First home project of 2023 is complete! This post is the reveal to my refinished coffee table DIY.
My boyfriend and I have a coffee table that has seen better days. I’ve been thinking about buying something new but since we’re still in search of our first home, it’s probably best to hold off and see the space before buying any NEW furniture.
The coffee table is fully functional and provides storage, which is awesome and ideal for our small spaced apartment. It really just needs a bit of a face lift, which lead me to this Refinished Coffee Table DIY.
What I used:
THE BEFORE:
How I Did it:
I started off by spraying the varnish/paint remover, trying to make it easy for myself to get that top coating off. Of course, it wasn’t easy at all. The spray sat for a good hour before I used a scraper to peel back what I could off the table, but again not very much.
I wiped the table down to remove all the excess of the varnish and quickly moved on to plugging in the electric sander. I really just wanted to get this baby going. The sander is great for the larger portions of the table such as the top and underneath but the legs and side panels were too small. I had to manually sand in those sections to avoid ruining the detail of the wood. It took a solid 3 days to completely sand down the table.
WHAT THEY DON’T TELL YOU ABOUT ELECTRIC SANDERS: Take a break, lots of breaks! If you’re eager to get it all done in one shot, like myself, you may feel pins and needles up and down your arms so bad that you lose a night of sleep completely. Not fun, not worth it.
Anyways….
After sanding, completely dust off the table before starting the stained polyurethane finish. I really wanted to keep the natural wood look so the polyurethane that I used had a very light stain tint to it just to give the light natural wood a glow.
I’m VERY happy with the outcome!
Sanding down the table was both my favorite and least favorite part. Favorite because getting rid of all that dark varnish and watching the light natural wood peak through was rewarding, but least favorite because it took the longest, was extremely messy and again… “pins and needles!”
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I’m very happy with the outcome this project. I not only saved a ton of money by not splurging on a whole new table, but it was satisfying to see all my hard work pay off. Adding those final touches and seeing the table complete is such a great feeling. Also, my fiancé is very happy to be allowed back in the living room.
Our space feels so much better, brighter, and pretty. I’m so glad I went through with this DIY and definitely encourage trying your own home projects if you have a vision and the determination to pull it off.
Happy Creating!
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