About a year ago I found a round table at a local thrift store. It needed quite a bit of work, but I could definitely see the potential in it, so I picked it up for about $25. I brought it home and let it set in the garage for quite a long time before I finally got up the gumption to work on it. I’ll be honest, though. I’ve never refinished a piece of furniture in my life, so since I had no idea what I was doing, Dan helped me quite a bit. Together, we finished it up, and I couldn’t be happier.
To begin, we scraped off the old veneer that was peeling off the top of the table. Notice the water spot on the top of the table, something we didn’t quite get rid of throughout the refinishing process….but something that also tends to give the table a bit of charm….just wait for it.
Then we sanded down the top of the table. We stripped the finish off with Klean Strip. We applied the Klean Strip onto the table with a brush, and we let it set for about 5-10 minutes.
Then we wiped the finish off with rags, also scraping it off with a putty knife. This was probably the most tedious part of the whole process. 
After we stripped the finish, we gave the entire table a light sanding. Dan had taken the table apart to repair the legs, so we sanded each individual piece. This is where Mama got to use a power tool…. we both used the orbital finishing sander, as well as good ole sand paper. 
Dan actually used Elmer’s Wood Filler to fill in a few rough spots that needed some TLC.
The wood filler has to be sanded after it’s dry (it takes about 30-45 minutes for it to dry). 
It was important to use tack cloth to wipe the dust off before applying the stain. 
We were then able to apply Rustoleum Stain, Kona color. The Kona is a darker color, which gives the table a very classic, chic look.
Once the stain was applied, we then had to let it sit for about 15 minutes before wiping the stain off. We repeated these steps about three times, just to get the darker tone that we wanted. 
Next, Dan put the table back together, repairing the legs.
Finally, we applied Rustoleum Polyurethane to the table to give it a protective coating that also gives it a shine. We applied about 3 coats of Polyurethane to the table. 
We now have a finished project. 
I will say that we could have covered the top with veneer again, but we both kinda liked the rustic feeling of the old wood on top, so we left it the way that it is and just sanded/stained it. Even the old water stain now looks like a simple knot in the wood (fyi, the lamp is kinda sitting over the spot, so it’s harder to see here).
It’s such a beautiful addition to our bedroom (which we’re in the midst of making over right now; I’ll be sharing before/after pics soon). The table just adds a measure of classic beauty to the room.
Have you been working on any projects lately? Do you enjoy finding thrift store treasures?
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