I want to repaint my coffee table?

Question

It is a wood coffee table. I want to repaint it white. How do I do this. Do I have to sand it? What type of paint do I buy?

Answer 1

Repainting an old wooden piece of furniture is a great way to give it a new lease on life!

And, it's easy (and cheap!) to do!

First, sand the whole piece lightly.  You don't have to take off all the previous finish.  All you need to do is rough up the surface a bit, so that it has some "tooth" and will grab the paint.

Next, prime the surface.  One coat should do.  All primer does is seal the previous finish so that it doesn't bleed through the paint you'll be applying.  And it provides a more uniform surface for your paint.

Then, 2 coats of your paint color.

What type of paint to buy is largely a matter of choice.  You can use spray-primer and spray-paint if you wish, and if you have a suitable area to apply it in (a protected outdoor area is best), or go with standard latex primer and latex paint (the brush-on type).

Since you're going with white, and you're just doing a small piece, you could probably get the whole thing done (primer, paint, paintbrush and roller) for maybe $15.  You don't need more than a quart each of primer and paint (you won't use nearly a quart ... you'll have leftover) ... and brushes/rollers are cheap if you don't mind using store-brand products.

If you're in doubt, ask questions at Lowe's, Home Depot, or at whatever hardware store is near you.