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An old dining table stripped back, then painted and distressed.
The project
After six years of hating this table, I finally did something about it. I'm delighted with how it turned out, so I thought I would share my eight-step process.
I had grand plans to strip the varnish from the tabletop and leave it natural. However, after a closer look, I realised my solid wood table was MDF. So those plans went out the window. I just hoped it was varnish on the tabletop and not a laminate veneer.
Tools and materials
Tools and materials used for the project:
- Oven cleaner
- Comfort grip
- Sugar soap
- Cleaning cloths
- Sander (I used an orbital sander)
- 80-grit sandpaper
- 240-grit sandpaper
- Primer
- Paint
- Face mask and gloves to wear when using the oven cleaner and when sanding.
Steps
Step 1: Strip the top layer of the veneer
As it is MDF, I was worried about how I would strip the varnish off the table. I needed to get the top coat off, as it was pretty thick.
Oven cleaner is my "go to" for stripping varnish and stain. It's so easy and requires minimal heavy lifting. You can apply the oven cleaner twice to remove more varnish, which I've done with a solid wood sideboard, however as this table was MDF I wasn't sure how it would work, so I only applied it once.
Having recently used oven cleaner to strip another piece of furniture, I found keeping my finger out of the trigger a challenge. So, I picked up this trigger grip from Bunnings.
Step 2: Wash it off
Leave the oven cleaner on for 60 minutes and hose it off.
Step 3: Sugar soap
I wiped the table and legs with sugar soap, ready for paint.
Step 4: Sand the tabletop
As I had to paint the edge of the table and legs (as they're MDF), I lightly hand-sanded the edge of the table and legs ready for paint.
Luckily, a wood veneer was on the top of the table. I sanded the tabletop using an orbital sander and 80-grit sandpaper to remove the excess varnish. I had to be careful as it was fragile, and I needed to be very careful about exposing the MDF and effectively ruining the table.
Once the varnish had been removed, I sanded again with an orbital sander, using 240-grit paper to smooth.
Step 5: Paint
Before I painted, I wiped the table top and legs with sugar soap. I used blue tape around the edges of the tabletop (I'm a messy painter) and painted the edge of the table and the legs.
I primed the side of the table and used a roller and brush to paint the edges, removing the blue tape before the final layer of paint had dried.
Once the legs were primed, I sprayed two coats of topcoat.
Step 6: Distress
I left the table for 48 hours for the paint to dry before I distressed the colour entirely. There is no right or wrong way to distress; it's personal taste. I like to run a coarse sanding pad along the corners and edges of the table and legs to remove and rough up the paint.
My tip is to run your sander around sections of the corners and hard edges. You don't want to distress every corner or edge as it will look too perfect. If you do it gradually and keep stepping back to see how it looks you will avoid over distressing.
Step 7: Whitewash
I felt the tabletop was too yellow, and some irregular patches would only be accentuated with stain or bleaching. I wanted to lighten the top, so I waited for a few days, walked past it and stared at it for a few days, then decided to whitewash it.
I didn't use an exact measure. I filled a takeaway container to ⅔ full of water and mixed the paintbrush I had used. Other than the brush, I didn't add any other paint. I brushed it on in the direction of the wood grain and then wiped it off with a damp cloth.
I just did the one layer, but you could add a second, then let it dry for 24 hours.
Step 8: Varnish
I used a water-based polyurethane varnish; I didn't want to yellow the look with an oil-based varnish. I painted three coats of varnish with a paintbrush and sanded with 240-grit sandpaper in between applications.
That was it. It was a relatively straightforward process. I always think the most challenging part of any D.I.Y. project is the fear of how it will turn out. My advice is not to suffer from paralysis by analysis. You can always paint it or try a different method if it doesn't turn out.
More inspiration for your table makeover
Workshop member Belinda sanded her tabletop back to its original colour when she upcycled her dining table and chairs.
Community member vintagemagnolia completed her modern makeover of colonial bedside tables by adding sleek legs plus new paint and knobs.
Find more inspiration in our Top 10 most popular indoor furniture projects.
Good Morning @Renowayoflife
Loved your description and that table really came up nice! I learnt something as well, I have never used oven cleaner to remove varnish but will keep it in my head for next time!
Your comment "I always think the most challenging part of any D.I.Y. project is the fear of how it will turn out" rings so close to the truth, I start a project with gusto then around midway to 2/3rds in the fear it will not turn out kicks in. 
I use the same trick of telling myself I can redo if it dosnt to get me through to the end.
Thats a very nice outcome with your table I cant get over how solid those legs are!
Dave
