One of the most seen pieces of furniture in your home is your coffee table. In order to keep it looking its best you will have to give it a facelift every once in a while. Here are just a few tips to help you keep it looking beautiful for years to come.
Never just go to work on your coffee table. Always know the style and the actual valued price of the coffee table before attempting to clean or restore it. The last thing you want to do is actually damage an original Victorian coffee table. So, the first tip, is to find out if your table is worth anything and if it is, leave the restoration and cleaning to the pros.
If you have determined that your coffee table is just a plain Jane coffee table, you can now get to work on making it beautiful once again. Your first task is to clean it thoroughly to remove dirt and dust. You will be sanding it later, so this step may seem redundant, but it makes perfect sense. You want to make sure to remove old dirt and dust particles from any nooks and crannies before you start the sanding so you know that nothing will be left behind and you will have the smoothest finished product as possible.
After you clean your table you will need to then use your sandpaper or electric sander to remove old paint and varnish from the coffee tables’ surface. Take your time and make sure that everything is being sanded evenly. If your coffee table has a lot of intricate detail or carvings in its design you may need to use a chemical paint remover.
When you use chemical removers always make sure you have adequate ventilation and wear a mask and gloves for better protection. Enzymatic varnish removers are by far the best type of remover for wooden furniture. They are powerful enough to remove the old paint and varnish, but not overly powerful enough to damage the piece. This type of remover works for mission coffee table sets made of traditional wood, as well as for rattan coffee tables made from alternative lumber.
When you apply your new paint or varnish, make sure you give enough time in between coats for the initial coat to completely dry. Some varnishes require six to ten hours before the next coat can be applied. Check the back of the container for the particular instructions.