Refinishing a Table for Beginner DIYers

Sometimes you find that perfect piece of furniture, but it’s not the right style or has a damaged finish. Guess what? You can refinish it and make it new again, just as you like it! In this post I’ll walk you through the whole process of refinishing a table.

Disclosure: The links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no cost to you, I earn a small commission if you click the link and purchase the item. To view our full Affiliate Disclosure, click here.

My First Furniture Refinishing Project

A few months ago I decided I needed this Pottery Barn Kids Carolina Play Table for my daughter. It seemed like the perfect investment piece for her to use as a craft table and as extra dining space when we had kid friends over. But, after all the moving expenses, it just wasn’t in the budget right away.

But then, I found this gem on Facebook Marketplace! It’s the PB Kids Small Carolina Play Table in Chocolate. Just, you know, a little loved but for only $25. I know you’re thinking the same thing my husband did when he went to pick it up: you paid money for this?

Absolutely!

A solid wood table like this just needs a little love to be given a whole new lease on life!

And, refinishing the table allows you to customize it to whatever style you love.

Note: I did not strip this table with any chemical strippers. I’m trying to limit the chemicals in my life, so I focused on a refinishing project I knew I could sand away the previous finish. If you are interested in using chemical strippers or bleach, check out The Coastal Oak–Amy has some beautiful pieces she’s refinished and refreshed (and, she lives in Charleston too)!

Also Note: I am staining the table, not painting it. If you want to use paint, you don’t need to sand all the previous finish off. You just need to sand off any peeling stain or paint, and sand all over lightly to roughen the finish to accept the paint. Then after painting, you’d still apply the poly to protect the finish.

Final Note: Make sure you are choosing a piece that is solid wood, not a veneer covering. If your piece is veneered, you may damage the piece with sanding it. So, ask someone smarter than me how to refinish a veneered piece 🙂

Supplies Needed for Refinishing a Table

• Orbital or Cat Corner Sander
• Sand paper for your sander in 60-80 grit, 100-120 grit, and 220-240 grit
• Sanding blocks in 120 grit and 220 grit
• Tack cloth
• Minwax Wood Finish stain in Weathered Oak
• Minwax Polycryclic in Clear Matte
• Foam Brushes or a Fine Bristle Brush
• Paint/Stain cloths
• N95 mask
• Eye protection
• Disposable Gloves
• Work Surface large enough for your piece ( I love this work bench! )

Step 1: Prep Your Workspace

Ok, before you get started on refinishing your table, make sure you have an open, well ventilated space you can work in for a few days (garage with the door open is great!).

You’re going to be sanding and using stains, so you need a space that is well ventilated, as well as one that can get a little dirty. And, if your piece isn’t super large or heavy, it’ll be helpful to place it on a workbench or table or anything to keep it propped up and easy to work with.

I’m going to be referring to your piece of furniture as a table for the whole post, since that’s what I refinished. When you’re completing this project, just replace table with whatever you’re working with 🙂

Step 2: Prep Your Piece

Once you have your space set up to refinish a table, let’s prep your piece! If your table can be disassembled (most likely yes), take it apart. You’ll get a cleaner sanding and staining if you do.

For my table, it was as simple as removing these nuts from the legs underneath the table.

Then, use a rag and soap watery and clean your table off. Getting off any dirt or grime before you start sanding will just make your project easier.

Don’t stress too much if there’s some sticky stuff or marks you can’t get off–the sanding will take care of it. But, if there’s easy dirt to get off, get rid of it before you start.

Step 3: Start Sanding!

Ok, everyone complains about sanding when refinishing a table, but honestly if you do it right, it’s easy–it just takes a little bit and makes a mess. And, I have to say, it’s so satisfying to take something that looks like this:

and make it look like this:

I alternated between an orbital sander and a corner sander for this project, just to see if I preferred one over the other. I like my orbital better–I feel like it removed the stain quicker and more evenly than the corner sander. But, the corner sander is definitely easier to manipulate in smaller spaces.

Use your sander to take off as much of the old finish as you can. Then, use sanding blocks or hand sand the parts you can’t reach.

Note: Make sure you sand in the direction of the wood grain, so you don’t damage the table.

You’re going to repeat this sanding step 3 times. Once with 60-80 grit, once with 120-150 grit, and once with 220-240 grit.

Why do I have to sand 3 times when refinishing a table?

You start with a larger grit because it’s coarser. So, it’s going to take off your old finish a whole lot easier. But, it’s going to miss some of the smaller sections AND it’s going to leave your table feeling a lot rougher than you started.

So, the medium grit (120-150 grit) will help remove the remainder of the finish and leave the table feeling a little smoother.

