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Dining Table Makeover: Four Green Paint Colors and an Unfinished Stay In Lime Test

A dated look at Kristi Linauer’s unfinished dining-table makeover, including the four green colors she compared, her 120/220-grit prep and primer process, and why Stay In Lime remained provisional.

By ThatPainter Team 18 October 2026
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Kristi Linauer’s dining-table makeover was still underway on September 25, 2026. She had prepared a used 48-inch round Ashley table with a leaf, compared four green paints, and begun painting only part of the piece. Stay In Lime was the provisional color choice, but the table had not yet received its planned second coat or been judged in the room’s lighting.

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This is an account of that specific project at its documented stopping point—not a claim that one sanding schedule, primer, paint sheen, or color will work for every table.

What was being made over

The marketplace table

Linauer bought the 48-inch round Ashley dining table on Marketplace for $50. She wrote that the table had retailed for $650, figures that describe this particular purchase and its stated retail price rather than a market average or independently verified valuation. A leaf was included, so the project involved a table that could serve both a compact round setting and a larger dining arrangement.

The tabletop arrived rough and marked. Those visible flaws shaped the first stage of the makeover: surface preparation came before the color decision could be judged on the furniture itself. The documented work focused on smoothing and cleaning the existing finish rather than treating the project as a new, unfinished tabletop.

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The visual brief

The target was not simply “any green.” Linauer wanted the table to coordinate with the room’s drapery fabric and with an inspiration table shown in a room mockup. She compared paint samples against both references, using the inspiration image to judge apparent darkness and the fabric to judge coordination. No measured color values, controlled sample test, or final in-room comparison was reported.

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The four green colors considered

Four Sherwin-Williams colors made the shortlist. The comparison was visual and contextual: how dark a color appeared beside the inspiration table, and how it related to the drapery fabric.

Color What the account says Status in the project
Gecko Appeared too dark beside the inspiration image. Ruled out.
Overt Green Also appeared too dark beside the inspiration image. Ruled out.
Stay In Lime Was the option Linauer felt best fit the comparison at that point. Initial choice; the whole table had not yet been assessed in the room.
Lime Rickey Was one of the four possibilities; the account gives no separate measured result or final in-room verdict for it. Considered, but not selected in the documented update.

Linauer summarized the decision in her own words: “I ended up going with Stay In Lime.” That choice remained provisional because a color that looks right against fabric or a mockup can read differently once a large, glossy surface is back in the actual room. She specifically wanted to see the painted table under the room’s lighting before deciding whether the green was light enough.

How the table was prepared

The following sequence is the process Linauer described for this table. It records what she did; it does not establish a universal recipe for every furniture finish or condition.

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  1. Sand the tabletop with a handheld sander using 120-grit paper. The machine sanding was limited to the tabletop in the account.
  2. Follow with 220-grit paper on the tabletop. This finer pass came after the initial 120-grit sanding.
  3. Hand-sand the other areas with the same grits. The legs, apron, edges, and other non-tabletop sections were sanded by hand with 120-grit and then 220-grit paper rather than with the handheld sander.
  4. Remove the sanding dust. Dust was cleared before primer was brushed on.
  5. Brush on Sherwin-Williams Extreme Bond Primer. The primer was tinted toward the selected paint color. Linauer noted that the store employee could not tint it to an exact match.
  6. Let the primer dry, then hand-sand with 220-grit paper. This additional 220-grit pass was performed after the primer had dried.

Her account says the primer went on smoothly and left a smooth surface in this project. That is her observed result on this table, not a performance guarantee for the product on every substrate. The 120-grit and 220-grit papers, together with a handheld sander for the top, are the specific supplies documented; the source does not specify brands, quantities, prices, or a universal grit schedule.

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Why the primer color was only an approximation

The primer was tinted toward Stay In Lime rather than matched exactly. That detail matters when interpreting early photographs or partial coverage: the undercoat was intended to move in the direction of the chosen green, but it was not the final paint color. Because the store could not produce an exact tint, any difference between primer and topcoat was expected within the project’s own process.

After drying, Linauer hand-sanded the primed surface with 220-grit paper. The update does not state how long the primer dried, how much material was removed, or what dust-removal tool was used. Those omissions are part of the account’s limits, not reasons to infer a timing rule for other furniture.

The paint and sheen decision

ProClassic in semi-gloss

Linauer selected Sherwin-Williams ProClassic in a semi-gloss sheen. The reason given was visual: the inspiration table had a shiny finish, so she wanted the painted table to have comparable presence rather than a flat or low-sheen appearance. The choice was made before the entire piece had been painted and evaluated in its final location.

