Dining Table Refinish

7 Materials
$75
1 Week
Medium

Have you ever been offered a piece of furniture that was solid, sturdy, had character but just didn’t quite fit your color scheme? That was us with this dining table and chairs. Keep reading to see how we refinished the table to fit our decor style.

This is her before picture. This is how she looked when we picked her up. She wasn’t in bad shape or condition. The fabric on the chairs needed to be updated, but overall didn’t didn’t have structure damage or really anything wrong other than she wouldn’t fit our color scheme. We have darker wood tones, grays and whites.


List of materials:

• electric hand sander

• sand paper (we use 80 and 120 grit)

• small can of stain; we used minwax classic gray

• old rags or t-shirts (lint free)

• polyurethane (I like using a thick one)

• Quart size can of paint; we used chalk paint antique white in color.

• paint brush

• wax seal for chalk paint

Let’s get started!


The first thing we did was wash down the table. Then sand the existing stain off the top of the table and the leaves. This table came with 2 leaves. We always sand with the gain of the wood.


Next we wiped the table down again to get rid of all the dust. Then applied the first coat of stain, again going with the grain of the wood. *(the grain of the wood refers to the pattern in the wood)* We use old t-shirts to apply the stain. Some people like to brush it on, it’s personal preference.


Let the first coat dry completely. The amount of drying time depends on the type of wood, some take longer to dry than others. We usually let sit 6-10 hours before applying a second coat of stain.


** Painter/ Decorators tip** some pieces may only need one coat of stain. Or you may like it with only one coat. Others may need two or three coats, depending on the desired outcome.


The above photo is after two coats of stain.

The next step is to poly the top to give a barrier between the stain and moisture. Because we knew we would use this table quite a bit we applied 3 coats of thick poly. Letting each coat completely dry before adding another one. We had a quick drying poly and were able to apply two coats in one day.


**tip** if you lightly tap the poly and it’s sticky or tacky- it’s still wet and needs to dry before adding the next coat.

Once the stain and poly were finished it was time to work on the base and legs of the table. I like to work with my darker colors first and then move to the lighter colors just in case I drip or spill, it’s easier to fix.


On the base and legs of the table we painted painted it with chalk paint in an antique white color. I paint thin layers so it took 3 layers of paint to accomplish the look I wanted. I like working in thinner layers as to avoid drips, running paint or globs of paint. I let each layer dry completely (anywhere from 4 to 10 hours) before applying the next coat.


**painter/decorator tip** again, according to the desired look or outcome for your project will depend on how much and how many layers of paint you’ll need.


***we had enough paint left over in the quart size can to paint the chairs***

After I had the base and legs painted and dried, it was time for distressing them. I used sand paper and by hand rubbed the paint until the underneath color came through. I made sure to randomly select areas that would be exposed to dents, dings, scratches or wear and tear.


The final step was to seal the chalk paint with clear wax seal for chalk paint. I use a paint brush to brush on the wax. Some people like to use a lint free cloth. The wax seal goes a long way and comes in a much smaller can than the paint.


**rememer to wash your brushes out with warm soapy water and let dry completely before using again**


**with my chalk paint I like to use a stiffer brush, like a bristle brush. **

This is how she turned out and looks so good in our dining room. It makes the space light and bright instead of dark and dreary.


Stay tuned for a tutorial on how we refinished and reupholstered the chairs.


You can check out more views of our dining room and other furniture projects on our Instagram page.

Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Joleen | The Refining Home
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  3 questions
  • Tinna Tinna on Aug 21, 2019

    I was brought up believing that you could not stain over a already treated and stained table. Are you saying I can take my light colored dining room table and stain it a darker color? All I need to do is sand it down first? It is a beautiful table I would hate to ruin it, but it just does not go with my new house.




  • Cerita Cerita on Sep 07, 2019

    Where did you purchase the fabric for the chairs?

  • Jerri Jerri on Aug 21, 2020

    This turned out beautifully. I like the contrast between the dark top and white base. Could you tell me about the metal pieces added to the base please? They complete the look!

Comments
Join the conversation
5 of 63 comments
  • Sasha Sasha on Sep 04, 2020

    I think I missed something. What metal pieces?


    Beautiful job / I love it.


    • See 1 previous
    • Sasha Sasha on Sep 04, 2020

      Hi, thank you for the quick reply. Took another look and saw the metal. I was probably in LaLa land.

      You did a fabulous job, I love the fabric too.

      Picked up a couple of pointers from you.

      Thank you again

  • Necee Marie Necee Marie on Sep 22, 2020

    Gorgeous! Love the new fabric for the chairs! Kuddos!

Next