Are you wanting to give your home a fresh look for summer but don’t know where to start? While there are many ways to decorate for summer, I love to go back to a simple farmhouse-style look after I take down my patriotic decor. Today, I want to share a few of my favorite ways to decorate for summer.
1. Buffalo Check
Black and white buffalo check is one of my favorite prints to decorate with! While it isn’t for everyone, I love to use it throughout the year. I love that it’s so versatile and it gives off that rustic farmhouse feel. I like to use black and white buffalo check with neutrals and greenery during the summer as a way to add dimension. It’s such a fun pattern!
I used these thrifted buffalo check pillows on my church pew.I added black and white buffalo check to my coffee bar.I used a buffalo check table runner and napkins for my table setting.
2. Greenery
I love to add a lot of greenery around the house during summer. It’s the time of year where things outside are naturally green and bringing it inside breathes life into your space. I like to use a mix of real and faux greenery. One of my favorite things to do is clip greenery stems from overgrowth in my backyard and put them in a vase inside as free decor!
Backyard overgrowth makes great decor!Bonus: It’s free!This greenery looks so real and goes 50% off every other week at Hobby Lobby!
3. Lemons
While I didn’t use any lemons in my decor this year, I think it’s such a cute summer decorating idea! The yellow of the lemons brings in the brightness of summertime. These ladies below did a fantastic job using lemons to decorate for summer!
While I love to use whites and neutrals all year, I think they work especially well in the summer. I think neutrals give off an instant cozy vibe and look so bright and inviting. Summer is full of sunny days, so using whites and neutrals brings that brightness inside.
Cozy neutral furniture and white pillows bring in the brightness of summer.I love white furniture and dishes!
I hope I’ve given you some simple ways you can add summer farmhouse style to your home! For more home decor inspiration, please follow me @faith.and.farmhouse on Instagram. Thanks for reading!
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. All opinions remain my own.
I’ve had quite a few questions recently on how I added sharpie shiplap to a few walls in our house. I thought I should write a quick blog post explaining how simple it is to do.
I love the look of shiplap but didn’t want to nail actual boards to the wall, just in case I ever grow old of the style or if we ever move and the next owners don’t like the farmhouse look as much as I do. Sharpie shiplap is such a cheap way to give the illusion of real shiplap and is much easier to install. Hopefully, I can help you recreate the look of shiplap for a fraction of the cost in your own home!
Sharpie shiplap in our master bedroom
Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
The first step in sharpie shiplap is to gather the supplies you will need. The things I used were: white interior wall paint, a wooden yard stick, a 4 foot long level with a straight edge (I found mine at Menards), and these Sharpie Paint Pens in Black from Amazon. The paint pens come in a pack of three and I only went through one pen for an entire room. They really go a long way!
Step 2: Paint the Walls White
The next step in sharpie shiplap is to paint the wall or walls that you want shiplapped white. I used a cheap, base paint that took way too many coats that I don’t recommend and won’t use again. I suggest getting a gallon of higher quality interior paint and having it tinted the white you want. We painted the exterior of our home in Sherwin Williams Pure White and I think that a bright, crisp white like that would be perfect for shiplap. The finish is up to you, but satin is what I tend to use most. Let the paint dry thoroughly before moving on to the next step.
The wall in our living room before we painted it white and added “shiplap”
Step 3: Measure Out the Lines
Starting at the top of the wall along a corner or edge, measure using a yard stick and make marks where you want your shiplap lines to be. I measured 6” down each time, to make my shiplap look like it had the width of 6”. You could do wider widths if you’d like but I wouldn’t recommend any smaller. The 6” marks also equal out nicely if you have 8” ceilings. You’ll want to start at the top so that any smaller widths would be at the bottom of the wall and less noticeable.
Drawing the sharpie shiplap lines in our living room
Step 4: Draw the Lines
Using a straight-edge level, begin drawing your lines with your Sharpie paint pen. Make sure that each line you draw is straight and level. I think it is easier to get the start of each line first along a corner or edge and then continuing each line. You will make mistakes and on occasion the level may slip. Don’t worry, you can always just paint right over the mistake! If you are doing multiple walls that connect at a corner, just continue drawing the lines around the room connecting the lines. Be careful to draw straight and level lines if you’re doing an entire room as you don’t want the last wall to not line up at the corners. Work your way across the wall until all lines are drawn.
