Furniture refinishing: Stain over Paint Technique

It's sticky and humid here, so painting and drying times are elongated these days; it just takes longer for every coat to dry, making projects a lot longer than anticipated.  But here, finally, is my end table do-over:

I originally painted it in a beautiful peacock blue (a tester color from Lowes), and while I liked the color, it was a little bright.

To tone it down, I took out the stain from my hutch project  I added a thin layer with a sponge brush, and immediated wiped it off.  I still had the color I loved, but toned down.  I'm not much for distressed or aged pieces, but I liked this effect.  This will give you a hint of the change, and it is subtle in the picture, but a bigger impact in real life:

I used some spraypaint I had on hand to change the hardware from brassy to silver, which pops against the peacock blue so well. 

I love the cheery color at the front door.  With this piece redone, I get to see a reminder of my Pop-pop every day, and that makes me happy!  The color also ties in perfectly with my mirror, so it's a welcoming-reminding-cheery win win all around!

Here is the before and after:

And the best part?  The total cost for this project was under three dollars thanks to the new Lowe's paint colors to go: under $3 for a small pot of paint. I already had the stain, and spray paint for the hardware. Find a small piece of furniture you love and try it! You really have very little to lose, and the whole project (less drying times!) didn't take very long.

  I did some light sanding before priming, and use a good quality base primer in a thin coast to start. I can't wait to try my next stain over paint project! Try it yourself, and send me a picture!