This post was first published on my former website, The Painted Drawer. I’m sharing it again here with any new viewers because I believe it deserves a second look!

I decided to give the vintage gateleg table a quick makeover. It is such a pretty little table with those gorgeous barley twist legs and was a fun project! Here are the before pics.

A viewer had commented on the beautiful wood grain. I totally agreed and had already decided to give the table a modern makeover but not lose all of its gorgeous, original patina. I decided to paint the top and the base railings in General Finishes Lamp Black milk paint and also apply the paint to the feet. It took three coats to fully cover and give it a deep black tone.

For the natural wood legs, I applied General Finishes Java Gel stain. Using a shop paper towel, I dipped the towel into the stain and rubbed the stain directly over and into the wood. This enhanced the wood and covered any scratches. The top was given a durable finish with General Finishes wipe-on urethane and I did not seal the base. The base railings have three coats and do not require a topcoat (they won’t get much wear at the base of the table). I believe the result has given the table a new look and yet maintained its vintage beauty!

The table was sold pretty quickly to a dear reader of my blog, Deb who lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, right by where my son attends school at Salisbury University. We delivered it when we moved him in for his sophomore year and he is now a Senior. Time flies!