Sharpie shiplap in my daughter’s room
That’s it! Its such a simple project that gets easier the more you do it and is so affordable! I’ve “shiplapped” in three different rooms in my house for the cost of paint and the pack of paint pens!
Here are a few shots of sharpie shiplap in our home!
Before and After- Master Bedroom
Before and After- Living Room
Thank you for reading! I hope this helps somewhat if you want to add sharpie shiplap to your own home. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions and be sure to follow me @faith.and.farmhouse on Instagram for more home decor inspiration! God bless!
Happy July! It’s so hard to believe that it’s already July. I’m due August 2nd, so it’s very probable that this may be baby month!
This year, I wanted to add patriotic touches around the house by adding simple, farmhouse-style Fourth of July decor. Honestly, I think that decorating for the Fourth is the simplest holiday to decorate for. You can simply add American flags around the house and you’re done!
The only thing I bought this year were a few flags from the Target dollar spot to use for my tablescape. I was inspired by a patriotic tablescape by Liz Marie Galvan and decided to try to create something similar.
I added $1 large flags from the Target dollar spot in $2 clearance vases from Old Time Pottery as a centerpiece. Later on, I added a clearance greenery garland from Hobby Lobby. For the place settings, I used galvanized chargers from Hobby Lobby, white plates from the Dollar Tree, white clearance napkins from Target, and wood napkin rings from Christmas Tree Shops. The little flags came in a pack of 3 for $1 in the dollar spot at Target and the greenery sprigs I pulled out of the garland.
I also added some small American flags placed in glasses to the shelf in my living room, along with another $5 clearance Hobby Lobby garland.
I used my white Ikea pillows and a small flag pillow that I found last year at the Target dollar spot on the sofa in the living room.
Above my church pew in my entryway, I draped an old, weathered American flag. I used white Ikea pillows and an “Amazing Grace” pillow cover from Hobby Lobby that I got a while back for only $6.
I also hung a small flag from a hook in my kitchen next to a Rae Dunn Home Sweet Home sign.
For my coffee bar, I brought out my two Rae Dunn USA mugs. I also added a $3 banner that I found at the Target dollar spot last year and a pack of red, white and blue paper straws from the Dollar Tree.
That’s all! It’s so simple to decorate for July 4th! I love that you can add a few American flags and it instantly feels like summer. If you’ve never decorated for the Fourth of July, I encourage you to. I usually decorate with mostly neutrals, but adding a pop of red and blue is such a nice change. I’ll be sad to take it down, but I’m already looking forward to decorating for fall!
I hope I’ve given you some affordable ways to add Fourth of July farmhouse-style to your home. Thanks for reading and God bless!
My name is Krista and I’m a recovering Rae Dunn collector.
While for many, it can become an addiction, thankfully I never got “that” obsessed with this sought after pottery. Unfortunately, I’ve heard stories of people grabbing mugs out of other peoples’ hands and other craziness and drama that is absolutely crazy! For me, I just like the look of it and it can be a fun thing to look for on occasion. When you find a piece you’ve been hoping to find to use to decorate, it can be so exciting! But be warned, collecting could become an addiction if you let it and that is just not what God wants for your life. Material things should be just that, things.
I first started eyeing this simplistic, cream-colored pottery in 2018, right after we moved into our first home and I had repurposed a $35 goodwill hutch. I wanted to find a few pieces of cute pottery to display on the shelves, so I started looking for my first piece of Rae Dunn clay.
After finding a few basic mugs and scoring an awesome deal on a bundle of secondhand pieces from a lady that lived nearby, I found that it was hard to find the sought after items that I hoped to find.
I was so happy to finally have the basic canister set!
For me, I love the thought of having a coffee bar and a hutch of simple, white dishes. The simplistic look of Rae Dunn fits goes so well with the farmhouse-style.
I met a few other women in my town that also collected it and we were able to keep an eye out for pieces that each other wanted. With the help of others, I found some of the pieces I was looking for and also began finding pieces to trade with others.
A Rae Dunn birdhouse found for me by a sweet friend.
I eventually found the seasonal/holiday pieces, which are usually the hardest pieces to come across. I use them to decorate my coffee bar through the seasons.
