Let’s admit it, it’s likely we have all been there when we have seen a DIY project that we would love to tackle! In this day and age of social media we often have the opportunity to let our minds run wild on all the things we could do if we had access to project pieces! Getting someone else’s “junk” with grand ideas of how we can make someone else’s trash our treasure! Am I right?? I have a feeling I am and if so follow me along with these easy steps as I tackle how to refinish a dining table in 2 days!
Time to make a purchase for the perfect table to refinish!
When we moved into our new home, I had big plans for all the things I was going to do! We were going to have a formal dining space as well as an eat in kitchen, so naturally we needed another table. In building a new home my budget was a little scarce, so I turned to our local Facebook buying and selling page to look for someone else’s junk…I mean treasure! What I found was an older cherry wood table selling for $100. The table screamed “perfect project piece” and I quickly jumped on the table and brought my husband to a neighboring town to quickly scoop up my prize possession! I asked if he’d take $90…ya know my budget and all, he accepted, and we had ourselves a shiny “new to me” dated cherry wood table ready to refinish!
Let’s get this thing started! Refinishing a table commences!
So, as you imagined, I bought the table with the intent of refinishing it in the near future. Well…the near future turned into 5 years and every time I looked at that table, I was reminded of all its possibilities! Keep reading to see how I refinished this dated cherry table into a farmhouse beauty.
Fast forward 5 years and finally the big day arrived! I was ready to get to work on turning this table into my vision but was suddenly stopped short after an hour of trying to sand this table with a hand sander. I was getting nowhere, and my visions were slowly fading away! Insert meltdown here!
After a little frustration I keep going…Next step, turn to the internet for help!
I find Citristrip in my search and decide here’s my new bestie to help this table turn into what it’s meant to be! Citristrip is a brand of paint and varnish stripping products that can remove multiple layers of dried latex and oil-based paint, varnish, lacquer, polyurethane and shellac from wood, metal and masonry surfaces and according to the official website of Citristrip, their Paint & Varnish Stripping Gel can remove five layers of dried latex paint in under one hour! Talk about progress!
Here are some options for purchasing Citristrip paint remover:
1. **Citristrip Qcsg801 Paint & Varnish Stripping Gel**: This product is available on eBay for **$20.61** ¹.
2. **CITRISTRIP Safer Paint/Varnish STRIPPING GEL, 64 Oz Bottle**: This product is available on eBay.com for **$50.99** ¹.
3. **Citristrip HCSG803 Paint And Varnish Stripping Gel**: This product is available on eBay.com for **$36.12** ¹.
Helpful links for refinishing the table!
If you want to check out some links to get yourself updated on how you can ensure you refinish a table in 2 days see these! You can head to the Citristrip site to find more info about the product you can find that below.
Paint & Varnish Stripping Gel 64 oz – Citristrip. https://citristrip.com/paint-varnish-stripping-gel/. Home Page – Citristrip. https://citristrip.com/.
If you want to see how Citristrip is used, see below.
How To: Use CitriStrip (Kinda) – The Craftsman Blog. https://thecraftsmanblog.com/how-to-use-citristrip/.
Refinishing Continues On!
I applied a layer of the Citristrip all over the table and then put saran wrap over the entire tabletop. The bottle suggests you let it sit for 2 hours so that was exactly what I did! I used a full bottle for my table. Don’t be stingy with too little.
Next up: Remove saran wrap and cross fingers! Once you remove the saran wrap the Citristrip gel should be ready to be removed. I used a scraping tool/ brush that you can find here Pacesetter Wire Brush with Steel Scraper | Floor and Decor to help get into the crevices of the table and remove the Citristrip. I also used a spackle knife to remove the gel off the larger areas of the table. 72mm/98mm Wooden Handle Steel Putty for Drywall , Scooping Spackling Painting Wall Fixing Crafts Tools Small – Walmart.com
Time to put some elbow grease into this refinished table!
Here she is getting a facelift! I used a towel to remove the excess crud that accumulated on the table and the scraper from scraping the gel off. This stuff can get messy if it falls on the floor, but we are finally getting somewhere! Yahoo!
After scraping off all the Citristrip gel I wiped the table down really good with a wood cleaner to make sure it all had been removed. Find that here Murphy Oil Soap Wood Cleaner, Original: This cleaner is perfect for cleaning and restoring the natural shine of wood floors and furniture .
To use these cleaners, you should first remove any loose dirt or debris from the wooden surface. Then apply the cleaner using a brush or sprayer and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with damp water rag. Next after cleaning her all up, we moved back to trying this sanding thing again.
Time to Sand!
Below is a picture of the beginning of sanding. I used this hand sander here BLACK+DECKER 1.2 Amp Corded 5.25 in. Mouse Sander BDEMS200C – The Home Depot
Sanding takes some time, but eventually you will release its raw beauty and see your visions coming true! Keep sanding and sand some more until you are happy with the color. I was going for a light wood color with my table. Keep in mind that depending on the wood color of your table will vary how it looks when you strip it and sand it.
By this point I was getting excited! My hard elbow grease was paying off! I decided I wanted to do a two-tone table and I was going to paint the legs white. Because of this I didn’t have to fight the smaller parts of the legs or try to use the sander on small parts but you can definitely do this with a smaller sander if desired.
Next up: Paint the legs! I used Rust-Oleum White Chalk paint found here! Rust-Oleum 30 oz. Linen White Ultra Matte Interior Chalked Paint 301497 – The Home Depot. This part was fairly easy as there isn’t really anyway you can mess this step up! I applied two coats and Ta Da!
We are getting close to the home stretch now!
I did apply some of the white chalk sparingly around the edge of the table as this was harder area to sand and was a little darker in color compared to the top. This technique is a dry brush technique where you lightly add some paint to the dry paint brush and sparingly and lightly add some strokes. After the table dries in a few hours we are in the final steps.
Last step!! We made it to the home stretch of our refinished table!
Use a poly coat to help protect the wood from damage. Varathane 1 qt. Clear Satin Water-Based Interior Polyurethane 200241H – The Home Depot. This helps protect the wood and gives it a nice clean finished look! Let your clear coat dry and then you’re ready to see your wonderful project piece come to life!
I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of my Facebook find and it feels great to know I transformed it to my vision for minimal cost and time! I hope you enjoyed how to refinish a table in 2 days! Reach out with any questions below! Check out more DIY projects on my site and let me know what project you would like to see!
http://www.adventureswiththesturms.com
For links to the decor check below
Chairs Kirklands Louis Cream Upholstered Dining Chair | Kirklands Home
Table runner Hobby lobby Braided Jute Table Runner | Hobby Lobby | 5771357
Round placemat Walmart Better Homes & Garden Lilli Placemat, Natural, 17″ Round, 1 Piece – Walmart.com
Bowls- Dollar store! If it’s just decoration no need to get anything high quality!
Teal charger plates and napkins- Homegoods
I love shopping for reasonable priced items so head over to http://www.adventureswiththesturms.com if I can help you with any ideas for your home!