How to makeover a dining table?

[lis40]

 

 

I would like to make this a Hampton style table but don’t know how or what to use.  So from the darker one which is what I have to something like the lighter one.

[StevieB]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @lis40. We've had a few members tackle similar projects that may be helpful to get you started with what products to use or steps to take.

Check out these projects and discussions:

• Dinner table makeover by @Nham

• Upstyled my dining table and chairs by @belinda66

• Solved: Tired dining table makeover by @MP2020

Our resident D.I.Y. expert @EricL will also be happy to help when he's back on the site tomorrow.

Stevie

[EricL]

Hello @lis40

Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your desire to makeover your dining table.

Before beginning your project, I suggest we first find out if we can sand the current stain off and see what kind of timber you have beneath. Using some Flexovit 100mm x 1m 240 Grit Painted Surface Sandpaper Roll go under your table and find a hidden spot in the corner and sand some of the finish off. If the finish comes off and you see light coloured timber then it is possible to finish your table in a lighter finish.

However, if after sanding you find that the colour only goes slightly lighter, it means that the slightly lighter tone of the timber is its actual colour. Some timbers have dark tones to them, others are stained to get that dark look. The only way to find out is if we sand the finish off.

If you find that the stain can be sanded off and you have light timber underneath, the steps to renovation are straightforward. The table will have to be sanded down until the old finish has come off. I suggest using the Ryobi 300W Random Orbital Sander. You can then choose a finish that you want. For a suttle non-glossy finish, I recommend using Cabot's 500ml Satin Water-Based Cabothane Clear Polyurethane Varnish. Please keep us updated, we are keen to see your dining table transformed.

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to restore wooden furniture

Let me tag our experienced members @prettyliving and @DanaR for their recommendations.

If you need more advice or information, please let us know.

Eric

[prettyliving]

Hi @lis40 

As @EricL suggested I would start my sanding to see what timber you are working with. Once you’ve sanded, if you’re happy with the colour then you can apply a clear varnish, if the colour of the timber is too dark after sanding then you could always further lighten it with a lime wash. 
I did our dining table a few years back and once I sanded the stain off it, the colour of the timber was a little too yellow yellow for my liking so I used a liming white stain which brought it to the lighter tone I was after. 👌🏻