And, the fine grit (220-240) will leave your table feeling super smooth.

Why not just sand once with fine grit sandpaper?

The finer the grit, the longer it will take to remove a finish. So, you can certainly sand once with fine grit sandpaper if you really want to, but you’re going to be eating through a lot of sandpaper and using a lot of elbow grease.

It’ll go so much faster if you use the 3 different grits.

Step 4: Tack Cloth

Once you’ve sanded every nook and cranny of your table, wipe everything off with tack cloth twice. I also use this time to sweep up my workspace.

This’ll get every bit of saw dust up, so you won’t have any stuck in your new finish.

Step 5: Apply Stain

Ok, let’s start transforming your table! This is where you’re really going to get a glimpse of what your table is going to look like.

You’ll need your stain and your fine bristle brush or foam brush for this step in refinishing your table, as well as a clean disposable rag.

Important to Remember: You’ll have to apply the stain and sealant in 2 parts, since you’ll need to stain all 4 sides of the legs + the underside on top of the table.

I started with the underneath of the table and the inside of the legs, since those will be seen less. So, if I messed up on my first round, or there were indents in the poly from resting the table, I wanted it to be on the underside.

Using your brush, brush your stain on in even strokes WITH the wood grain over the piece.

After 5-15 minutes, wipe the stain off with your disposable rag, in the direction of the wood grain (5 minutes for a lighter stain, 15 minutes for a darker stain–I went with 10 because I liked the color I chose). Make sure to get any pools of stain sitting on the piece.

For the legs, stain 2 sides now, and we’ll stain the other 2 sides with the top of the table.

Let the stain dry for however long your directions say (I left mine over night since I was working during nap times).

Then flip your table over and your legs over and stain the rest.

Do you need a second coat of stain?

This totally depends on the look you’re going for! I loved the look of mine after one coat, so I didn’t apply another coat.

But, I used this same stain on a different type of wood for our growth chart, and I had to apply 3 coats because it wasn’t absorbed evenly.

It’s totally up to you and how the wood absorbs the stain! If after 1 coat, your piece looks perfect–stop! If it looks splotchy or not dark enough, plan on a second and even a third coat.

How do you apply a 2nd/3rd coat of stain?

The only difference with the extra coats of stain when refinishing a table is that you want to sand with fine sandpaper (220-240) between each coat.

This will help even out any uneven spots in the stain, so that you’ll get a nice even and smooth finish at the end. I just used my sanding blocks here and not my orbital, but either will work. After any sanding, remember to run the table with tack cloth to collect any sawdust.

Step 6: Apply Sealant

Ok, last big step in refinishing your table (head up–it has several steps within it): applying your protective coating.

I used Minwax Polycrilic in matte finish for my sealant. They have a wide aray of finishes to choose from. I didn’t want my table to be shiny, so I went with matte, but choose what works for your piece!

Before you apply your sealant, make sure you sand with fine sandpaper (220-240 grit) to even our your stain and get your smooth finish. Wipe with tack cloth after.

You’ll need 3 coats here for a good even finish, so this step is a lot of waiting and repeating. And, don’t forget you’ll have to do this on both sides.

Here’s the steps:

1. Apply sealant in the direction of the wood grain with your brush. Make sure not to leave any puddles of sealant
2. Let dry for 2 hours (or however long your sealant says to)
3. Sand using fine sand paper to even out the finish (220-240 grit)–I used my sanding blocks here, and not my orbital.
4. Wipe with tack cloth
5. Repeat Steps 1-4 for a total of 3 coats on all sides of your piece.

Between flipping the legs and table top to seal the other side, I would let the first 3 coats dry for a good 24 hours to make sure you don’t leave any marks on your freshly sealed table.

Once you’re done with all the coats, allow the piece to dry for at least 24 hours before reassembling.

Step 7: Reassemble Your Piece

Now that your table is refinished, put it back together and place it where you want it!

Voila!

How good does this look?!

As a reminder, here’s where we started:

• 

• 

• 

And, here’s where we are now again after refinishing the table:

• 

• 

• 

Amazeballs.

You should definitely take a before and after pics too because you’re going to be amazed at the difference when you’re done.

Did this Guide Help You in Refinishing a Table?

Send your before, during, and after pics my way! I’ll feature them on my social media accounts and tag you!

Have Questions? Looking for More DIY Projects?

Check out How to Paint a Chalkboard Wall, How to Replace a Closet Rod, and the Easiest Board & Batten Tutorial You’ll Find!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post in the comments below! Or, you can always send a direct message to us at our Contact Us page.

And, you can always find even more ideas if you follow us on our Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook pages!

Last but not least, please review our Disclaimer before completing any project we describe here.