Trash to Treasure Dining Room Table

Modern Dining Room Table Makeover

I love repurposing furniture to create something unique and beautiful or restoring it to its original state. We found this gorgeous modern Crate and Barrel dining table on Facebook Marketplace for a steal! The dining tabletop was in bad shape but was easy to restore using this method. Keep reading and watch the video to see this Trash to Treasure Dining Room Table!

In case you’re in a hurry…

✅ This is the Crate and Barrel table we restored and is featured in this post.

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Trash to Treasure DIY Furniture

A little background on our dining space in our home… my husband and I built the banquette benches, I made the comfy cushions, and he built the DIY china cabinet. We also built an oval table but I decided I really preferred a rectangular table so that’s where this amazing Crate and Barrel table comes in.

BEFORE:

I was about to build a similar table but then I found a listing on FB Marketplace for this table and they only wanted $50! I thought it was a scam and wondered WHY no one else was jumping to buy this table. The retail value was over $2,000!

Well, it wasn’t a scam. The family was moving and needed it gone fast. We picked it up and they gave us the matching bench and 2 chairs with a table for $50!

Everything together was well over $3,000 in value and AMAZING quality. I’m still pinching myself.

When we got it home, I knew I’d have to refinish the top but that was no biggie since we’ve built entire tables on our own 😉

Keep reading to see how we turned this Trash to Treasure! BTW, you can see/purchase the table for full price here.

How do you restore a dining room table?

To give your modern dining room table a makeover, you could consider painting or staining it to give it a new look. You could also add a decorative table runner or centerpiece to enhance its aesthetic appeal. Another option is to replace the chairs or add chair cushions for a fresh new look. Keep reading to see how I restored this dining room table to its original state in less than 2 hours.

How do you restore an old wooden dining table?

You’ll need basic power tools, wood stain, and polyurethane to restore an old wooden dining table. I love finding vintage solid wood furniture because those are the pieces built to last and you can easily restore wood furniture with a little elbow grease.

How much does it cost to refinish a dining room table?

The cost to refinish this wood dining room table was $0! That’s because I already had the power tools and other supplies. However, if you have none of the supplies listed below, the total cost to refinish this dining room table would be around

Supplies:

Orbit Sander
Sand Paper Pad
Homemade Goo-Gone (I used Lemon essential oils and Olive Oil)
All-purpose cleaner
Wood Stain (I used Golden Oak)
Dollar Tree Paint Kit
Satin Oil-Based Polyurethane
Buffer
Buffing Pads
Rags
Table Cloths or Placemats

Directions:

Clean any debris and food from the surface. In this case, the previous owners used this table for eating, crafting, and more. There was paint, glitter, glue, and food embedded into the tabletop. Fortunately, the top was the only side that needed restoring. Be sure to clean the legs and underside so you can assess the damage. I used an all-purpose cleaner and homemade goo-gone to remove the sticky residue.
Use a 100-grit sandpaper pad on an orbit sander to remove the old varnish. I sanded down to bare wood so there were no more scratches, chips, paint, etc. I sanded the table inside our house and to reduce the sand particles getting everywhere, I attached the orbit sander to our shop vac hose with the vacuum on while I sanded (genius right?). This took me about an hour for this large table.
Wipe the surface to clear and dust.
Use a sponge roller or synthetic paint brush ( I love these PAINT KITS FROM DOLLAR TREE) to apply the stain to the tabletop. Use a cotton rag (I cut up my son’s/hubby’s old white t-shirts for projects like this) to blend the stain into the wood going in the direction of the wood grain. Try to wipe up any spills or stains using a cotton rag right away to blend in the color.
Let the stain dry. If you are staining indoors, keep in mind the smell will linger for a few hours. I recommend staining in a ventilated area and using a fan to circulate the air and speed up the drying process.
After an hour or 2, the stain should be dry enough to apply the oil-based polyurethane. Use a foam roller and synthetic brush (I used a second Dollar Tree Paint Tray Kit) to apply the polyurethane. For the best results, I used the foam roller then brushed out any bubbles or lines from the roller.
Let the first coat of polyurethane dry for an hour before applying a second coat. I recommend applying a second and even a third coat of polyurethane since dining tables are prone to a lot of wear and tear, especially if you have kids!
After applying all coats of polyurethane, I used a buffer on the surface to give it a professional finished look.
Wait overnight or 24 hours before using the table and use placemats and tablecloths to keep the tabletop looking its best.

Wrap up for How to Restore a Kitchen Table

If you want to make your current dining table look better or you found an older wood table that you want to bring back to life, it doesn’t take much money or special equipment to restore a kitchen table. Use the techniques and steps in this furniture DIY tutorial to easily update a dining table. With proper care, your restored kitchen table can look as good as new for years to come. I could easily resell this dining room table for $1500 or more but we bought it to use it in our home so we are keeping it. The table is beautiful and I can’t wait to create memories around this restored dining table!

Links to Products Shown

Shop Our Eat-In Kitchen

Watch the Video to see this Trash to Treasure Transformation

Here are More Home Improvement Tips You Might Like…

DIY Kitchen Banquette Bench Seat With Storage (On A Budget)

Easy To Follow DIY Instructions For Painting Two-Toned Kitchen Cabinets

How To Choose Interior Paint Colors For Your Home

How To Paint Fake Wood Kitchen Cabinets

10 Cheap Home Hacks That’ll Make Your House Look So Much Better

15 Cheap and Easy Weekend Home Improvement Projects

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