Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Sanding off the old lacquer or paint
• Part 2 of 2: Refinishing the table
• Warnings
• Necessities

Whether you've found your coffee table at a thrift store or have had it for years, refinishing it can give it a new lease of life and make it a beautiful part of your interior. Start by sanding off the old oil, lacquer, or paint. Then remove all sanding dust so that the bare wood surface is clean and ready for refinishing. Then apply a new coat of furniture oil, wood stain, lacquer or paint to give the coffee table a look that you like. You can decide for yourself whether you want to give the table a natural look where the wood can be seen, or if you want to give it a colorful and distinctive look using paint.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Sanding off the old lacquer or paint

1. Choose a workplace that is easy to clean or put down a tarpaulin. Refinishing your coffee table makes a lot of mess. So work outside or in an area like a garage, if possible. You can also lay down a tarpaulin, canvas cloth, or sheet of plastic to catch the sanding dust and protect the floor from paint and varnish spills.
   • If you don't have a proper workplace or tarpaulin to use, you can lay out two or three overlapping layers of newspaper or make your own tarpaulin by taping some plastic trash bags together.
2. Clean the surface of the table with a mixture of water and a mild soap. Put two or three drops of a mild soap like a mild liquid dish soap in a cup or bowl of water. Wet a clean cloth with the soapy water and squeeze the excess water from the cloth until it stops dripping. Wipe the entire coffee table with the damp cloth to remove all dust and dirt.
   • It is important to clean the surface very well so that no dirt particles remain that can be pushed into the wood during sanding.

   Tip: you can also use a special soap for cleaning wood, such as oil soap. If you do, follow the directions on the package when mixing with water to make a cleaning mixture.

   
   
3. Remove the lacquer or paint by sanding the coffee table with coarse sandpaper. Attach a 40 or 60 grit piece of coarse sandpaper to a sanding block or sander. Start sanding and work with the grain of the wood until all of the varnish or paint is removed and you can see the bare wood all over.
   • Wear a face mask and goggles when sanding so you don't get sanding dust in your mouth, nose, and eyes.
   • If there are areas that are difficult to sand, such as engraved legs or the sides of the coffee table, fold a piece of sandpaper into a small square and sand those areas by hand.
   • If the sandpaper does not remove any more varnish or paint, stop sanding and feel the sandpaper with your fingers. If the sandpaper is smooth, it is worn out and you will need to get a new piece to use.
4. Wipe the entire coffee table with a clean cloth to remove the sanding dust. Use a tack cloth or a clean, soft cloth to remove any dust created by sanding. This will allow you to see the bare wood better and continue sanding and preparing the surface for refinishing.
   • A tack cloth is a cloth specially made to wipe off sanding dust. You can buy tack rags at hardware stores, DIY stores, and on the Internet. If you don't have a tack cloth, you can also use a microfiber cloth or a cut-up T-shirt.
   • You can also vacuum up all the sanding dust with the hose of your vacuum cleaner.
   • If you still see spots of paint, varnish, or stain after wiping away the sanding dust, treat those spots with coarse sandpaper until the wood is bare.
5. Smooth the bare wood surface by sanding it again with fine sandpaper. Attach a piece of fine sandpaper with 120 or 140 grit size to your sanding block or sander. Sand the entire coffee table and work with the grain until the wood is smooth all over.
   • Stop sanding from time to time and run your hand all over the coffee table to see if you feel any rough spots. Keep sanding the table and feeling the surface until the wood appears to be evenly smooth throughout.
6. Clean the coffee table with turpentine to remove the fine sanding dust. Wipe off the loose dust with a tack cloth or other soft cloth. Dampen a cloth with turpentine and wipe the entire coffee table with it to clean and get it ready for refinishing.
   • Wear a face mask when using turpentine so you don't inhale the fumes. If you work indoors, open as many windows and doors as possible to ventilate the room.
   • You can buy turpentine at hardware stores and DIY stores. The liquid is very similar to paint thinner, which you can use even if you don't have anything else around the house.

Part 2 of 2: Refinishing the table

1. Finish the coffee table with furniture oil if you like the natural look of the wood. Apply natural furniture oil such as tung oil, teak oil or Danish oil to a clean cloth. Rub the oil into the coffee table with the cloth, working with the grain. Continue rubbing until you have covered all of the bare wood. Let the coffee table dry overnight and then apply another coat of oil if you want to bring out the colors of the wood.
   • Furniture oil soaks into the wood to protect it. You can apply it as often as you like to make the wood look better and protect it.
   • Furniture oil brings out the natural colors of the wood better without drastically altering them. Depending on how much oil you use, the wood can become slightly darker.

   Tip: teak oil is suitable for more solid wood such as mahogany, maple and oak. Tung oil and Danish oil are suitable for all types of wood, including soft woods such as pine and cedar.

   
   
2. Stain the coffee table if you want to give the coffee table a darker or different color, but the wood should still be visible. Apply a coat of wood stain with a four inch wide paintbrush. Make long, flowing strokes and work with the grain of the wood. Wipe off the excess stain with a clean cloth and let the stain dry for as long as indicated on the packaging of the stain.
   • Because you apply the stain to bare wood, the wood absorbs the stain very easily. If the wood is not to be too dark, wipe off the excess stain immediately.
   • If you want to darken the table even more, apply another one or two coats of stain when the first coat is dry. Wipe off the excess stain after each coat. Make sure to let the second coat dry before applying a third coat.
3. Paint the coffee table if you want a transparent protective layer. Use a four-inch wide paintbrush to apply the polyurethane or polyacrylic lacquer of your choice. Work with the grain and make long, straight strokes to apply an even coat of lacquer over the entire coffee table. Let the lacquer dry for as long as stated on the packaging of the lacquer. Then apply another coat if you want to protect the wood or make it more glossy.
   • Lacquer is a transparent protective finish for wood. You can buy matte lacquer, satin lacquer and high-gloss lacquer, so you can choose whether the coffee table should look natural or shine strongly.
   • You can also apply a coat of lacquer over wood stain if you want to give the table a higher shine and add an extra protective layer.
4. Paint the coffee table if you want to give it a completely different color. Apply a coat of latex-based primer to the wood with a four-inch wide paintbrush and let the primer dry for an hour. Paint over the primer with the paint of your color, working with the grain and making long, even strokes. Let the paint dry for four to eight hours, then apply a second coat if you can still see primer through the paint.
   • Turn your coffee table upside down when you paint it so you can paint the inside of the legs.
   • You can use oil-based or latex-based paint for the coffee table. Keep in mind that oil-based paints take up to eight hours to dry, while latex-based paints dry in about four hours. Latex-based paint is easier to remove because you can just rinse your paintbrush with water. If you used oil-based paint, you should clean your brushes with paint thinner.
   • You can use two different shades of paint to give the coffee table two colors. For example, you can paint the table top dark blue and the legs and sides you can give a slightly lighter blue tone.

Warnings

• Wear a face mask and goggles when sanding the coffee table so you don't get sanding dust in your mouth, nose, and eyes.
• Wear a face mask when cleaning the table with turpentine so you don't inhale fumes.

Necessities

• Tarpaulins
• Mild liquid soap
• Clean cloths
• Coarse sandpaper
• Fine sandpaper
• Sanding block or sander
• Turpentine
• Furniture oil, stain, lacquer or paint and primer
• Paintbrush