Daring Dark Blue Painted Furniture

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I’m a huge fan of dark blue painted furniture, as well as all the shades of blue!

I picked up this pair of vintage end tables at my local Habitat ReStore for $15.  They were in fantastic shape, including the caning on the bottoms that was nearly perfect.

Here is what they looked like before their makeover.

The vision for these came to me easily – navy blue with faux wood grain tops.

Before we jump into it, here are the supplies I used to achieve this look.

Resource List:

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• End table set (thrifted)
• White Lightning
• Dixie Belle mud
• In the Navy
• Black Glaze
• Mud Puddle
• Van Dyke Brown Glaze
• 4″ Deck brush
• Whisk broom
• Clear Coat in Satin

If you want tons of information on Dixie Belle paint and products, you can check out this Comprehensive Guide post, and you can download it free here by clicking the picture:

If you want tons of information on Dixie Belle paint and products, you can check out this Comprehensive Guide post, and you can download it free here by clicking the picture:

Painting the Tables with In the Navy

You want to start by cleaning the project well with White Lightning tsp cleaner mixed in a spray bottle.  You can then fill in any dings with Dixie Belle mud.

When sanding the mud smooth, you can go ahead and give the whole piece a scuff sand. Then wipe or vacuum all the sanding dust away.

Originally, I thought I’d be using Silk All-in-One Mineral paint on these, but I didn’t have enough Deep Sea on hand.  Instead, I broke out my In the Navy from the chalk paint line.  

Tape off the caning to protect it from any drips.

After you paint the first coat of navy paint, allow it to dry at least an hour.  Then paint a second coat for full coverage.

You can add glaze at this point, but I recommend sealing with a coat of satin first so the glaze wipes back easily.

Adding Black Glaze to Dark Blue Painted Furniture

You can definitely stop at 2 coats of navy and call your project done.  However, it’s the details and shading that take a project to the next level and make it look professional.

First, paint a clear coat over the blue and allow it to dry.  Then paint black glaze in small sections, wiping it back with paper towels or a clean rag.

Leave the glaze down in the details (like on the drawer pulls), and a little on the flat surfaces as well.  The difference is very subtle, but adds a lot.

See what great condition the caning is in?

After the glaze, apply 1 more coat of satin clear coat for sheen and protection.

Faux Wood Grain Variation

For the tops, I did the same technique I’ve done several times lately, but with a little twist.

Start by painting 2 coats of Mud Puddle, and letting it dry thoroughly.  Then paint about a 4 inch section of the top with Van Dyke brown glaze.

Drag the deck brush through the glaze, creating texture.  Then drag the whisk broom through the glaze.

All the dragging should be in the direction of the “grain”.  Once dry, add another coat of glaze, drag the deck brush and drag the whisk broom.  This second glaze application is the part that is different than I’ve done previously.

As always, if you learned anything or were inspired by this project, Please Pin!

You may enjoy these other dark blue painted furniture projects too.