Industrial Style Zinc Coffee Table

Hi, today I'm showing you a coffee table makeover I've just finished.

My client, Amanda wanted an industrial style metallic look for her pine coffee table. She sent me some inspiration pictures and I did a bit of research and found Porter's Liquid Zinc, which I thought would give the look she was after.  

I directed Amanda to their website, to see what she thought, and she agreed.  

I watched this Porters video on Youtube too.

The drawers had a black stain on them - Amanda had decided to start the makeover herself before deciding to call in the professionals :)  

I got to work stripping the black stain off, along with sanding back the table.

I primed the table with two coats of Zinsser Bullseye 123, then painted on two coats of a grey that I had on hand, to help with coverage of the base coat.

I mixed up the zinc mixture (it comes in two parts - a metal powder and a white liquid) then painted it on.  The instructions on the can say one coat should be enough but I didn't find that it was, even with the grey layer over the primer. I did two coats.

Here's how it looked with the metallic coats on.

After leaving it to dry for at least 24 hours, I proceeded to the next step which was the Ageing Solution - I think it is an acid that causes a reaction with the metal in the base coat.  It's pretty cool although pretty scary at the same time...I actually did another couple of small pieces at the same time as 'practice' pieces so I could see what to expect.  Plus I didn't want to waste the leftover paint mixture- once mixed, it is only good for 6-8 hours according to the can, and you cannot put the lid on as it might explode (eek!)  After that 6-8 hours it is meant to set into a gel to allow for safe disposal.  My mixture actually took more like 2 days to set hard, so I'd say the workable time is a little more generous than what they tell you.  I'll show the other couple of pieces I did in another post.

After putting on the 'ageing' solution I left the table to sit for several days before sealing it with wax.  I used Porter's Liming Wax as I thought the whiteness of this helped add to the overall effect we were going for.  Here's how it turned out...

You can see the 'zinc' effects going on here on the table top - how each piece will turn out is random and unpredictable, ie. you can't control which bits will be darker, which bits will have a slightly yellow/brownish tinge etc. 

This gives your piece an authentic aged feel and look.

I think that the table turned out great and it's certainly an improvement on the 'before'.  

In review: What did I think of the product?

The Porter's Liquid Zinc paint finish did what it said it would, and I found it easy to use.  It's all water based which is great for clean up and ease of use. There are downsides though...firstly the cost - it was over $140 for one litre of the product (you have to buy the powder, the liquid and the ageing solution). Secondly the short workable life of the product once mixed means you really need to have a few projects prepped and lined up ready to go to make the most of it.

Just to clarify, my client paid for the Porter's Liquid Zinc and I purchased it locally at a retail paint store.  This is my own review and not done at the request of Porters, the paint shop, or anyone.  

Just me, in the thoughts that it may help someone else thinking about using it :)

Ship Desk

I spotted this cute little desk last week while out treasure hunting - the second I saw it, I knew it was coming home with me. 

I loved its cute retro lines and I had a vision that would make it even cuter.

Why on earth have I called this piece a Ship Desk? Funny you ask that...this is why ;)

It has a ship, delicately pieced into the desk top.  I've never seen anything like it before.  

As cute as it was though, it really didn't fit my vision.

The direction I took with this desk was inspired by the last desk I did, here

This one needed a top and I made a new planked one for it, which I distressed and stained.

I decided to do a similar thing for this new desk, to hide the ship.

This time, after I distressed and stained my 'planks' (new dressed pine from Bunnings) I painted them with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® in shades of blue, green, grey and white.

Here's how it looks now...

 I've teamed the desk with one of the chairs from this dining suite and I think it suits it perfectly so I think I will be grabbing another chair like this and painting it Paris Grey :)

This desk is for sale, please email karen@restyledvintage.com for details.

Sharing at

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* Savvy Southern Style *  Blue Egg Brown Nest * Finding Fabulous

Paris Grey Dining Suite

Hello, hope you are all well...it is the first day of school for Term 3 for my kids today.  

We've enjoyed the holidays very much but just quietly I am enjoying today too ;)

I had a bit of a break from painting in the holidays which is nice for a short while, then I miss it terribly and cannot wait to get back into it!  I have quite a few custom jobs lined up at the moment which I am very grateful for, and now the kids are back at school I am looking forward to getting stuck into them.

I did sneak this transformation in last week, and have just managed to get photos of it this morning.  You would think after several years I would remember to take a 'before' shot of each project, but for this one I didn't, so we can skip straight to the pretty 'after's ;)

This was my first project using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® in Paris Grey, and I love it...what's not to love about a pretty grey, especially when teamed with white.  I used a watered down mix of Old White on the tabletop, which I sanded back to bare wood.  I waxed the whole lot with Annie Sloan Soft Wax in clear, and it's hard to tell in my photos but when you buff after using this wax you get the most amazing shine on your pieces.

I distressed the suite quite heavily because I think it needed to be with this colour and style.

I am a total sucker for vintage-style signs...just cannot help myself, they are so cute!

How can you not love that?

I love them almost as much as I love bunting ;)

Sharing at Lilyfield Life, Savvy Southern Style, Miss Mustard Seed, Blue Egg Brown Nest and Elizabeth and Co

'Pistachio' - Bedside Cabinet

Hi, Happy 4th of July to all my USA readers, especially Cassie ...yes I am a bit early for you but it is the 4th already here in Australia! 

I hope you enjoy your day with family and friends, and that the sun is shining :)

This is my last project for the week before we pack up and head off to Sydney for a 4 day weekend...not a holiday weekend for us as such, but it is the middle of our winter school holidays so a little break is nice!

I picked up this cabinet a couple of days ago...someone had obviously given it a paintjob previously but it was time for a fresh one.

Now I probably would have kept walking if I didn't like the previous paint colour and didn't think I could use it to my advantage...stripping paint is a lot of hard work and I cannot always be bothered, particularly on a small piece which is only ever going to achieve a lower price than a bigger piece. Sometimes it's just not worth the time and effort versus your return.  Still, I've learnt that the hard way, and will no doubt continue to break my own rules on this when it suits me!

I played with my Annie Sloan Chalk Paints® again, as I have said before I only have three colours so far but the combinations I can make with those are many and varied.  I do hope to pick up another colour or two soon though.  I wanted a light green to go with the pink so I mixed Antibes Green with Old White but didn't go as pale as the green I made for this toolbox - I mixed 4 parts Old White with 3 parts Antibes Green.

This is the finished piece - I applied two coats of paint, distressed, applied clear wax and dark wax, and new sparkly crystal knobs.

See how the pink shows through in places? Just like a pistachio ;)

This is for sale, please contact me for details.

Sharing at Lilyfield Life Paint Parade and Savvy Southern Style Wow us Wednesdays