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The planned two-coat check

At the time of the September 25 update, only part of the table had paint. Linauer planned to apply two coats and then move the table back into the room to judge it under the room’s lighting. She suspected she might ultimately prefer a lighter green, which means the first selection was an active test rather than a settled final color.

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The account does not report coverage measurements, drying intervals, brush or roller details, number of paint containers, or a completed inspection of the leaf and every underside surface. It also does not report the table’s final appearance, durability, or whether the two-coat plan was completed later.

The possible glossy topcoat

Linauer considered General Finishes High Performance Topcoat in a glossy finish as a later option. Her stated trigger was conditional: if the ProClassic semi-gloss did not look shiny enough after the second coat, she might add the glossy topcoat.

That product was under consideration only. The documented update does not say that it was purchased, brushed on, cured, or evaluated. A reader should therefore treat the topcoat as a possible next step in her plan, not as part of the finished makeover or proof that the table received extra protection.

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What remained undecided at publication

Several decisions were deliberately left open:

  • Whether Stay In Lime would remain the preferred green after the table returned to the room.
  • Whether the color would appear too strong or too dark on the full 48-inch tabletop and leaf, rather than on a partial painted area.
  • Whether two coats of ProClassic semi-gloss would provide the visual shine suggested by the inspiration table.
  • Whether a glossy General Finishes High Performance Topcoat would be needed.
  • How the completed finish would look and perform after the project was finished.

Keeping those questions open is important. The source is a dated progress report, and it supports the materials used, colors considered, and next steps planned—not a completed makeover result.

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A practical way to follow this makeover’s decision points

If you are reading the account to understand how the choices developed, the sequence is more useful than a single “before and after” verdict:

  1. Start with the room references. Linauer used the drapery fabric and an inspiration-table image before committing to a green.
  2. Compare multiple candidates. Gecko, Overt Green, Stay In Lime, and Lime Rickey were considered together, allowing the darker options to be rejected against the same visual references.
  3. Prepare the actual furniture. The rough, marked tabletop was sanded with the handheld sander, while the remaining areas were hand-sanded; both areas received 120-grit and 220-grit work.
  4. Prime toward, but not exactly to, the selected color. The store could not tint the primer to an exact match, so the undercoat was an approximation.
  5. Refine after drying. A further hand-sanding pass with 220-grit paper followed the primer.
  6. Evaluate the painted piece in context. The planned test was two coats, followed by moving the table into the room’s lighting before making a final color judgment.
  7. Decide on extra gloss only after that check. The possible glossy topcoat depended on whether the semi-gloss finish looked shiny enough.

This sequence explains why the project could be both painted and unresolved at the same time: color selection, surface preparation, sheen, and room lighting were being judged in stages rather than all at once.

What this dated account can—and cannot—tell you

Established by the September 25 update

  • The furniture was a used 48-inch round Ashley table with a leaf, purchased on Marketplace for $50; the author stated a $650 retail price.
  • The tabletop was rough and marked before preparation.
  • The documented sanding sequence used 120-grit and 220-grit paper, with a handheld sander on the top and hand sanding elsewhere.
  • Dust was removed before brushing on tinted-toward-color Extreme Bond Primer.
  • The primed surface was hand-sanded with 220-grit paper after drying.
  • Four greens were compared, with Gecko and Overt Green rejected as too dark and Stay In Lime chosen initially.
  • ProClassic semi-gloss was selected to echo the shiny inspiration table.
  • Only part of the table was painted, with two coats still planned.

Not established by that update

  • The final color choice after seeing the table in the room.
  • Completion of the second coat.
  • Application of any General Finishes glossy topcoat.
  • Final gloss level, long-term wear, or performance during dining use.
  • Current prices, product availability, or any affiliate arrangement for the named materials.

Why the project is worth following while unfinished

An in-progress account captures decisions that a finished reveal usually compresses into a single result. Here, the darker greens were eliminated before painting, the selected green was tested against both fabric and a room image, and the finish decision was tied to a real lighting check rather than a photograph alone. The unfinished status also shows where visual confidence can change: after sanding, after primer, after two coats, and after the furniture returns to its setting.

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Linauer wrote, “I started working on my dining table makeover yesterday,” on September 25, 2026. At that point, the project had a prepared surface, an initial green, and a stated next-step plan—but not a final reveal. Any account claiming that the table was completed in Stay In Lime, received the glossy topcoat, or proved the durability of the finish would go beyond what this update documents.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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