Read along to see how I give this old wooden table a makeover without any messy sanding or stinky chemicals. Get all the tips and instructions with step-by-step pictures!
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“Before” picture
We got this table and chairs for free through our local Buy Nothing group. It was very dark, scratched up, a little sticky (whyyy?!) and did not match our house at all. But hey, it was freeee! I tried to remove the dark stain on top, but every chemical solution I tried was very stinky and wouldn’t remove the top stain completely. I had a choice—sand it down or use Retique-It Liquid Wood.
Sanding it definitely would have been the cheaper solution, but I really didn’t want to deal with getting dust all over our house. Besides, I had leftover Retique-It products from my board game cabinet makeover, and I wanted to have a table that would match the cabinet. Retique-It is FUN to work with, so it was a clear winner for me.
By the way, Retique-It is NOT paying me to write this post, I promise. I just love their products and how easy it is to completely refinish ANY furniture. Retique-It can be painted on ANY surface to create a very realistic wood-like finish. It can be painted onto wooden furniture if you don’t want to deal with sanding and want to completely change the color of the wood.
If you don’t love this color wood, Retique-It has kits to create lighter white-washed furniture, French oak, and tons of other options.
But I love this dramatic wood design. And honestly, the pictures don’t do it justice. It looks fantastic in person!
Ready to get started?
Summary of the process
I’ll give you a detailed list of materials, tools, and step-by-step instructions below, but here’s a quick summary of the process:
- Wipe down the table with rubbing alcohol.
- Two coats of Retique-It Light Liquid Wood.
- One coat of Retique-It Wood’n Stain in Barn Wood with this wood graining tool.
- One coat of Jacobean stain (optional).
- Paint the legs with dark paint (Caviar by HGTV).
- Seal with a topcoat.
The Liquid Wood acts like a basecoat and provides a wooden-like surface on the table. The Wood’n Stain adds the dark brown “wood grain” look to the table. The Jacobean stain was totally optional — I wanted a darker table. The topcoat protects the table from scratches, water spills, and every-day wear and tear.
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Materials
- Retique-it Light Liquid Wood – This is light-colored base that I painted over the whole table. It can be painted on pretty much any surface without sanding!
- Retique-it Wood’n Stain in Barn Wood – The Wood’n Stain is the darker brown “wood” design you see on my table.
- Stain (optional) – I used Minwax Jacobean and an old sock to apply it. Looks like Home Depot also has a Jacobean stain (Varathane). Retique-It only recommends using their gel stains but I had stain left over from our hardwood floors so I used that. It looks amazing and is holding up really well. If staining, please also use wear a respirator to protect you from the fumes.
- Paint for the legs. I used Caviar by HGTV (which is no longer available). Use any color you like and get a sample size—it will be enough for table legs. Or Retique has a great chalk-finish furniture paint in a dark color. Note: I first tried to paint the table legs with liquid wood so it would be all one color and it just looked very silly for some reason. The dark color legs are MUCH better on our table.
- Tripletique topcoat. This is what I used for the table. To be honest, I prefer Varathane polyurethane because it is way more durable and scratch-proof. However, the tripletique one is holding up perfectly fine and is food-safe, which was important to me for a table my kid will be using.
- Rubbing alcohol – for cleaning the cabinet before painting
Tools
- Wood graining tool – I used this one. I tried one from Amazon and one from Retique-It for comparison and the Retique-It one was SO MUCH BETTER. The Amazon one scratched the paint off because it was more plasticky, while the Retique one was rubbery and soft, giving me more control.
- Brushes – I used this inexpensive set and I am NEVER going back to $10-per-brush brushes from Lowe’s or Home Depot
- Drop cloth or plastic sheeting to protect your floor
- Small rag or old sock for staining
- Paint pan or tray (only necessary if you have a large can of paint. If you have a quart or smaller, I find it easy enough to dip the brush directly into the paint can.)
- Paper towels
- Nitrile gloves (I am MESSY when I DIY, many people can do this without gloves)
- Respirator and masks
- Gallon-sized zip lock bags (my favorite trick for keeping brushes wet in between coats)
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Tips before getting started
TRUST THE PROCESS. You might not be happy with every single section of your wood grain design, and that’s OK. Just keep going, it will look good in the end.
If you have a plank of wood or an old shelf, I recommend doing a trial run to make sure you’re happy with your wood color and stain combination, and to get some practice with the wood graining tool. You can paint the liquid wood on ANY hard surface, so you can practice the wood graining on pretty much anything.
Be sure to wear a respirator when painting, staining, or using any chemical products.
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Instructions
Place your table on a drop cloth.
Wipe down the table with a solution of 1:1 rubbing alcohol and water. If there are any sticky or grimy spots, spend extra time to remove those to make sure that the liquid wood adheres well to the table.
Paint on a coat of Liquid Wood and allow it to dry completely. While the paint dries, store the paintbrush in a sealed zip lock bag to keep it from drying out.
Add a second coat and let it dry. If needed, add a third coat.
Paint the legs. I really recommend some other color than the table top. Dark went really well with the wood color combination that I chose. If you’re going with a lighter white washed wood look, then a light white distressed color would look great on the table, for a farmhouse style.
For this next step, have paper towels or lots of clean cloths nearby.
Use a clean paintbrush to brush on a thin strip of Wood’n Grain. Don’t paint the whole table, work in plank-size sections that are about the width of your wood graining tool. Immediately use the wood grain tool to add a wood design. If you are not happy with how it looks, you can wipe down the wood tool with a paper towel, use the same brush to re-paint the strip (do not add new paint or else it will cause drips), and re-do the wooden design. Don’t worry if one section is not coming out perfectly, trust the process and continue on with other sections.
If you have any tricky or curved parts, work on them in smaller sections so you can re-do it if needed. It doesn’t have to come out perfect, I promise that it will look good in the end even if there are slight imperfections.
Once the wood grain is done, you can stain the table if you want. I used Jacobean stain that I had left over, but you can use any color you want. Retique says not to use oil-based stains and to only use their gel stains, but I’ve had good luck with my oil-based Jacobean. I put on a nitrile glove and an old sock over it to apply the stain. Just make sure to use a thin coat and wipe off any excess immediately.
Once the stain is completely dry, add a topcoat according to the instructions on the container. Retique recommends 2-3 coats of their Tripletique. I used 2 coats of the triple thick polyurethane.
Let the table cure for 10 days (or as specified on your topcoat) before using it or placing anything on it.
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Easy Table Makeover
This tutorial for how to refinish an old table is very easy and perfect for beginners! Be sure to read the whole blog post for more detailed explanations of the process and step-by-step pictures.
Materials
- Retique-it Light Liquid Wood
- Retique-it Wood’n Stain in Barn Wood
- Stain (optional) – I used Minwax Jacobean and an old sock
- Paint for the legs
- Tripletique topcoat
- Rubbing alcohol
Tools
- Wood graining tool
- Brushes
- Drop cloth or plastic sheeting
- Small rag or old sock for staining
- Paint pan or tray
- Paper towels
- Nitrile glove
- Respirator and masks
- Gallon-sized zip lock bags
Instructions
Place your table on a dropcloth.
Wipe down the table with a solution of 1:1 rubbing alcohol and water. If there are any sticky or grimy spots, spend extra time to remove those.
Paint on a coat of Liquid Wood and allow it to dry completely. Store the paintbrush in a sealed zip lock bag to keep it from drying out.
Add a second coat and let it dry. If needed, add a third coat.
For this next step, have paper towels or lots of clean cloths nearby.
Use a clean paintbrush to brush on a thin strip of Wood'n Grain. Work in plank-size sections that are about the width of your wood graining tool. Immediately use the wood grain tool to add a wood design. If you are not happy with how it looks, you can wipe down the wood tool with a paper towel, use the same brush to re-paint the strip (do not add new paint), and re-do the wooden design.
If you have any tricky or curved parts, work on them in smaller sections so you can re-do it if needed.
Optional: stain the table.
Once the stain is completely dry, add several coats of topcoat according to the instructions.
Let the table cure for 10 days before using it or placing anything on it.
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More DIY makeover to add to your list:
- Vintage table makeover
- How to paint kitchen cabinets
- Master bedroom makeover
- Farmhouse china cabinet makeover
- Nightstand makeover with paint
- Updating an old curio cabinet
Happy DIY-ing!