There are a few different styles of Rae Dunn clay, but I only collected pieces that are the large-letter style. I am now done collecting because I have most of the basics, and mugs for each season and holiday.
Rae Dunn comes out with new pieces every so often, so if there’s a mug with a new saying that I like I may buy it if I come across it. While I still have too many pieces and I am trying to downsize my collection, sometimes I’m gifted a piece or two that I keep, which adds to my collection.
While it most likely won’t be worth anything in the future, I still love to use Rae Dunn to decorate with and I’m thankful to have met a few new people in the process. Some women choose to get their nails done, or love new shoes, etc. I like big mugs and I cannot lie. 😉
For more decorating inspiration, be sure to follow me on Instagram @faith.and.farmhouse!
With many of us spending all/most of our time at home during this COVID-19 quarantine, it is essential to make home feel cozy and cheerful to help cope with the isolation and anxiety that this pandemic can bring.
I have been taking it one day at a time. Some days I feel anxious and miss my loved ones that I can’t see. Other days, I am thankful that I can slow down and fill my time with baking, crafting, sunny days spent outside, spring cleaning/organizing, and all of the other positives that staying at home brings. I choose daily to thank God for all that he has blessed me with, especially when I know things could be so much harder for me right now. I view this time as an opportunity to slow down and focus our minds and hearts on things above and to enjoy the simple pleasure of being home with family that we so often take for granted.
With stores being closed, you can’t go out and buy new decor to decorate for spring this year. However, I love to decorate on a budget and with thrifted and clearance items anyway. I shopped my house and rearranged decor to refresh spaces around my home and I encourage you to do the same. Getting creative and finding new ways to decorate for spring with things you already have is not only fun, it doesn’t cost a thing!
Here are a few easy ways to create a cozy, spring home!
1. Bring in Greenery
Spring=Green! I added more faux greenery around the house to bring in the cozy look of spring. Things outside are returning to their beautiful green, so adding greenery, either real or fake, brings the feeling of new life to each room.
2. Fresh Cut Flowers
This year, I cut fresh floral stems from our weeping cherry tree when they were in full bloom to use as a free table centerpiece. Bringing in flowers or greenery you find around the yard or in a store-bought bouquet can give a bright, cheerful look to any room!
3. IncorporateEaster
I used two Rae Dunn Easter mugs and a small ceramic bunny to bring spring to my coffee bar. I wrote the wonderful news, “He is Risen”, nearby on a chalkboard. Simple Easter decor is perfect for the spring season!
4. Decorate with DIY Spring Crafts
To keep busy one afternoon, I made a spring banner using old hymnal pages, a sharpie marker, and some twine. I added it to the shelf in our living room along with some more stems from our cherry tree in ball jars for a completely free spring update.
Another afternoon, I used some craft paint and a scrap piece of wood to create a DIY fresh cut flowers sign. While it isn’t perfect, it was a free and fun DIY!
Decorating for the seasons doesn’t have to be hard, or even cost anything!
I encourage you to find things around your home that you can use to bring in the look of spring. I would love to hear if you try any of these ideas!
I would love for you to follow me on Instagram @faith.and.farmhouse for more ideas and encouragement!
I am a big believer that something doesn’t have to be expensive to be beautiful. And sometimes the things that are most beautiful don’t cost anything at all. Most of my decor and furniture in my home is secondhand. I love giving old decor pieces a new life and purpose in my home. Today, I will share with you some of my best secondhand finds. I hope to encourage you to do the same!
As a current stay-at-home mom and former teacher, when it comes to decorating I don’t have a big budget. I’ve always been frugal, and buying new home decor can really add up. I’ve learned how to find secondhand decor and furniture at a fraction of the cost of what it would have been to buy something new. I rarely ever buy something full price. My favorite places to shop secondhand are Goodwill, thrift stores, and Facebook Marketplace. You really have to look for good deals, which can take more time and patience, but in the end it is worth it and it saves so much money!
Secondhand Furniture
Both of my dining tables, my sofa, two armchairs, three ottomans, an antique church pew, a hutch, and a few small tables and shelves are all secondhand finds.
My antique church pew in my entryway was found on Facebook Marketplace for only $75!
This hutch I found at Goodwill for only $35. I painted it with chalk paint and replaced the drawer pulls. Now it looks amazing!
