How much work?

Disorganised_Me

Hi All,

I'm unsure if I'm best posting this here or in the DIY board. If it's in the wrong place please let me know.

I'm looking for advice on a project. I'm brand new to upcycling furniture but keen to give it a go. I'm need a new dining table and would like it to be round with a gloss finish. I'm tempted to buy this and give it a go myself.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/dining-tables-chairs/beach-circular-dining-table-and-4-chairs-/1170521937

Has anyone experience of this? Am I being delusional? I might buy a small cheap piece of furniture to try first.

All feedback welcome.

PasturesNew

It's a lot of work - and drying time - and mess.

But, if you want to give it a go then why not buy the table and pop down the tip for some "random bits of wood" and practise on those bits first... and if you hate your skills, flog the table off. You can't lose money on the table at that price.

Disorganised_Me

Thanks PasturesNew!

Do you do this? Do I need to worry about different finishes? I could try it on a coffee table that I'm not too fussed with but it's unfinished pine (I think) whereas any dining table would have a veneered finish I would assume......

happy35

I know somebody who sprayed furniture with those cans of paint meant for cars, changed theirs into black gloss furniture and it looked really good.

NewShadow

Assuming it's wood rather than plastic wood, it's not a lot of work - just a fair bit of time.

If it's veneer, don't buy it.

Looking at it, I would actually assume it's cheap pine with a beech wood varnish.

You'll need to remove the seats - shouldn't be too hard, but have a look before you buy it to check how they're attached. You might find they just pop off with a good knock to the underside.

Then you need to sand the whole thing back. You could buy a mini sander, but to be honest it's not worth the bother. Just buy some cheap rolls of coarse and find sand paper (you need the fine for finishing it after you've varnished it again) and sit on the floor watching the TV doing a leg at a time of an evening.

Once you've done that - if it's solid pine, I'd be tempted just to oil it - but that's because I like wood.

If you're painting it, you'll need to fill any cracks, then sand it with your fine paper (always in the same direction as the grain).

Then wipe it down with a wet cloth and let it dry.

Base coat and leave to dry.

Two coats of gloss (48 hours between them) then wait a week (or two) before putting anything hot or wet on it (to prevent marking)

Really not complicated, but slow to do right.

Worst comes to worst and you mess it up... that's why you bought extra sandpaper :rotfl:

NewShadow

happy35 wrote: »

I know somebody who sprayed furniture with those cans of paint meant for cars, changed theirs into black gloss furniture and it looked really good.

Spray gloss can look good, but you need to be careful to make sure it's applied evenly and doesn't bubble.

Don't try and coat the whole thing in one go - apply several very light coats - to avoid dribbles and uneven finishes, and wait at least 20 minutes between coats.

(oh, and for all painting - make sure you're in a well ventilated area).

PasturesNew

Disorganised_Me wrote: »

Thanks PasturesNew!

Do you do this? Do I need to worry about different finishes? I could try it on a coffee table that I'm not too fussed with but it's unfinished pine (I think) whereas any dining table would have a veneered finish I would assume......

I don't have the room. I would like to at some point (when I've built an extension/utility) ... but not a whole table. I'd do small stuff to build up the expertise. It's not as easy as "they" make it look because "they" have had several goes at it and put a lot of time into trying different things, techniques, brushes, grit sanding paper, tools, paints etc.

A table's pretty "in your face" and big to be honest

jackyann

I agree with PasturesNew. Tables can be difficult because of the relatively large, flat surface that shows any imperfection.
If you can afford it, and have the room, I might buy some bargains like this and keep them by whilst I built up expertise on smaller and more forgiving items.
In fact I did do exactly that, but just stuff for our home, not to sell on.

I have no experience of using metallic gloss paint, but I wonder if happy35's friend's table lasted for long - I have the idea that the paint would separate off the wood.

Tiddlywinks

I actually think £100 is expensive to be honest. There are lots of bargains to be had much cheaper than that and of really good makes.

Six years ago I bought a Ducal oval (extending) table with 5 chairs for £32 from ebay. It just needed to be sanded and then waxed.

You regularly see Ercol older tables too in the darker wood which is now out of favour but which can be sanded and lightened.

There are loads of videos on YouTube to show techniques etc.

As someone else said, make sure you buy real wood and not just veneer. Then you need a good sander - one for larger surfaces and another for detailing (this can be done with sanding paper and elbow grease BUT is hard work).

If you make a mistake, you can always lightly sand back and redo.

The biggest thing is patience, closely followed by having he right tools and the space to keep the surface clean in between the various stages.

Softstuff

I do upcycle furniture, everything from painting to upholstery. Most of the furniture in our house I've done, so I have a fair bit of experience in it

That table is certainly doable, how difficult it is depends on the look you're after. First things first, it's better if it's solid wood. It's entirely possible to upcycle something that isn't, but as a first attempt solid wood gives you more leeway for mistakes.

You say "gloss finish", what exactly do you mean by that? If you mean painting it all one colour and it being glossy, that's probably a harder idea for your first go. A single large flat one colour area in gloss is very hard to get right if you've not much experience. Not impossible, but difficult.

I see that table and my instinct is to sand it all back (mouse hand sander, course sandpaper to start, finer to finish up, wearing a mask and goggles, until all the varnish is gone). Stain it almost black (I use tea and steel wool in vinegar, I can give more details if you're interested), the wood grain still shows. Then a couple of coats of porters clear coat, satin finish, very forgiving, brush it in the direction of the grain, 3 coats letting it dry each time. Or, similar idea, but with a soft limed oak finish... another cheap staining trick.

NewShadow

Softstuff wrote: »

Stain it almost black (I use tea and steel wool in vinegar, I can give more details if you're interested) ... but with a soft limed oak finish... another cheap staining trick.

I'm interested...:D

ETA: Like this?



http://www.addicted2decorating.com/my-experience-staining-wood-with-tea-steel-wool-and-vinegar.html