How to Refinish an Old Wooden Coffee Table
A step by step tutorial on how to refinish an old wooden coffee table, to make it your own. Sand, stain, and seal any wood table for a fresh new look!
I’ve been on the lookout for a new (to me) coffee table for quite some time now. I knew I wanted something that was affordable, and solid wood that I could refinish myself, so I kept a lookout on Facebook Marketplace for just that.
I can rarely find new pieces that I actually like these days, so being able to customize something old to exactly how I want it is my ideal situation.
We’ve had our industrial coffee table that we built in our living room for years now. I still love it, but it was getting a little worn down and we were just ready for something different.
Enter shiny, orange, twenty dollar, perfect wood table.
It was the exact shape and size I wanted. The legs were turned perfectly, and the little drawer with the wooden knob was the best little vintage touch. And you can’t beat twenty bucks!
My plan was simple. Sand off the orange glossy finish, then just restain it the color I wanted.
Supplies Needed to Restore Wooden Coffee Table
- Sander with 80 grit/220 grit Sandpaper
- Sanding Block
- Wood Stain
- Polycrylic in Clear Matte
Instructions on How to Restore Wooden Coffee Table
- Clean the coffee table of any dirt.
- Using a sander and 80 grit sandpaper, begin sanding off gloss, colored finish until raw wood grain shows.
- Get as much off the legs with the sander, then use a sand block to get in hard to reach spots.
- Finish off sanding with 220 grit sandpaper on top and sides (I didn’t bother with the legs) to make the surface as smooth as possible.
- Stain raw wood with new stain color (I used Minwax Special Walnut and then Dark Walnut).
- Seal with polycrylic.
When I do projects like these, I don’t need them to be perfect. There are a lot of spots I missed on purpose to give varying color tones and textures. I like things to look worn in all the right places so the piece looks old.
I love the way this one turned out. The color mix was spot on what I wanted.
Reasons to Refinish an Old Piece of Furniture
- To customize it exactly how you want it to look – stain, paint, add texture, etc.
- To salvage a piece that is a family heirloom.
- To do a repair on the old piece.
- To save money and not have to buy new.
- Quality of old wood furniture is so much better than new.
- As a fun project, or something new to learn.
Other Furniture Makeovers
- Nursery Furniture Makeover
- Vintage Cedar Chest Makeover
- Guest Bedroom Armoire Makeover
- Farmhouse Side Table Makeover
- Industrial Coffee Table
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Newbie question: when you say mix the stains, are you doing equal parts of both?
Thanks!
This is exactly what I am looking for to redo 2 end tables, a book shelf and a desk that are currently orangey oak. I have never sanded, stained and finished wood pieces before. Do you think a “newbie” could tackle these pieces with your instructions above??
Glad to see you’re back!! Love love the coffee table can you tell me where you got the pillows on your couch I love it it looks so fresh!
Thank you! The charcoal pillows are from IKEA, the green velvet one is Pottery Barn, and the white one is from Home Goods! All my favorite places for throw pillows!
Wow! Perfect!
So glad you like it! Thanks Karen!
Ok, I love love how this turned out! Color is perfect!!! Way to go mama👌🏼
Thanks Karlee! Bailey approves too! Lol.
This looks so good, Ashley!!
Thank you sweet friend!
Love it, looks amazing!
Thanks so much Jane! Appreciate that!
Love the coffee table now!!!!! Imagine a larger version of this table….that would be my farmhouse kitchen table…yet it is in the original “orangy” oak. When we had to move, I haven’t had room for it in my breakfast area, so it’s in my basement. My hubby want me to rid if it and there is no way!!!!. Maybe I day I’ll give it a redo..lol
Thank you! And I don’t blame you for not wanting to get rid of it! I wouldn’t want to either! Always nice to have a backup to redo for the future
Hi I was winding about the three photos behind the couch. Are they digit prints and i like the matting and information on frames and photos would be appreciated. The table and the whole room looks lovely. thank you for sharing what you do. Such a softness about i that I find soothing.
dianna
Yes! I’m actually in the process of writing an entire blog post about this whole gallery wall! In the meantime, I got those three big frames from the Studio McGee line at Target. All the artwork is printable art from Etsy! Cant wait to share more!
Looks great! I love the colour too. 🙂
Thanks Julie! Glad you like it!