This dining table is solid wood and was only $100 from Facebook Marketplace.
This table was a hand-me-down from my parents that I refinished. You can check out my blog post on refinishing this table here.
This IKEA Ektorp slipcover sofa, armchair, and ottoman were $130 on Facebook Marketplace. We bought new beige covers from IKEA and cleaned up the cushions a bit, but they were sturdy and still in great shape! This set would have cost at least $750 if bought new.
We found another IKEA Ektorp armchair and ottoman set for $30. This one already had beige slipcovers and was in near new condition. I simply washed the slipcovers!
We found the matching ottoman to our sectional sofa on a random trip to Goodwill. It was only $10 compared to $150 online!
This adorable scalloped shelf was only $10 at Goodwill. It went perfectly in my daughter’s nursery!
Thrift Store Decor Finds
This photo is from one trip to Goodwill. These buffalo check pillows were $3 each. I brought them home and washed them in hot water and color safe bleach. They look perfect on my church pew!
These antique books are from Goodwill, as well as the candlestick. The books are old Bibles and hymnals and cost a total of $10. This antique brass candlestick only cost $3! I’ve also found other brass candlesticks at Goodwill and thrift shops for under $5.
This super cute wreath was only $2 at my local Goodwill and looks great in my daughter’s nursery! Check out the rest of her nursery here.
I also found these shelf brackets for $1 each at Goodwill that I used to build this wall shelf!
This tobacco basket was $2 and the white vase was only $3 at Goodwill.
These lanterns were both found at Goodwill. The big one was $4 and the small one was only $3.
These signs were $6 each from my local Goodwill. They all had Walmart tags still on them!
Shop Secondhand!
I hope that after seeing all of the great deals I’ve found shopping secondhand that you are inspired to do the same! It saves so much money and is actually a lot of fun! Be sure to follow me on Instagram @faith.and.farmhouse for more decorating inspiration! God Bless!
I’ll start by saying that this is my first year decorating my home for Halloween, so I’m not an expert by any means. However, I had so much fun decorating for Halloween this year and I want to share just how easy it is to give your home some spooky farmhouse style!
Insta-Inspiration
I was inspired by so many Instagram accounts that decorated for Halloween in a simple, fun way that I wanted to try it myself. I was most inspired by how Ashli at @ourcozycottage decorated her house for Halloween. She uses black and white to keep it simple and not overbearing, and it screams farmhouse style! Be sure to check out how she decorates her house for all of the seasons/holidays. Her style is gorgeous!
Bullseye Spot Bats!
I decided to use black and white buffalo check and some adorable little black bats that I found in the Target Bullseye Spot around the houses. These bats are felt, which means they can be used year after year, and the best part is that they came in packs of 6 for only $1.00! I only spent $4.oo to get all of the bats that you see in all of the photos here!
My Halloween Hutch
I found a few other items at the Target Bullseye Spot that were inexpensive and perfect for Halloween! I got a black wreath and a fake spooky tree, along with a set of two tea towels for $3.oo that I made into this October 31st pillow cover (I just used a hot glue gun!).
This pillow was so simple to make and only cost $3.oo!
Hocus Pocus, I Need Coffee to Focus
I also found this Hocus Pocus sign and a Witches’ Brew light-up jar in the Target Bullseye Spot. I HATE scary movies, so Hocus Pocus is about the only movie that I watch for Halloween. I’ve watched it every Halloween since I was young, so I knew I wanted to make a Hocus Pocus themed coffee bar. You can check out a video of my entire Hocus Pocus coffee bar here.
My Hocus Pocus Coffee Bar
I also found quite a few Rae Dunn Halloween mugs this fall that I couldn’t wait to display and use for my Halloween coffee bar. So many sweet friends helped my find the pieces that I was looking for this year! I wrote the quote “Hocus Pocus, I Need Coffee to Focus” on my chalkboard and added my DIY bead garland, as well as some pumpkins and a “Trick or Treat” banner from Hobby Lobby for some final spooky touches.
Halloween Table Setting
I added a buffalo check runner to my dining room table and some buffalo check napkins to keep with the black and white theme. I plan to use buffalo check through the holidays as well. It’s so versatile! I also found a creepy tree in the Target Bullseye Spot and used it with some lanterns and white pumpkins in my tablescape.
