Moving in with my fiance meant acquiring some of his furniture that is far from stylish. After seven months in Vegas, we still hadn’t gotten around to buying a new kitchen table, so I decided to try a little DIY magic on a table that his parents had bought for him at a garage sale many years ago. It’s amazing what some sanding and staining can do. Intricate details that I thought were tacky now add charming character and the distressed wood (not in a trendy way…) now looks crisp and classy. Since we saved money by making over our table, I decided to splurge and buy some floral chairs from Target to complement the modern look.
What you’ll need:
- 1 can Citristip
- Plastic scraper
- Orbital sander
- Sand paper of varying grits (100, 120, 220)
- Tack cloth
- Newspapers
- Brush or cloth
- White spray paint (I used Valspar paint + primer, about 3 cans)
- Stain (I used Minwax Red Mahogany)
- Polyurethane
How-to:
- Remove the finish. Move the table to a well ventilated area and place it on top of a tarp or cardboard to protect the surrounding areas. To strip the existing finish, I sprayed the table with Citristip and let it sit for an hour before scraping it off with a plastic scraping tool (read can for safety and detailed directions).
- Use an orbital sander to smooth the table, going with the grain. Do most of the initial sanding with 100-grit sandpaper, then step up to 150-grit and do a final pass with 220-grit. Wipe off the dust with a tack cloth.
- Cover the top of the table with newspapers, taping the edges with painters tape to create clean lines. Spray paint the base of the table; it may take a few coats.
- Remove newspaper before applying the wood stain. Apply stain with a brush or cloth, following the wood’s natural grain. Follow the directions on can to achieve desired result. Apply at least 2 coats. If the wood seems rough, sand between coats and remove dust with a tack cloth to smooth the surface.
- After the final coat of stain has thoroughly dried, apply polyurethane according to the manufacturers’ instructions. Apply at least four coats since a kitchen table should be durable. Let dry for 24 hours before using the table.
