Let’s Give Our Playroom Furniture a Makeover!

Hi friends! If you follow us on Instagram, you’ll know we’re in the middle of a very long dining room-turned-playroom makeover (thanks to needing to juggle some rooms upstairs for our new little girl arriving soon). Since we have a lot of expenses coming up with a new baby on on the way, I’ve been trying to makeover the playroom in a budget friendly way. And, one of the best ways I’ve been doing that is making over our playroom furniture with a little paint!

• Active Time: 3-4 hours
• Total Time: 3-4 days
• Power Tools Needed: You don’t need a power sander, but I will tell you things went so much more quickly with my random orbit sander
• Cost: $0-$100 (This project was free for me, since I had the table and reused paint from another project. If you include what I paid for the table and paint and sealant and other supply costs, it’d be closer to $100)
• Difficulty Level: Beginner
• Need Help?: Nope. I did this whole project solo, start to finish

Today we’re going to focus on our now pink playroom kids’ table and chairs. This table started out as a great Marketplace find–a Crate & Kids table and chairs that definitely needed a little love.

While originally thought I would stain this table, just like I did the last Marketplace kids table I found, I decide our playroom furniture need to be just a little bit more fun. So, this post will walk you through how to paint a table (or any other piece of furniture).

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.

Supplies Needed

• Orbital or Cat Corner Sander
• Sand paper for your sander 220-240 grit
• Sanding blocks in 220 grit
• Tack cloth
• Paint of Your Choice–I used leftover Sherwin Williams Emerald paint in Hopeful in Satin
• Fine Bristle Brush
• Small Paint Roller and roller covers
• 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 paint, 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 any furniture, but honestly if you do it right, it’s easy or a table–it just takes a little bit and makes a mess.

Good news here–you really only need to take off the damaged or peeling finish. Your goal is to get a smooth feel to the piece before painting.

I used my orbital sander to do most of the work. Then, I used sanding blocks or hand sand the parts you can’t reach with the orbital.

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

Step 4: Tack Cloth

Once you’ve got a nice smooth finish, and all the damaged finishing has been removed from 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 Paint

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.

Since I’m doing a budget-friendly playroom makeover, I’m using leftover paint from our rainbow wall stencil project for our playroom furniture.

You’ll need your paint and your fine bristle brush and mini roller set for this step in refinishing your table.

Important to Remember: You’ll have to apply the paint in 2 parts, since you’ll need to paint 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 finish from resting the table, I wanted it to be on the underside.

I started with my brush, applying paint to all the nooks and crannies and places my roller wouldn’t reach.

Then I used my roller to smooth out the brush strokes and apply paint to the rest of the table.

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

Let the paint dry for however long your directions say (I left mine over night since I was working during nap times). Repeat this process to apply up to 3 total coats.

Let dry 24 hours, then flip your table over and your legs over and do the same for another 3 coats.

For the Chairs:

I also painted these in a few steps to allow the undersides to dry. And, I found it easier to separate the seats and paint those separately than the base of the chair. That way I could easily reach all the nooks and crannies of the chair.

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 array 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!

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. Gently stir the polycrilic. Do not shake it or swirly it vigorously. You’ll add air bubbles to the sealant, which will lead to air bubbles on your furniture.
2. Apply sealant with fine bristle brush. Make sure not to leave any puddles of sealant
3. Let dry for 2 hours (or however long your sealant says to)
4. Sand using fine sand paper to even out the finish (220-240 grit)–I used my sanding blocks here, and not my orbital. Don’t be too aggressive here or you’ll take off some of the paint. You really just want to even out any uneven spots of sealant.
5. Wipe with tack cloth
6. 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?! It’s such a great start to our playroom furniture makeovers.

As a reminder, here’s where we started:

And, here’s where we are now again after painting our playroom table:

How cute is this for our playroom for our two little girls?!

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

Now, we have a few more projects to get this playroom finished (including making over a few more pieces of playroom furniture). Then I’ll share a big reveal here on the blog and social media!

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?

I’ll be sharing another playroom furniture project soon–our bookshelves’ makeover (another amazing Marketplace find). But for now, 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.

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