Update an old coffee table to give your room a new look.
I'm guessing that most of us DIY'ers have a piece of furniture that we have repurposed, painted and altered many times. I've redone this coffee table several times. It was originally the golden oak color of the top that you see here. Then I stripped the top and painted it red. Followed by a coat of white paint all over with a little red showing through. And then, white all over again, with scuffed up edges.
This is the most recent update. I brought back the golden oak finish to the top and distressed the rest of the table a little more. I'm going to give you the step by step process that I went through to recover the top to it's original state.
This is an easy refinishing project for a beginner, so don't worry if you've never tried anything like this before. If you're really intimidated, start with something small. You could pick up something to refinish at a tag sale.
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You will need:
a table or other piece of solid wood furniture (the snap together stuff won't do)
a good quality gel paint stripper
mineral spirits or paint thinner
a disposable can or bucket to pour some gel stripper into
sand paper (a pack of assorted grits is good, you'll need a fine grit like 220 and a medium grit like 150)
assorted plastic scrapers
a firm bristle brush (for getting into small grooves)
a few bristle paint brushes to apply the gel stripper and the varnish
soft, disposable cloths and paper towels
protective mask
protective gloves
newspapers or drop cloth to protect your driveway or porch
varnish
Work in a well ventilated area.
Wear a mask and gloves.
Brush on a thick coat of gel stripper. Be sure to protect your porch or driveway with newspapers or a drop cloth.
This is the result that you're looking for. It will take anywhere from 5-15 minutes, or so, depending on the gel stripper that you choose. Follow the stripper instructions for application and timing, I use a 5 minute gel stripper.
When the paint bubbles, start scraping. It should practically roll off of the table surface. If it doesn't, apply another coat of stripper. You'll get the hang of it.
There will probably be some paint trapped in small cracks and crevices that you will need to remove with a fine bristle brush.
This is the bare wood, after the stripping process. I used a fine bristle brush and light sandpaper to get small bits of paint off. Always sand with the grain of the wood. Not across it.
Wipe the bare wood off with mineral spirits. Just lightly soak a soft cloth with mineral spirits and wipe along the grain to remove fine particles of dirt or stripper.
Add the stain. This is the fun part. Load a soft cloth with wood stain and wipe along the grain. You can mix stain colors to get the look that you want.
Wait until the stain has completely dried before brushing on the varnish. I usually wait until the next day.
Varnish
Brush on a medium to heavy coat of varnish, along the grain. Make several passes with the brush to level out the varnish and make sure that varnish settles into small grooves. But don't brush so much that the varnish becomes sticky and dry. Just brush it on enough to coat the surface and keep the varnish shiny. Work your way across the entire surface before the varnish starts to dry.
Allow the first coat to dry completely. Check the products instructions for drying times.
Then lightly sand the varnish coat, along the grain, with very fine sand paper. Use 220 or 250 grit. Just rough up the surface a little so that the next coat of varnish will adhere.
Remove any dust residue with a soft cloth.
Apply the second coat of varnish and allow it to dry.
The finished product! I only refinished the top this time. But the process is the same for the whole table.
Have fun with it and let me know how your project turns out!
AFFILIATE MARKETING & DISCLOSURE POLICY
From time to time, I may engage in affiliate marketing. This means that if you use an affiliate link to make a purchase, I will receive a commission on that purchase at no additional cost to you. All efforts are made to ensure that affiliate links are disclosed in accordance with the FTC.