At times, table legs outlive tabletops. While the legs of your table can still look new, your tabletop is more likely to appear scraped and dirty after years of use. Refinish your wooden tabletop to spread out your table’s life with this guide.
Prep Steps & Supplies:
Don’t get free of that table or pass up a good buy at a yard sale or flea market! With a handful of supplies and a moment of time, you can change an old table top to appear just like new.
What you’ll need:
- Sandpaper
- Deglosser
- Wood putty/filler
- Paint and primer or stain
- Lacquer
- Paintbrush
- Newspaper or drop cloth to protect workspace
Before you start renovating your tabletop, carefullyreview it to get a worthy idea of how much sanding you’ll require to do. You’ll also need to choose whether you want to paint the table top or spread on lacquer or varnish.
Begin bycarefully cleaning the table top.
Sanding:
The first step in the renovating procedure is to sand the table top. For the first round of sanding, utilize a medium to low grit sandpaper. This will helpto remove some of the minor dings, dents, and scratches, as well as any existing shellac, wood varnish or paint. If there is a weighty layer of shellac, varnish or paint, you will possibly require lower grit sandpaper and a bit of muscle. You can also supplement this step by utilizing a deglosser/liquid sandpaper, but you may still require to sand the wood.
Apply Putty:
If your table top has any kind of dents, dings or cracks, you need to apply wood putty or filler into these areas with a putty knife. When you apply the filler or putty, ensure the putty/filler fills in the dented areas and remove any excess with the blade of the putty knife. You want to create a seamless surface. Let the putty/filler dry overnight. You need to brush off or vacuum the tabletop to get rid of any and all dust particles. Now just wipe down the complete table later with a damp rag to remove any fine sanding dust.
Priming & Painting:
If you plan on painting your tabletop, apply a couple of thin coats of primer with a brush or utilize a paint sprayer. Pick a paint that is appropriate for wood. If your table is kept on a patio or outdoors, look for paint which is suitable for outdoor wooden furniture. Utilizing the right form of paint will help keep the worth of your renovated table top for a longer period of time.
With a brush or a paint sprayer, apply many thin coats of paint. Like the primer, let dry a couple of hours in between coats to save any running, beading or puddling of the paint. If you notice some runs or beading, allow the paint dry overnight and slightly go over the area with high grit sandpaper to get rid any of the imperfections before applying another coat. Let the table totally dry.
Staining:
If you don’t want to paint your tabletop, you can apply a rustoleum wood stain to show the natural color of the wood.
After painting or staining your tabletop, apply a layer of lacquer to enhance an extra layer of safety to reserve the quality of the table top.
