you know when you do something, and then you look back and you wonder why that seemed like such a good idea? like bangs? or braving the children’s museum on fall break? or that one time in college when…well, that’s kind of how i felt about my coffee table.

about ten years ago i painted my coffee table black. i also painted a few other furniture pieces black. it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. dark furniture was in. the actual paint process i chose turned out to be very durable and long-lasting. but the color? it didn’t really stand the test of time, style-wise.

fast forward ten years and i was tired of the color. it no longer fit my new farmhouse style {thank you fixer upper}. not to mention the scratches. and the marks that despite my scrubbing, refused to disappear. the table needed a refresh. i could have purchased a new coffee table, but they’re not exactly cheap. plus, the coffee table was a wedding gift to my mom and dad, built specifically for them, with their name engraved underneath. i couldn’t exactly give it away.

does this sound like a piece of furniture in your house? maybe a coffee table, side table, or some other older piece? maybe you’re not ready to get rid of it, can’t afford a new one, or you’ve just been a LITTLE hesitant to try your hand at painting furniture? not to worry. this post will walk you through the whole process. you will see just how easy it is to paint furniture. and if you’re interested in designing a new table top, i have a super easy, budget-friendly way to do that too!

before you get started, if you’re really not sure what supplies to buy – from paint, to brushes, to finishes, and sanders – i’ve got you covered. when i first began painting, this was the most intimidating part for me. there are so many things that bring me JOY about DIY, but getting started can be hard! to help with that, i put together a list of all my favorite painting supplies. i use all of these products on my own painting projects. you can grab your copy here to help with your process so you can focus on the things you love most about DIY!

now that you have your supply list, let’s get started transforming your table from something that looks like this…

to something that looks more like this!

below are the steps we took to transform our coffee table. if you are looking for a budget-friendly way to create a new table top {in addition to painting your table}, start at step 1. if you want to paint your current coffee table {or any table}, skip to step 2. if you are looking for something more dining table specific, click here. something more kitchen table specific? click here.

step 1

construct your new tabletop

when considering a new farmhouse style top for our coffee table, we consulted with an actual table maker. he was very skilled, but very expensive. all i wanted was a new top nailed to our old top. THAT is budget friendly and super easy option. thankfully, a friend of ours was on board to help.

i wanted to stain the new table top a different color than the table base. before we installed the new top, i primed and painted the bottom part of the table white.

{you will notice, i paint right in the middle of my family room. what were my 2 and 4 year old doing while i painted? painting too! see that box behind the table? and those diaper boxes? i save boxes sometimes to set next to to what i am painting. the kids use their washable watercolors on the boxes. large pieces of poster board work too. it takes me a LITTLE longer to paint with kids around but i promise it is possible!}

for my favorite brands of paint for priming and painting furniture of all kinds, you can refer to the painting supplies list i mentioned above. if you didn’t snag your copy yet, click here. while you’re in the LITTLE printable library, you might also want to grab a copy of this cute DIY project planner. keeping all your DIY project details and ideas in one spot will free up time to concentrate on the creative parts of your projects. what does that mean for you? more happy in your day! and we are ALL ABOUT more happy at notice the LITTLE things!

back to the table…our friend created a new top for our table from whitewood. whitewood can be found at your local hardware store and it is cheap, cheap, cheap. it takes a stain well and has held up amazingly for us over the past few years. i highly recommend whitewood when creating a new top for your table.

we cut four, 7″ wide planks of whitewood to about 4″ longer than our actual coffee table {2″ of overage for each end}. we also cut a 2″ plank to lay in the very center of the 7″ planks. this gave the top some visual variety. the whitewood we used was about 1″ thick. you could use thicker depending on the look you want. {i also added a shelf on the bottom to hold a basket for blankets and magazines. extra storage is always a LITTLE thing.}

we used 2″ planks of whitewood to frame out all four sides of the table. if you want a more rustic finish, you can skip this step and leave the edges unframed {like we did for our kitchen table here}.

the farmhouse tabletop we achieved was exactly what i wanted! once the top was secure, we moved on to painting the rest, and staining the top…

step 2

gather/purchase your supplies

to paint your coffee table so that it will not chip, you are going to want to prime, paint, and seal all the main surfaces {i did not paint underneath my table}. this is not hard, it just takes a few days. for the budget-friendly cost, i think it is well worth the time! you can purchase your brushes, primer {or pre-primer if you are staining}, paint, polycrylic, and stain {if you are staining your new top} at your nearest hardware store. or you can print my supplies cheat sheet from the LITTLE printable library and use the DIY project planner to write your list for the store.

step 3

apply your primer

wipe down the piece you will be painting with a wet cloth to remove any dust or residue. when your piece is clean, it is time to prime.

when it comes to painting furniture, using a primer is a must. i tested this out on my hutch. i didn’t use primer for that project and my hutch chips very easily. on my coffee table, i used one coat of primer.

if you built a new table top and you want to paint it the same color as your table, prime it when you prime the rest of the table. if you are staining your new table top, you will want to use a different product, called a pre-primer. this prepares your wood before you apply the stain. purchase this where you buy your paint and stain.

step 4

apply your paint

after your primer dries, apply your paint. i use a combination of a brush and roller when i paint furniture. i always cross my fingers that i might get the job done with just one coat of paint, but i usually need two {especially on something like this table where i went from black to white}. i wait a couple of hours between coats. if it looks streaky as you go, just keep painting. it will smooth itself out in the end.

if you are staining your new top, do that with within 30 minutes of applying your pre-primer. apply the stain with a rag or a brush. have extra rags {or old socks or wash cloths} handy. use these to rub the wood after you stain, almost like you are wiping the stain off. it will wipe off the excess, allowing the grains of your wood to show through. apply the stain based on how dark you would like the final product. for my table, i only applied one coat.

confused on what paints and stains to buy? want more tips for the process? access my favorite primers, pre-primers, paints, and stains here.

step 5

distress your piece and apply your polycrylic

after your paint color dries, now is the time to distress your piece {if that is the look you want}. i like the distressed look. plus, if your piece happens to take an extra hard hit or your son decides it is the perfect place to race his monster trucks, you won’t have to tell him no. chances are, your paint will stand up to this wear and tear, but i prefer to distress and then completely let go of any worry.

i use a palm sander to distress my pieces. this part makes me nervous. every. single. time. i am always sure i will ruin my freshly painted piece. but a LITTLE sanding to the edges achieves that chippy look that is popular right now. you can also use sandpaper for this, which is easier to control. this will take a lot more energy on your part. i tend to stick to the edges when i distress, but you can venture to the flat surfaces as well. it’s completely up to you. don’t freak out after your first swipe of the sander. keep going. it will look fine once you’ve finished the piece.

painting our coffee table made a huge difference in the look of our family room. no one could believe it was the same table. it was definitely the most budget-friendly option for our family. we liked it so much, we painted our kitchen table to match {for that process and before and after kitchen table pics click here}.

i don’t worry when the kids eat or play at our refinished coffee table because i know this painting method stands up to the wear and tear of life. if you are looking to refresh additional furniture pieces, you can check out before and after pictures from our piano, hutch, and kitchen table projects.

don’t forget to grab these two resources. help take the guesswork out of the painting process AND focus on all the LITTLE things you love about DIY!

{want to save this idea for later? click the red save box on the image below to pin this post. or follow notice the LITTLE things on pinterest here.}