Ballard Designs Knockoff: DIY "Zinc" Table

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% mine.  Please see my Disclosures page for more information.

Hello sweets!  So, I've been sprucing up my dining room to reflect my true and passionate love for neutrals, texture, and metallics.

And, because I blew my budget on a new console, I couldn't buy the table of my dreams (the Messina table from Ballard Designs).  So I did the next best thing and made my own!  I used a table purchased at World Market...its no longer available but many of their lovely tables would be good substitutes!

Here's the Before and After:

...and all dressed up for her first meal:

Care for the play-by-play?

Supplies:

Martha Metallic in Thundercloud, Duration Home paint from SW in Creamy, Martha Faux Finishing Glaze, and Johnson Paste Wax
(clear).

Step One: A Light Sanding

Step Two: Prime and Paint the Top

I used Kilz primer tinted as dark as they could make it, and I rolled it on with a small foam roller.  Then I failed to take a picture, but you can imagine it, right?  Okie dokie.  I then painted the top with my metallic paint:

Step Three: Glaze Like Crazy

I mixed my Martha faux finishing glaze with three different acrylic paint colors (in three different bowls).

Acrylic paints in black, white, and pearl white.

I used an old, clean t-shirt to rub on the glaze in long, even strokes, varying which glaze color I used and using the black glaze very sparingly.  I have to credit Kelly at Bungalow Blue Interiors for giving me the idea for this technique, and also for the good advice to use Martha metallic paints.  When that layer of glaze was dry, I went back and glazed again, this time by dipping the t-shirt in the pearl white glaze and tapping firmly until I got it pretty blotchy but still somewhat blended.  My hope was to mimic the acid-washed-zinc look of Ballard's table.  Here's the close-up:

Step Four: Seal That Baby

I love furniture wax.  The clear Johnson wax gives painted furniture a hard, durable finish, and it is easy to apply. I have spilled on my painted table top and wiped up both oil and wine with no problem.  Love that!

Step Five: Paint & Distress the Table Legs

I slapped on three coats of my Sherwin-Williams paint in one afternoon, and distressed that sucker the next day during naptime.  That's it!

So, here's Ballard's table:

Source: Ballard Designs

And, once again, here's mine:

How'd I do?


P.S. This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% mine, all mine.
P.P.S. Lovin' the Linky's at: