green to soft gray

And the more tables I look at, the more lucky I feel that the lines on mine are so lovely. I prefer mine to any of those above, especially because of the detailing and the unique oval size. Price was nice too, since the whole set was way less than just one chair on these sites.

Good to get the vision clearer. Better not screw this up, cause I don't think I'd ever find another set like it!

Oh, you could find another set like it...just not at that price point. ;^) I like the idea of repairing/refinishing the top and painting the bottom.

I went out at lunch today and popped into the local consignment shop. I was just mindlessly walking around and then I saw it. Annie Sloan's chalk paint. Never heard of it until I just read about it here, and then, there it was. I have to say it had that very "dry matte" feel to it. Kind of creeped me out, especially on the table top. Maybe the people who used it didn't wax enough. But there was another piece that was smoother.

I instantly thought of you and this table. So of course I came back and googled it.

Here is a link that might be useful: annie sloan

I have 3 qts of ASCP just waiting for me at home- aubusson blue, old white, and old ochre. also a can of dark wax and clear wax- hope to get to use them this weekend!!
There are some very fun colors that would look great in a beach house.

Cooperbailey, please post a thread on what your experience is this weekend!!! I'll watch for it.

I'm real undecided whether to go with the chalk paint or something else for the painted parts.