Painting Over Old Leather Inlay Tabletops

I found this matching pair of tables at the thrift store the other day. I am busy collecting furniture for my house in Secretary, and these were a perfect find for our living room. I plan on placing them on either side of our sofa. It is rare to find a matching set of vintage tables, and especially in great condition.

These are pretty standard for the day, with the typical leather inlay top and each table also has a little pullout shelf, which I love. You can see what they looked like before in the video posted below.

I have painted over leather inlay tops many times and they always turn out well. I scuff sand the leather first, to give the paint more to grip onto. You can use a product like Slick Stick if you want, but honestly I find that chalk paint adheres really well to leather and doesn’t require any primer.

I created a custom, deep green by mixing the colors Palmetto and Caviar. After applying two coats, I lightly sanded the paint to allow the detail of the leather to pop through. The tables were then sealed in clear wax and a touch of Gold Gilding wax was added at the end.

See below!