Questions on stripping and repairing a kids table?

Question

I bought an inexpensive table and chairs for my daughter, and I will need to repaint it at the very least. The paint is peeling off in large pieces. The worst part though is there are areas on top of the table where the wood has blistered up, not the paint, but the wood itself. Can this be sanded down after I remove the paint? I believe the table is just made of particle board type material. What steps do I take to get this table in useable condition?

Answer 1

If it's particle board, that damage is permanent.  You may be able to do something like sand off the damaged area and then glue and s***w some 1/4" plywood to the top, but that's a lot of work for a not-wonderful table.   Or replace the whole top.

Frankly, I'd find it faster to make her a new table from 2x2s and plywood than would to fix this one.  And I'm not much of a woodworker, and have only a drill, a handsaw and a some basic  knowledge of how things go together.

Or take a look at the table in the illustration from "Nomadic Furniture": http://swapatorium.blogspot.com/2006/06/...

that's just a base slotted together, and then the top applied.

Answer 2

First sand the table top till fairly smooth. Then apply two coats of satin polyurethane that comes in a spray can. This will seal the particle board from moisture. After it dries, cover the table with contact paper (any color or pattern of your choice). Apply 2 layers of contact paper in 90 degree angles. This should be the cheapest way to spruce up the table and anyone can do it without tools.

Answer 3

If the wood is "blistering" up, it is probably plywood.  An easy and inexpensive way to fix it would be to go to Home Depot or Lowe's and have a piece of 1/2 MDF cut to the size you want for the table top, then s***w the new piece from the bottom of the existing tabletop to secure it.  Then you have a new top that will take paint very well. My wife and I did this for our kids and she painted a checkerboard in the middle of the table.  I added some links to different ideas to paint the table.

Answer 4

If it is not veneered - it will be that the particlke board has swelled. Once it is wet it does this, but unlike timber stays that way. You should be able to sand back level (if you have a machine it is easier) and make good with cellulose filler - you will have sanded off the face which tends to be more dense than the core. Then prime and paint. I would use oil based paint, but then I am a traditional sort of hobbit.

Alternatively you could fit a sheet of ply or MDF to save the hassle of sanding away till the cows come home.