How to paint a wood table?

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Answer
Here are the key steps to paint a wood table without sanding:
  1. Clean the table thoroughly using a lint-free cloth to remove any dust particles2.
  2. Fill in any imperfections with wood filler and let it dry. Use a sanding block to smooth it level if needed2.
  3. Apply a bonding primer in thin coats, allowing it to fully dry between coats. Use 2 coats if going from a dark to light color2.
  4. Stir the paint well before starting. Use a roller to apply paint to the flat surfaces and a brush for edges and crevices. Follow the paint instructions for recoat time2.
  5. Apply a second coat of paint for best coverage and a professional finish. Invest in a quality paint for the best results2.
  6. After the final coat dries, you can add a clear polyurethane top coat for protection. Choose a matte or glossy finish2.
Some additional tips:
  • Use a paint sprayer for an ultra smooth finish, spraying in long even strokes4
  • Ensure the wood is completely dry before painting, even if it looks dry on the surface5
  • Paint when temperatures are between 10-32°C and avoid direct sunlight5
By using the right primer and paint, you can easily paint a wood table without the hassle of sanding. Take the time to properly prepare the surface and apply multiple thin coats for the best results.




Author: A Ray of Sunlight



Key insights

  • ️ Proper prep work is essential for a successful dining table makeover, ensuring that the paint will stick around even with kids or pets.
  • Roughening up the old finish with sandpaper and foam pads is essential for the paint and primer to adhere properly.
  • Proper sanding and priming are crucial for a long-lasting paint job on a dining table, preventing chipping and ensuring better coverage.
  • Using a paint sprayer is way faster than using a brush or a roller for painting chairs.
  • Using plastic wood filler to fill in scratches and dings on the table before painting gives a smooth finish.
  • ️ Proper spray coverage may require one or two coats of primer to ensure everything is covered properly.
  • Mixing the paint with about 15% water can help achieve a self-leveling finish with less texture or brush marks left in the final result.
  • "This mismatch set turned out super cute. Don't you think it looks modern and sleek all painted black?"

Timestamped Summary

  • 00:00 Revamp a beat-up dining table and chairs with a fresh coat of black paint, ensuring proper prep for a long-lasting finish.
  • 00:48 Use crud cutter and sandpaper to prep the table for painting.
  • 01:26 Proper sanding, priming, and using a paint sprayer are essential for painting a dining table black to ensure the paint lasts and sticks well.
  • 02:33 Using a paint sprayer makes painting chairs faster, and setting up a paint booth in the garage helps prevent paint from getting everywhere.
  • 03:25 Fill in scratches with wood filler, sand, and spray another coat to cover up the filler for a smooth finish.
  • 04:17 Sand and prime the table, then apply two coats of paint for a smooth finish.
  • 05:01 Use Alid or enamel paint with a satin or semigloss finish for a durable and easy-to-clean dining table, and consider Sherwin Williams Emerald urethane trim enamel in Tri corn black for a self-leveling, low-texture finish.
  • 06:18 Let the black paint dry for 24 hours without a top coat, be extra careful for 30 days until completely cured, and the mismatched set will look modern and sleek.

