Reworking Your Coffee Table in Horsham, PA? Here Is How

Wooden furniture can age gracefully if it is cared for and handled with care.
But there are pieces of furniture that are usually much more stressed than others.

A typical example is coffee tables, which often show stains and scratches eventually and loses color.

If a damaged coffee table in Horsham, PA, is particularly important to you, or you just want to use it for a do-it-yourself project, you can learn here how to rework a coffee table with only a few tools and materials.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Prepare Your Work Area.

You will have to sand your coffee table, which is a dusty affair. It is therefore advisable to work outdoors or in a garage.
If that’s not possible, choose a room that is well ventilated and not needed while you are working on your project.
Put a canvas on the floor in the room and drop the dust from the sanding on it. Make sure that nobody needs the room during this time.

Sand the Wooden Surfaces

Your coffee table could have a layer of paint and a clear seal on the surface, or it could have been stained and sealed.
Any type of surface can be sanded to reveal the raw wood underneath.
If you want to stain or seal the wood again, you have to sand the wood surface completely.
If you want to paint the coffee table instead, the previous color can remain in some places.

Use an electric grinder if you want the coffee table to be sanded quickly.
Use a sanding block to sand the table legs, trims, or other complicated or hard-to-reach places.
If the areas are challenging to access, you can wrap a piece of sandpaper around your finger.

Dust-Off the Table

When you’re done sanding, use a horse-powered vacuum cleaner to remove as much dust as possible from the coffee table.
To ensure that dust is completely removed after sanding, dampen a cloth with a little alcohol and use it to wipe the coffee table.

If there are scratches in the wood that could not be removed by sanding, you should fill them up before reworking the surface.
More substantial scratches can be filled with wood putty.

Apply Stain

Wood stain is available in a variety of colors and opacities.
Use the stain according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
An inexpensive foam brush is usually sufficient for this task. Let the stain work on the wood and make sure you wipe off any excess stain afterward.
If you let the excess stain dry on the wood, the surface will look uneven.

Apply a Clear Sealant

You might need to apply a layer of clear sealer to improve the appearance of the wood and protect its finish.
For better scratch resistance, use polyurethane. It can be applied with inexpensive foam brushes too.

Pro Tips:
Always wear a dust mask when sanding to prevent respiratory issues. When working with oil-based stains or alcohol, you should always wear safety glasses and thick gloves.
The classic linseed oil and furniture wax are not suitable for coffee tables, as the surface is quickly worn out after repeated use and cleaning.

The Bottom Line

The above is an overall outlook of what to expect when reworking a coffee table and other furniture. The process is a little more detailed than described, but I hope that gives you an idea of what to expect.

As always, if you don’t have the skills or tools to handle your furniture refinishing project, you should consider hiring a professional painting contractor in Horsham, PA like

Hiring on a professional painting contractor like Aspen Painting is the guarantee of a flawless, durable, and high-quality paint job.

We have years of experience in cabinet and furniture painting and staining with a long list of happy customers in Horsham, PA, Ambler, Dresher, Ft. Washington, and Blue Bell, PA.

Call us today on 215-773-8422 for a FREE estimate to get started.