Kitchen tables are the project people most often ask me about, and they are also the one that goes wrong most often. Almost every failure I see comes down to preparation rather than the paint.

Clean it properly, then clean it again. A kitchen table has years of cooking grease on it, and grease is invisible once it has dried. Paint will not stick to it, and you will find out a fortnight later when the finish starts lifting around the edges. Use a proper degreaser or sugar soap, rinse it, and let it dry completely. This is the single most important step and it is the one everyone rushes.

Give a shiny surface something to grip. The Lazy Range is designed to go on without sanding, which is true and it saves a lot of work. Even so, if your table has a thick glossy varnish on it, a quick going over with a fine abrasive will help enormously. You are not trying to strip it, just take the shine off.

Do a test patch somewhere hidden. Underneath, or on the inside of a leg. Some old varnishes and some woods bleed a tannin stain up through the paint, and it is much better to discover that on a square inch than on the whole top.

Two thin coats, never one thick one. Thick paint dries unevenly, holds brush marks and stays soft for ages. Thin coats dry harder and level out much better. Let the first coat dry properly before the second goes on, and resist the urge to keep brushing at it while it is drying.

Protect the top differently from the legs. A tabletop takes plates, mugs, elbows and spills, so it needs more protection than the rest of the piece. A hardwearing top coat is a better choice here than wax alone. Come and ask in the shop and I will point you at what suits your table, because the right answer depends on how the table gets used.

Then leave it alone. Paint dries in hours and cures over days. If you load a freshly finished table up with a fruit bowl and a laptop on day one, you will mark it. Give it the best part of a week before it goes back into full service.

Bring the tin lid or a photograph in if you are unsure at any stage. It is far easier to sort out a problem before the paint goes on.