Video Full Text

  • 00:00 Today we're taking a mismatched beat up dining table and chairs and giving them a Sleek new life with a Fresh coat of black paint. Here's what this mismatch set looked like before this table was pretty dinged up but we bought this whole set for $130. The table was 50 and the chairs were $20 each. So how do you paint a dining table. You got to pick the best paint for this job and make sure you do the prep before painting or else your dining table. Makeover won't look very good after it gets used for a little bit first up the prep. It's got to be done right if you want your paint to stick around imagine having kids or pets messing up your paint job cuz you skipped the prep no thanks so clean everything with a good degreasing cleaner.
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  • 00:48 We used crud cutter and a damp rag. We even added brush attachments to our drill to help us scrub off the food stains grease and grime. Once that's done give it a good rinse with a clean water and let it dry next grab. Some 150 grit sandpaper and medium git foam pads for the curves and scuff everything up you don't need to remove the old finish. You just need a roughen it up a bit and remove the shine so the paint and primer have something to grip onto. If you skip.
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  • 01:26 This step your paint might not last as long trust me a ni knife or a fork hitting. The paint can chip it off if you haven't sanded it properly. Once you're done sanding vacuum up the dust and wipe everything down with a tack cloth. Now priming is another super important part. It helps the paint stick better and can even block stains from showing through your paint and if you're painting black like us. This specific primer I used gives the paint better coverage we used aqualock primer in Black. This primer is great because it's a sealer and it sticks really well plus. It's already black so you save on the expensive paint. We mix the primer into our beginner friendly paint. Sprayer thinned it out with about 20% water even though I know it says not to but it works for us and I sprayed it on to all the surfaces.
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  • 02:33 Painting chairs though can be tricky but using a paint sprayer is way faster than using a brush or a roller. I set up this little paint booth in my garage with plastic hanging from the walls and this cardboard stuff on the floors to keep paint from getting all over. I sprayed the first coat on the chairs backwards from what I would actually recommend doing now. The little trick. We found was to lay the chairs on their backs first first spray what we could flip them over and then spray what we could again and then stand them up and spray the rest. Obviously you need to let paint dry between each of those steps or make sure you can grab a place where it doesn't have wet paint when you're flipping the chairs over you can totally do them any way you want. It just takes a little bit longer to get everything painted all right.
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  • 03:25 So after the primer dried about an hour later they didn't look half bad but if you you got real close and personal. You could spot a bunch of scratches and dings I hadn't bothered with on this table yet so I took this chance to fill in those scratches with some plastic wood filler. I wouldn't use this for big old gouges but for teeny tiny holes and scratches. It works like a charm I filled them up and let the wood filler dry for a few hours before I smoothed everything down with 220 grit sandpaper. Then I gave everything a light sanding just to make it feel super smooth. I didn't want any roughness anywhere. Next Step was to clean up the dust from the table and spray another coat on it to cover up the wood filler.
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  • 04:17 Then I let that baby dry for another hour and voila depending on how good your spray coverage is you might need one or two coats of primer to make sure it is all covered properly. Then I grabbed my sander put it on the lowest speed possible and use some fine grit foam pads to smooth everything out. My goal wasn't to sand off the primer I just wanted the paint to feel nice and smooth. I put the sander on the lowest setting so then it wouldn't remove much primer at all. Then I vacuumed everything up again and wiped everything down again with a tack cloth to get rid of any leftover dust now let's St paint paint.
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  • 05:01 When painting a dining table the best paint to use is an Alid or enamel type paint. These paints are way stronger and more durable than Chalk. Paints and mineral paints and a satin finish or a semigloss. Finish is way better than a matte finish especially for dining tables and chairs because a satin or semigloss finish is way easier to clean up and keep looking fresh. So I used this Sherwin Williams Emerald urethane trim enamel in Tri corn black and in a satin. Sheen I mixed the paint with about 15% water and managed to paint the table and chairs with less than a quart of paint. This paint is self-leveling so it's great for brushing or rolling and you won't get much texture or brush marks left in the Finish but once again painting all of these spindles will take a very very very long time. If you're doing it by hand with this paint you do need to let it dry for about 4 hours between coats. I managed to get one full coat and most coverage and then I sprayed a touch-up coat on the top of the table and the chairs where I needed a bit more paint.
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  • 06:18 After everything dried it looked so good oh and this paint it doesn't need a top coat. Actually. You should not use a top coat with this paint. Just let it dry for at least 24 hours before being very careful when you use it and then just be extra careful with it for about 30 days until the paint is completely cured so here's what it looked like before and here's what it looks. Like now this mismatch set turned out super cute. Don't you think it looks. Modern and Sleek all painted black and it's now ready for its new home don't forget to hit the like. And subscribe buttons to see more of our videos not sure what Supply you need for your furniture flip. We got you click the link in my comment to download. Our free list of must have supplies that we use everyday to paint furniture.
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