What do I need to do, to redo a Coffee table?
Question:I have just a plain Coffe table, wood grained (That light orangeish wood).I am moving and It wont look good in the new place, So I want to redo it. how do I go about this, and suggestions, make it easy, because I am a 23 year old female..Haha. Also any color ideas with a dark olive green room?
Answers:
(Oh.. [this is an edit]..if the piece is not already varnished -- that is, if it is just stained, then you can add another coat of darker stain over it. Test on the underside of the table to see what it will look like, first)
I am assuming you want to refinish the table.
Two cardinal rules before I continue with the instructions.
First -- YOU OUTCOME WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE PREPARATION YOU DO TO THE SURFACES.
Second -- NEVER use those products that have the stain and polyurethane mixed together. Apply the stain and the finish in two steps.
You can take a chip of your paint and go to the store (like Lowe's or Home Depot) and see samples of all the stains. Get a pint that goes with other furniture in your room. For example, if you have light woods, don't use a Mediterranean Oak or Walnut stain.
Here's how to refinish your table:
1) Set up an area OUTSIDE, but in a garage or in the shade.
2) Make sure you have these products: a) rubber gloves, b) a gallon of gel-like 'stripper' (The folks at the store can show you which are best. This is powerful stuff.. it will kill grass.), c) three or four rags that don't give off a lot of lint. Old t-shirts are perfect, d) a paintbrush -- about a three inch one is fine for this. e) some sheets of extra fine and fine sandpaper, f) a
two or three inch wide putty knife.
3. Using the brush, wipe the stripper all over the table. I usually do the bottom sides first, then the top, visible sides. Let it set according to product instructions.
4. Using the putty knife, and moving WITH THE GRAIN when possible, scrape off the old finish. You will know if it has set long enough if the finish comes right off. YOu might have to reapply the stripper in some areas, and scrape again. For curved edges, use the steel wool to scrape with. Clean your steel wool in the bucket of water as it gets clogged with stripper.
5. After you have stripped the whole table, clean it uniformly all over with some stripper on steel wool, drying behind yourself as you go. Then let it dry. (Some products call for you to wash the piece of furniture with paint stripper or something like that before you continue.)
6. Now, comes the PREPARATION. Going WITH THE GRAIN on the table top, lightly HAND sand the table. Also sand the legs and all other surfaces. Wipe the dust away, and re-sand using extra fine paper. Wipe the dust away, and re-sand using 0000 steel wool. (Four-aught steel wool is how you ask for this at the store. It's cheap).
6. Dust and dust again. Get rid of all the stripper stuff. YOu are ready to apply the finish.
7. First, apply the stain. Using a brush, apply the stain onto the undersides of the table first. Apply the stain, let it set a few minutes, and using one of those tshirt scraps, wipe off the excess. After you do all the undersides, do the top sides. Be sure to apply the stain and wipe going WITH THE GRAIN of the wood. If you want a darker color, just reapply and wipe again, letting it set longer.
8. Let the stain dry overnight. Some people (i.e., me...) like just the stain. Others want a hard finish that may or may not shine.
9. For the outer finish, use polyurethane. You can use flat, or semi-gloss, or glossy. This step you have to do carefully, as it is the final finish. After the stain dries, go over the table again with the 0000 steel wool to clean off any grain that was raised by applying the stain. Dust THOROUGHLY. Dust again. Move the table to a place where leaves or debris cannot blow onto the drying finish. ( a room in the house with a very good dropcloth is the best place to do this -- or in a clean garage.)
10. Using a CLEAN BRUSH, apply the polyurethane to the undersides of the table, taking care to dab or wipe off any 'runs' that drip over the edges. Let this dry -- usually 4-6 hours is fine.
11. Turn the table with the top sides up. Carefully, avoiding making drips, apply the polyurethane with a brush to the legs and side surfaces. Don't try to apply it too thickly.
12. FINALLY -- Using the brush, apply the polyurethane to the top of the table. Begin at one end and apply. Then reload your brush and placing your loaded brush on an unvarnished area, brush INTO a varnished area. This makes the brush marks bleed together and disappear.
13. Let the table dry overnight. You can apply a second coat of polyurethane varnish if you like.
Hey... when I was your age, I used to go buy whole bedroom suits for almost nothing at garage sales. You can stain whole room fulls of furniture and make it look like really expensive stuff! Good luck!
Light orangish wood, looks very good with olive green, try it before you consider refinishing. But, I am hearing that you aren't pleased with the dark olive green room even if it is patriotic. Painting is your best bet. Find the color you like, find a neighbor with the roller stuff and roll it on in W formation, it keeps it from having runs or lap marks. You'll also need a good brush to trim the ceiling wall and around woodwork.
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