Updating Coffee Table

Years ago, my husband purchased this gem of a coffee table at a second hand store and it’s made a dozen or so moves with him. It is the perfect square size and made of solid wood. I love it, but recently I started noticing some bad wear & tear and wanted to give the table new life.

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Give me all the Details.

1. Filled the holes with Wood filler
2. Sanded her down as much as I could. The previous stain was a Red Mahogany, and some of that stain remained on the legs.
   – I wasn’t too concerned since my plan was to stain the table with Minwax Provincial. (a dark stain)
3. Use a tack cloth to get rid of all the excess sawdust.
4. Stained the whole coffee table with Minwax Provincial.
5. Didn’t love how dark it was.
6. Sanded the top and tested Minwax Golden Oak and Early America to see what would look best.
7. Carried the coffee table into the house and try to figure out which color looked better.
8. Texted my best friend pictures and half word vomit to try to get input.
9. Take a leap and decide on Golden Oak.
10. Sand the top of the table to get to the base.
11. Use a tack cloth to get rid of all the excess sawdust.
12. Stain the top and the sides.
13. Apply a very light coat of Polyurethane.
14. Once dry, rub Grade #0000 Steel Wool all over the table.
    – You’re doing this to level out any air bubbles or imperfections that were in the Polyurethane.
15. Use a tack cloth to make sure you’re surface is clean. Repeat Steps 14 and 15 until you like the look.
16. In total, the whole table has 3 coats of stain and 2 coats of polyurethane.

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Sometimes you have a plan, get into it and realize you need to change it up. Always remember to give yourself grace when doing home improvements.

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Materials.

• Sand Paper (80, 120 and 220 Grit)
• Wood Filler
• Hand Sander
• Tack Cloth
• Plastic Gloves
• Paper Towel
• Foam Paint Brush
• Steel Wool – Grade #0000
• Stain – Minwax Provincial
• Stain – Varathane Early American
• Stain Varathane Golden Oak
• Varathane Polyurethane