New Life to a Dingy Table

Jody Harris
by Jody Harris
5 Materials
$20
3 Days
Easy

I got this pine table from an online auction. It was in great condition, but the color was just not something that goes in today’s homes. It was a very dingy gray/ green color. I knew I could make it look better than it did when I got it.

Here is the table as I was starting to sand it.

I sanded with an orbital sander using an 80 grit sandpaper.

The top is halfway done!

Ahhh, all done! I did end up taking a 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the top.

Then, I lightly sanded the legs just to rough them up a little bit so the paint would adhere better.

I painted the base with a matte black paint using a roller to get the paint on then smoothed it out with a paintbrush.

The base has 2 coats of the black paint.

Next, I gave my attention to the top. I used a Rust-oleum gray stain and wiped it on with one cloth and wiped off the excess with a clean cloth.

This is the brand I used WITHOUT the polyurethane in the stain. Sorry, didn’t get a pix of it.

It looked good, but it was just too gray and didn’t have a lot of depth or warmth. So I used a Jacobbean stain and wiped it on/off using the same technique as I did for the gray stain. And that was it. So rich looking now!

Love this color!

I put three coats of this clear sealer on, sanding in between each coat. First, I used a roller to spread it out and then with a good paint brush, not a cheaply one that loses it bristles easily, brushed out the bubbles.

And here it is all done! So much better looking than it was before, in my opinion.

Another view! Hope you like it as much as I do!

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  • Gail Walsh Gail Walsh on Dec 09, 2021

    Would the technique you used for the top of the table work in a veneer top also?

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