How to Refinish a Sofa Table

In the quest to continue brightening my decor, I finally took on the sofa table I purchased for $10 at a garage sale. It didn't look bad as it was...


but I am in love with bright whites these days. That table's days in its original state were numbered.

Recently, I woke up to temperatures which didn't feel like the surface of the sun.



I knew it wouldn't last, and I also knew that this piece was going to take some time, so I got to it.

The table had a pretty heavy varnish which was going to take some heavy-duty sanding - too much for hand-sanding.




Because I want to be respectful of my lungs, I bought a particle-filtering face mask when I started refinishing furniture. It's unbelievable how much dust flies!



All this dust must be wiped off of the piece once it's sanded. That's a bigger job than the actual sanding - but it must be done! I used a dry cloth, then a damp cloth. Some people use an air compressor to blow off the dust - an excellent idea, but I don't have one yet.



I purchased a paint-sprayer, but I'm embarrassed to say, the think has kicked my behind so far...I'm still playing with it. I ended up hand-painting this piece. It needed three coats of bright white paint, but it was worth every brush stroke!



Another step in the journey of changing up my decor! Next step...the vintage bureau.

What were some of your early or memorable decor changes? I love to get inspired by talented people!

Mona Kay