Dining Room Table Makeover

Has your dining room table seen better days? Did you inherit a family heirloom that you can’t seem to fit into your current decor? Why not refinish it? Here are some some easy tips to take some of the fear out of upcycling and doing your own Dining Room Table Makeover!

This is one of my many Craigslist scores. I was looking for a large piece to donate to a charity auction. I saw this table advertised for $75 and it was perfect…not perfect condition by any means but I knew I could make something beautiful with it.

Begin by sanding the sections you are painting with 220-grit sandpaper to knock off the sheen.

Note:  If you are not restaining the table, then you do not need to sand the table all of way to the raw wood.

Clean the entire piece with Krud Kutter to remove dust from sanding, and any leftover grime.

Using a low nap or foam roller, prime table with Sherwin Williams Multi-Purpose Latex primer.  Let dry.

Pro Tip:  Tinting your primer close to your paint color can be a time saver

Lightly sand again with 220-grit sandpaper to check adhesion and knock off any rough spots.

For this project, I am creating a tooled leather finish using Modern Masters Metal Effects Iron Paint and Rust Activator.

Apply one coat of Iron paint using a low-nap mohair or velour roller or foam roller. Let dry.

Lightly sand. Repeat. Let fully dry.

Spray rust activator over dry Iron Paint. Pounce the activator with a chip brush so that it bites into the iron paint.  Wait 5 minutes and then spray again. Let fully dry and it’s like magic!!!  This finish will need to be sealed with Modern Masters Perma-coat Sealer. This will stop the table from rusting any further and keep the rust from transferring onto your clothes, etc…

I then applied 2 coats of water-based Spar Urethane to make it more durable for dining use. This is an outdoor product but I chose it to help repel sweat from your water glasses.

All that is left is pre-drilling holes for our large upholstery tacks we ordered from Amazon.com.

Hammer the upholstery tacks into the sides.

Voila!!! I didn’t even touch the legs.  The original brass feet were still in tact so I left them and the legs alone.

This is the same process you would use to paint your table. You would still prep it and prime it and then apply 2 coats of Sherwin Williams Pro-Classic Satin Latex Enamel in color of choice.

Did this Dining Room Table Makeover help you create a beautiful new table? I’d love to hear how this DIY Project went for you!