Halloween Tablescape
Happy Halloween!
Overall, I didn’t spend very much at all to add some simple Halloween touches to my home. Sticking with a black and white theme really gives Halloween decor a farmhouse feel that isn’t over the top. Let me know your thoughts/questions below! Be sure to follow me @faith.and.farmhouse for more home decor inspiration! Have a blessed day!
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. All opinions remain my own.
This year for fall, I knew that I wanted to keep a mostly neutral color scheme with a few pops of orange. I also knew that I wanted to incorporate black and white buffalo check. A few of my favorite fall farmhouse decor items include white pumpkins, fall Rae Dunn mugs, fall pillow covers, and cute wooden signs!
My Fall Entryway
For our entryway, I decorated my antique church pew with buffalo check pillows and this adorable pumpkin patch pillow cover. I also added a fall floral basket that my mom made me!
Sitting Room
I added another cute fall pillow cover in our front sitting room and some fall stems in a galvanized tin. I added this thankful sign that I got for $3 last year in the Target dollar spot on my chippy white table.
Fall Tablescape
In my dining room, I used black and white buffalo check napkins, Rae Dunn plates, and galvanized chargers for our table setting. For the centerpiece, I found these cute lanterns at Hobby Lobby on sale for $3 each and a clearance greenery garland that was only $5! The little white pumpkins are also from Hobby Lobby and were on sale for about $2 each.
Target Bullseye Spot for the win!
Before I found the garland on clearance, I had a Rae Dunn pitcher with eucalyptus stems and this cute little sign that I found at the Target dollar spot as the centerpiece.
Hutch Display
I draped some faux wheat stems on the top of my hutch and kept my tobacco basket and cotton wreath on the top. I added a buffalo check napkin and a cute wood sign (from Hobby Lobby) to keep it simple. I also added a bead garland that I made using these beads!
I’m so grateful!!
A few days later, I received a package in the mail containing this adorable Rae Dunn Grateful pumpkin. It was a gift from an anonymous Instagram follower for hitting a goal of reaching 1000 followers. Thank you to whoever gifted me this! It makes me so happy!
Fall Coffee Bar
I used more buffalo check and some new fall Rae Dunn mugs to decorate my coffee bar. This cute Give Thanks sign I found on clearance for $4 at Hobby Lobby and the buffalo check banner was only $3 in the Target Bullseye Spot!
My Mug Rack
I also added a few fall Rae Dunn mugs and some orange stems to my mug rack to give it a simple fall look!
Built-in Bench
I added these buffalo check pillow covers and another Target Bullseye spot find, this cute pumpkin pillow, to my built-in bench in our living room.
Breakfast Nook
I added some cotton stems, a little white pumpkin, and some buffalo check napkins to the breakfast nook table setting. I like to keep the table setting simple in here because this is where we eat most of our meals!
Hallway Decor
At the end of our hallway, I added an antique window frame (look at that chippy white paint!) and a hand-me-down orange berry wreath. I also added a small black table with some black candlesticks that I found at Goodwill for only $1 each! I love how simple this was and the difference it made to our previously empty hallway is incredible!
I hope you enjoy my fall decor this year! Feel free to comment with any questions you might have! Be sure to follow me on Instagram @faith.and.farmhouse for more farmhouse decorating ideas!
After a year of living in our new home ,I finally got around to giving my daughter’s nursery a much-needed update. When we moved in, we didn’t have the time or energy to paint this room. We had painted a few other rooms in the house and had a ton of cleaning to do before we moved in. By the time it was all said and done, we were too worn out to deal with painting another room! We decided to wait to paint this bedroom until after we’d settled in. That was in June of 2018. It was June of 2019 before it got done. Oops!
Her room was painted a deep tan color and it was so dark and dreary, even during the day. I wanted her room to be light and airy, with a farmhouse feel and simple decor. She already had white furniture and I thought the look of a shiplap bedroom would give her room the farmhouse look i was going for. However, I did not want to spend the time, money, or energy on installing actual shiplap. I had heard of “sharpie shiplap” on Instagram, but I was afraid that it would look too fake. After looking into it more through the hashtag “sharpie shiplap“, I realized that some of the shiplap I thought was actual shiplap was really just sharpie! I also watched this awesome tutorial from @ouridahofarmhouse that was really helpful! My husband liked the idea that if we were to ever move, the future homeowners could simply paint over it if it wasn’t their style. It seemed like the perfect solution!
