Painting your Table with MudPaint

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Have you ever thought of painting your table?  Have you determined that this season, you will kick things off by painting your table — dining room table, accent table, side table, coffee table, you-name-it-table? MudPaint is eco-friendly, LEED-compliant and it’s unique, clay-based formula with natural earthen materials requires little prep work and no waxing for a smooth coat and it’s a perfect choice!  Here are some tips to help you get the best looking, most durable finish possible.  Painting your table is easy, straightforward and you will NOT regret the investment in time and energy.  Promise!

First – time to Prep.  Make sure you have done a light sanding on the existing surface of the table, just enough to scuff up the surface – 180-220 grit in our Rad Pad Sanding pad. If there is an existing coat of paint on the table, make sure MudPaint will adhere to it by doing a small test area. If the surface is too slick or is an oil based surface that paint will not adhere well to, do not fear! 

Secondly, paint two Coats.  Next up in painting your table is to paint your first coat and work quickly because the paint dries fast. On table legs, have your brush strokes go up and down with the legs.  Work quickly and move to the next area to avoid brush strokes. Once the paint from the first coat is applied give it time to dry before applying the second coat.  Anywhere from 3 to 5 hours or more depending on the humidity in your area.   Again, just be sure to fully clean the surface of dust before applying the second coat when painting your table.

Third, time to Sand! Almost done!  When painting your table, we recommend you do a thorough sanding after the second coat is completely dry.  We recommend 320 grit or 220 grit in the Rad Pad. This will really smooth out any imperfections created during the painting process. This is also a good time to distress the edges of the piece if you are going for a distressed look. Once the surface is completely sanded, clean the surface lightly with a wrung out wet rag.  You don’t  want the rag to be wet enough to start streaking the paint.  Wipe across the surface lightly to remove any dust.

Fourth, before leaving, consider extra durability! Since kitchen tables take so much wear and tear, we highly recommend 2-3 coats of our clear finish coat.  We have tried wax on kitchen tables and wax just does not seem to hold up under the day to day wear like our clear coat does. Just remember with the clear coat to let the paint cure for 24 hours before applying.  Also, we recommend waiting several hours between coats of clear coat. The clear coat is best applied with a brush, with smooth strokes all going the same directions.  Apply thin coats and avoid too many back and forth strokes over the same area or streaking can occur.  Allow the clear coat to settle to avoid brush marks.

Thats it!  Don’t be intimidated — you can do this!  Painting your table with MudPaint’s Clay furniture paint is easy and forgiving. And you will be so happy you undertook this easy, inexpensive upgrade to your home!