Easy DIY to Strip Paint and Fixer Upper Teal Paint

by Stephanie Abbott

4 Materials

$20

6 Hours

Easy

Hi Hometalkers!

With these simple to follow steps, you can strip and makeover an old piece of furniture into something beautiful. And it doesn’t have to be intimidating.

See the full DIY, more before and after shots, and the Magnolia Homes paint I used by following this link.

easy diy to strip paint and fixer upper teal paint

I bought this cute little table 4 years ago for $20. But it was boring and beat up and had that ‘kinda yellowish’ stain everywhere.

I pictured this being a play table for my kids. So I gave it a cute, kid-friendly paint job. I loved that plane!

But, the table ended up staying in our living room all these years. I was ready for it to have a grown up look. I decided to strip the top and paint the bottom.

I almost always use Citristrip to strip old paint. It has a nice smell and is much safer than most strippers. I usually just pour a good amount onto a project, then spread that around with a brush.

I used painter's tape and a plastic sheet to protect the rest of the table. No need to strip that since I would be painting it.

After letting the Citristrip sit for a few hours, I scraped it off with a putty knife. It comes off pretty easily. Don't work to hard to get areas off that aren't loose and soft, you could gouge or damage the wood.

Just apply another layer of Citristrip and let it work it's magic for a few more hours.

That brush is labeled as a reminder that I only use it with Citristrip.

After the second layer was scraped away, I was left with just a gummy paint residue on the table. I use a good amount of Odorless Mineral Spirits and clean rags and stripping pads to quickly scrub it off. The pads work best in detailed or routed areas.

I let that all dry, then sanded the top and applied 2 coats of polycrylic.

I gave the legs a makeover with primer and 2 coats of JoAnna Gaines' Magnolia Homes paint by Kilz. I saw it in her magazine recently and had to try it. I think it's probably my favorite brand of Latex now.

In fact, I went back to the store and bought a gallon of blue for my boys' bedroom makeover.

See the full DIY, more before and after shots, and the Magnolia Homes paint I used by following this link.