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    sprucing up a tired old coffee table

    Hey everyone. I was wondering if anyone has any tips on how I could make an old wooden coffee table look a bit less of an eyesore. My boss has recently had the house I work in, decorated and he donated some of the old furniture to poor old Jem and JP. We eventually want a long coffee table with a shelf for JP's magazines, but for now, this simple, square wooden table will make do.

    The problem is that over the years cups of hot tea and coffee have been spilt over and over and so the surface is all bubbles, chipped or worn. My mum makes clothes so has plenty of fabric we could throw over it if need be, but I thought maybe a PF member might have an interesting idea for sprucing it up DIY style. Whatever we do, we'll need to beg, borrow or steal materials, but our neighbours, local shop keepers, family and friends are all being very sympathetic and supportive, so I'm sure they'd help out!

    Thanks in advance!

    -Jem
    夕方に急なにわか雨は「夕立」と呼ばれるなら、なぜ朝ににわか雨は「朝立ち」と呼ばれないの? ^^If a sudden rain shower in the evening is referred to as an 'evening stand', then why isn't a shower in the morning called 'morning stand'?

    #2
    Re: sprucing up a tired old coffee table

    My friend bought a hideous tv stand for his apartment and sanded it or used steel wool and I think stained it to even out the surface. And there's some gloopy stuff my parents use on imperfections on the wood floors at home... I could tell you the product when I get to the house tomorrow. XD

    selume proferre

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      #3
      Re: sprucing up a tired old coffee table

      Is it real wood? If so, you can get some stripper, strip the varnish, sand it, and re-varnish it. Good as new. You could also stain it before you re-varnish it.

      Alternately, you could sand it down and paint it (if it has varnish, make sure you strip it first because it will clog your sandpaper). Then you could paint it.

      If it's not wood, or you don't want to do the above, you could try decopaging it or tiling it.

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        #4

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          #5
          Re: sprucing up a tired old coffee table

          I'm not actually sure if it is real wood or not to be honest. I do like the glass idea. The only way I could really get my hands on a large sheet of glass right now, would be to take it out of a picture frame, and it would be dependant on me finding a pane the exact same size as my table, but I can try. I COULD buy the glass, but I could probably buy a new coffee table for little more than the glass would cost.

          I'll ask my neighbours if they have any old tins of varnish or paint and depending on what is donated, I'll decide what to do. I like the idea of making a decopage too. My mum has some really pretty papers that would match the room colours and I'm thinking of collecting some carpet samples in the colours and joining them together to make a free patchwork rug. Matching the table with that would be really nice!
          夕方に急なにわか雨は「夕立」と呼ばれるなら、なぜ朝ににわか雨は「朝立ち」と呼ばれないの? ^^If a sudden rain shower in the evening is referred to as an 'evening stand', then why isn't a shower in the morning called 'morning stand'?

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            #6
            Re: sprucing up a tired old coffee table

            Originally posted by Jembru View Post
            I'll ask my neighbours if they have any old tins of varnish or paint and depending on what is donated, I'll decide what to do. I like the idea of making a decopage too. My mum has some really pretty papers that would match the room colours and I'm thinking of collecting some carpet samples in the colours and joining them together to make a free patchwork rug. Matching the table with that would be really nice!
            That sounds like it would be really lovely!

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              #7
              Re: sprucing up a tired old coffee table

              I like that idea more than just staining or painting. You could tile the top. You could use plexi glass if it's cheaper and you can still see through it.

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