diy: chalkboard coffee table

i've been dying for a new coffee table for a while now, but our budget has been a little tight since the wedding.  i've had my brother's old coffee table from his bachelor days for about the last five years.  while in my possession, it's acquired several scratches, dings, and nail polish remover stains (oops).  i decided i would try to paint it, rather than investing in a new coffee table.  while i was contemplating what color would work the best with everything else we have going on in our living room, a fabulous idea came to mind....a chalkboard-top coffee table!  i instantly searched pinterest (of course it's been done before, i guess i'm not that original) and i found a lot of pictures to help inspire me.  husband and i took a trip to lowes to pick out paint and a few supplies.  i initially wanted to go with a mustard color (best color ever in my opinion, even though cory detests it) or a soft mint (like the handmade shelf in the background given to us by my brother and his family for our wedding, so sweet!).  cory ended up picking out a paint by valspar called woodlawn salsa.  i didn't hate it.  and it coordinated well with our mint shelf too!  i chose a grey chalkboard paint to go in the middle.  this project was relatively easy and took about a day to complete with all of the drying time involved.  i began by priming the entire table, then i slapped on a few coats of woodlawn salsa.  i taped off the edges around the top and applied several coats of the grey chalkboard paint, and voilà!

before: this poor table has suffered through multiple moves, and years of wear and tear.

i love our new table!  i still may invest in a new one in the near future, but this will get us by until that time comes.  it really brightens up our living room!  now, who's up for a game of cards against humanity?  best.game.ever.