Paint a trestle table

Step one
To prepare this old table for painting Sarah gave it a quick sand first. As the table top had a laminate finish Sarah decided to apply a coat of Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer to ensure the paint would adhere well. Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer is ideal for preparing hard-to-sand surfaces like this.

Step two
Apply Resene Quick Dry primer undercoat to the table top. Make sure you always wait until a coat of paint is completely dry before continuing.

Step three
Once the primer is dry, apply two coats of the chosen table colour. Sarah used Resene Quarter Spanish White.

Step four
To turn this drab old table into a statement party piece paint some stripes on the table in different colours and patterns. Sarah chose a selection of bright testpot colours: Resene Vitality, Resene Rapture, Resene Ruby Tuesday, Resene Fresh and Resene Dawn Chorus.

Step five
Measure out even spaces across the width of the table and then mask out five different striped patterns, one for each colour paint. You could mask out any designs you like, or use Sarah’s as inspiration. Apply two coats of each colour.

Step six
Once the stripes are dry, find the centre of the table and from there, mark out a circle. You could do this with either a compass or a large round dinner plate or similar as a guide. Mask out the circle with painter’s tape by cutting nicks into the tape with scissors. This gives the tape enough flexibility to curve around the circle shape. It’s important to press the tape down firmly so the paint doesn’t run underneath.

Step seven
Paint the circle shape with Resene Blackboard Paint. Apply two coats of Resene Blackboard Paint. Once completely dried, you can carefully remove the masking tape.

Step eight
Use white chalk to write a party message in the blackboard circle. The great thing about decorating a table like this is that you can change the message to suit any event. Just wipe the chalk off and start again every time! This time, Sarah wrote “Happy Birthday” but the possibilities are endless (depending on how many parties you throw of course)! A party table like this will add fun and colour to any event.