How to Paint a Beach Themed Table
We have such a fun project for you today! Our talented artist friend Shay Livenspargar is showing us how to paint a beach themed table. And the finished product is absolutely gorgeous! Even if you have never painted before, you can use this technique to achieve beautiful results!
Shay has been part of our artist family for quite some time now. And she is always willing to share her love of art as well as her know how. In the videos below she shows us how to paint a beach themed table with Pop of Color Shock Paints. The finished table looks like the process would be complicated but it’s not! Shay shows us exactly how to do it, step by step.
And, if a table seems like too much of a project for you right now, no worries! You can use this same technique on anything you want! You could start small with something like a canvas or a wooden tray. Whatever you decide to paint, we hope you dive right in and have a lot of fun!
How to Paint a Beach Themed Table
We can’t wait for you to check out this fabulous furniture painting project! Learning from Shay is so much fun and her art is always so beautiful! You can either jump right into the videos or you can start by reading through the tips and tricks that we have included here. Either way, we hope you enjoy it and learn something new!
To Base Coat or Not to Base Coat
To prep her table, Shay washed then lightly sanded the entire surface. She then added a base coat of Counter Culture DIY White Prime Time. A base coat is not necessary with our full coverage paints but you can definitely use one if you prefer. As Shay explained, she likes the look of a blank white canvas when she starts painting. And the Prime Time definitely delivers.
If you are fine with painting right on the wood, go for it! Our paints cover so well that you will not have to worry about any of the wood showing through into your work. And since you will be adding different layers of colors, you will end up with at least 2 coats on the table. That will be plenty of coverage for you project!
How to Add Crackle
Adding crackle to any piece is super easy! All you need is two colors of paint and a crackle medium. The first color will be your base coat. It will show through the cracks once you’ve applied your next two layers. The second color will be your top layer of paint, your base color will peak through that top layer. Shay used Light Turquoise for her base color and Pure White for her top layer.
To do the crackle, apply an even coat of your base color and let it dry. Then apply a nice thick coat of the crackle medium and allow that to dry. Next, dip your clean brush into your top color. Starting at either the top or the bottom (whichever is easiest for you!) do one even stroke over the crackle medium. You aren’t going for even coverage here. If you use too much, the crackle won’t happen.
Then, once your crackle is dry you can move on to adding the paint layers that Shay shows us how to do in the video. Or, if you’d rather, you can skip the crackle and go right to the painting!
Watch Part One of the Video Tutorial Here!
Watch Part 2 of the Video Tutorial Here!
How to Paint a Beach Themed Table
Materials
- Wooden table
- Pure White Pop of Color Shock Paint
- Blue Grey Shock Paint
- Royal Blue Shock Paint
- Ocean Deep Shock Paint
- Jade Shock Paint
- Wet Sand Shock Paint
- Light Turquoise Shock Paint
- White Prime Time
- Gold metallic paint
- Paint brush
- Premium Oval Furniture Paint Brush
- Premium Flat Furniture Paint Brush
- Continuous Water Bottle Mister
- Container of water
- Paper towels
- Some kind of paint tray
Instructions
- Start by prepping your table. Wash it well and give it a quick sand to remove any oils from the table. Remove any sawdust from the table. If you are going to do a base coat, apply the White Prime Time to the whole table and allow it to dry.
- Now it's time for the fun part! Pour a little bit of Pure White and Grey Blue onto your plate. Get your brush a little bit damp but not wet. Use the paper towel to dry it a bit if you need too. Get a little bit of both colors on your brush and start to etch in where you want your sky to be. You want your paint strokes to all be going the same direction.
- Next add Royal Blue to your plate and use it to paint a line along the center of your table as your horizon.
- Now combine your colors anyway you like to start filling in your sky area, blending your colors together. Once you have used up all the paint on your plate, use the spray bottle to dampen the table. Then continue to use your brush to blend the colors together. Make sure to bring your colors down the sides of the table too.
- Next, add more Royal Blue, Pure White, Jade, and some Ocean Deep to your plate.
- Then use these colors and combinations of them to fill in your ocean area. Lighten your shades with more white as you get closer to the bottom of the table where the shore would be.
- Next use a smaller brush and the Wet Sand to paint on your shore.
- Now use some Light Turquoise and Blue Grey to add another blended layer to the sky area.
- Then add another layer of colors to your ocean area. When you are happy with your ocean, grab a small brush and the Pure White paint. Use the brush to dab spots of the white along your shore line. This will give you the look of beach foam. Then add a little bit of the gold metallic paint into the sand.
The table in progress!
Beach Themed Table Base Instructions
- Start with your large brush and the French Blue. Get a little bit of paint on your brush and then lightly brush it onto the base of your table. You don’t want full coverage, you are just feathering it in. Hitting the raised areas will give it a great distressed look. Repeat the same process with the Grey Blue.
- Next, add in some Light Turquoise in the same way.
- Then use a fanned brush and the Royal Blue. Use just the smallest amount of paint and a very light hand to feather the paint on to some of the raised areas.
- Next, go back to your large brush and lightly feather in some Pure White.
- Continue adding more of the colors you like best to get more depth and dimension.
And that’s a wrap…
Wow! Just looking at this fabulous table adds some serenity to our day. Even if you don’t have a beach themed home, this design could make a fabulous patio table too! Your project probably won’t look the same as Shay’s and that is great! A lot of your results will depend on which of our colors you like best. Shay can’t get enough of our Light Turquoise (and who can blame her!) so she played that color up. But you can add more or less of each shade to fit your own taste.
We would love to see your finished pieces so be sure to tag us on social media (#popofcolorpaints) when you post them! And have fun painting, friends!
Pop of Color Shock Paints are sold exclusively at Counter Culture DIY. So now you have even more reasons to stop by!
You can find more awesome video tutorials like this one on our YouTube channel!
Be sure to follow us on Pinterest so you can stay on top of everything that’s new and never miss a blog post!
If you want more inspiration and information we have a Facebook group for that. Join us in Counter Culture DIY Artist Support where we, and other artists, offer ideas, answer questions, and support each other!
Do you have an art project using any of our products that you want to share? Send it to us at support@counterculturediy.com, and we can feature them here!