Taking the First Steps
My first step in giving her nursery the makeover it needed was to get all of the furniture out and everything off of the walls. I painted the entire room white in just one evening. My daughter slept in her pack-n-play in our room that night. With the windows open, the paint fumes had all aired out by the next day.
After painting the walls white, I gathered the supplies I would need to “sharpie shiplap” her entire room. I bought a cheap yard stick, a 4 foot long level with a straight edge, and I ordered Sharpie Paint Pens in Black from Amazon. The paint pens come in a pack of three and I only went through one pen for her entire room! I’ve since started using a second paint pen when I added some “sharpie shiplap” to our master bedroom. They really go a long way!
How to “Sharpie Shiplap”
First, I placed my yard stick vertically against a corner of the wall and, starting at the ceiling, I marked a small mark with pencil every 6 inches all the way down to the floor.
Then, I placed the top straight edge of my 4 ft. level on the first line and pushed the end of the level against the corner of the wall. I carefully drew a line using the sharpie along the top of my level, just as you would draw a line using a ruler.
Next, I went down the wall and drew more lines using the level and the pencil marks. Once I completed a whole row down the wall, I matched my level up to the end of each line and continued drawing. When I got to a window, I simply placed my level across it to continue the line on the other side since it was long enough.
I didn’t think that it would be so easy, but it’s just drawing level lines all around the room! Each line didn’t end up perfect, and there are a couple of places where they may not be exactly 6 inches apart, but overall it looked pretty great and the entire room was “shiplapped” for only $16 (cost of the level and sharpies)!
Deciding on Decor
After all of the “shiplap” was finished, I moved all of the furniture back in and started shopping for decor. I’m not big on going with themed rooms since kids tend to grow out of their likes and dislikes so fast. The white shiplap is very versatile and I can make it go with any color that she wants in her room someday and still make it look great! I knew I needed to add a few girly touches and she loves flowers right now, so I started with that. I found this adorable farmhouse floral crib sheet and based the rest of the decor around it!
I love this crib sheet!
I then found this adorable sign in the 75% clearance section at Hobby Lobby. It matches the crib sheet perfectly! The laundry hamper in the corner was another clearance find from Marshall’s and this cute white scalloped book shelf was a steal for only $7 at my local Goodwill!
The shelf, wall sign, and hamper were all clearance finds!
I used white bins that I had already had from Ikea for her 8 cube organizer. This shelf is so perfect for storage! We even secured a changing table pad to it when she was a newborn. It is the perfect height for a changing table and can grow with her! The lamp was another great Goodwill find for $5 that I used with an existing white lamp shade.
My husband got this cute little letter board from work so it was free to me! I already had the white vase and the lamb’s ear floral came from Hobby Lobby. The white curtains were a set of 4 from Burlington Coat Factory that I found on clearance!
I love this saying!
Overall, I am loving how my farmhouse nursery makeover turned out! I am so happy that I learned how to “sharpie shiplap”! It is so simple and easy to do! Comment below what you think of her nursery or with any questions that you may have. I’m happy to help!
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. All opinions remain my own.
I had never refinished a piece of furniture in my life. What I learned was that refinishing an old oak table, though not exactly easy, was well worth the time and effort.
A Thoughtful Gift
This solid, round oak table was where my husband and I sat and ate many meals, some great, others not so much, during our first few years of marriage. It was a hand-me-down table from my parents. They had it sitting around in a garage and knew we needed a place to sit and eat. We didn’t have too many pieces of furniture starting out. My husband was still taking college classes while working full-time and I had just graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and was looking for my first teaching job. Even though it didn’t look the best; the finish was peeling in places and it was stained that orange-ish color that made it look straight from the 90’s, we welcomed this table with thankful hearts.
Time for a Change
We bought our first house together in the spring of 2018. We had just welcomed our little girl into the world and we were ready to stop renting and buy a place of our own. I knew before we even found our home that I wanted something that I could decorate farmhouse-style. I’ve always loved seeing the transformations that Joanna Gaines does to the houses on Fixer Upper and I couldn’t wait to bring that farmhouse feel into our future home. When our offer was accepted on a home with two dining spaces, an eat-in kitchen and a formal dining area, I knew that it wouldn’t be in the budget to buy two new dining tables. I was going to have to update our current dining table in order to get the look I was hoping for. I had never refinished a piece of furniture in my life. What I learned was that refinishing an old oak table, though not exactly easy, was well worth the time and effort.
The hand-me-down oak table in the dining room of our rental home. I hated those green countertops!
Doing Some Research
First off, I started doing my research into how to refinish a table. I knew that I wanted a white base with a dark walnut stained top. I found another blog tutorial online that proved to be very helpful from @makingitinthemountains. Her tutorial online about how she refinished her kitchen table was exactly what I was looking for! I also found a few other tutorials and googled the basics on sanding and staining. With it being a free, secondhand table, I decided to take a shot and refinish it.
Gathering the Supplies
I knew I wanted to stain my tabletop a dark, deep color. After researching different stain colors and brands, I went with Miniwax Dark Walnut stain. What’s great is most of my supplies for this table are available on Amazon, so I didn’t even have to go out for too many supplies. Click on the images featured to purchase on Amazon.
Miniwax Dark Walnut Stain
After reading something about how belt sanders can leave marks, but palm sanders may not leave as many, I went out and bought a palm sander that proved to be very handy (pun intended).
Black + Decker Mouse Detail Sander
I definitely didn’t have the time to sand the entire table, and I knew that chalk paint allows the paint to stick on finished surfaces without sanding. I purchased a can of Rustoleum’s Chalked Paint in Linen White. I love how easy it is to use!
Rustoleum Chalked Paint in Linen White
I used a cheap foam paintbrush that I had lying around so it wouldn’t show too many brushstrokes, but a good, high-quality paintbrush is all you really need.
To seal the top, I bought a can of Miniwax polyurethane. This is the one I used:
Miniwax Polyurethane in Clear Satin
Sanding
The key to sanding is starting with the most abrasive (lowest number) of grits first and then moving onto the finer (higher number) grits. You’ll want to make sure you get off ALL of the original finish. It needs to get down to bare wood in order for the stain not to look blotchy. It took me at least an hour and a half to completely sand the finish off of the top. I probably should have continued to sand a bit longer to smooth out any scratches, but with a young baby and busy evenings, I didn’t have that much time. I’ve read where you can use stripper and scrape the finish off first but I didn’t have the tools and I chose to just try to sand it down. Overall, it worked pretty well!
The Before Photo of the Table
Staining
After completely sanding the top down to bare wood, I applied the liquid stain using a staining sponge to the top in even strokes going with the grain. Make sure you don’t leave too much excess stain piled up and just sitting there. You can also apply the stain with a clean t-shirt or clean cloths. I used the sponge and wiped the excess up with a cloth. I let it dry overnight. I applied a second coat of stain the next day and waited for it to dry overnight as well.
Sealing
After the stain had dried, I used the polyurethane to seal the top. I was advised to go with polyurethane vs. polycrylic by the salesman at Menards, so I went with it! It has held up so far. Be sure to apply a thin coat and not too thick, otherwise you’ll end up with bubbles like I did. I had to sand down a couple spots where it bubbled up before doing a second coat of polycrylic, which was frustrating. After fixing my mistake, I did two more coats of polyurethane. Overall, I did three coats and it still looks great! Because I was teaching at the time and only getting to work during the evening hours while dealing with dinner, bath time, and bedtime, I waited about a week before I painted the base. This allowed time for the polyurethane to really set and seal properly.
Painting
Painting the base white was the easiest part. I purposefully chose to refinish the top before painting the bottom because I knew that I would drip stain. I didn’t want to paint the bottom white until all of the staining was finished. I painted the base with three coats of chalk paint one evening and it only took me about an hour total. The paint was completely dry the next morning!
It is (re)Finished!
I am so happy that I decided to take a leap of faith and refinish a piece of furniture, staining and everything, all by myself. It looks so much better and has more of a farmhouse feel to it now! I see similar orange oak tables all of the time for dirt cheap at Goodwill, garage sales, secondhand shops, etc. If you’re thinking about refinishing a piece of furniture, I say do it! I now have a beautiful, solid wood farmhouse table that didn’t cost much at all! Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think or if I can help answer any questions you may have!
Faith and Farmhouse 