When moving into our house, we scored a used table that simply needed a DIY round farmhouse table makeover.
Our friend called and said she knew of a lady selling her old table for only $75. Done! Rather than spending a thousand dollars on a new table, we brought home the table with a DIY project in mind.
The best part is we didn’t have to squeeze a large table into our small dining area. This round table was the perfect size!
If you’re looking for a way to add a touch of farmhouse style to your home, read on for some DIY farmhouse table ideas. The video is at the bottom of the post.
Round farmhouse tables are both stylish and functional, making them perfect for any home. Plus, with a few simple supplies and some very basic skills, you can easily DIY your own round farmhouse table.
You could consider building or refinishing your own round farmhouse table with a few tools and material.
DIY Refinishing vs DIY Farmhouse Table Plans
When it comes to DIY, there are always different levels of difficulty.
Refinishing a table is going to be much less difficult than building your own.
If you want to build your own new table, you can find free plans for a round table that range from simple to complicated.
We opted for refinishing because we had a small dining room table we liked.
DIY Refinishing:
DIY refinishing is a great way to restore a piece of furniture and give it a new look.
This process typically involves sanding down the existing finish, staining or painting the wood, and applying a protective coating.
Refinishing furniture can be a fun and rewarding project, and can help you save money by not buying a new piece of furniture.
DIY Build a Farmhouse Table:
DIY farmhouse table plans are a great way to build a unique, rustic-style table.
These plans can be found easily online and are relatively easy to follow.
A table design can also be customized to fit your space and taste.
Building a farmhouse table is a great project for any DIY enthusiast. It just requires basic tools and materials and can be completed in a single day.
With the right plan and supplies, you can create a beautiful, timeless piece of furniture for your home.
Tips For Finding a Farmhouse Table to Refinish
Unless you already have a farmhouse style table hanging around your house or in storage, you’ll need to find your project table.
This just requires you to visit some yard sales or antique stores.
You can even check out the Facebook marketplace or other online listing places like that. It’s usually easy to find items like a beautiful table that just needs a little TLC.
1. Look for a table that is made of solid wood. Avoid particleboard or composite boards, as they won’t stand up as well to the refinishing process.
2. Look for a table that has a classic shape, like a round, rectangle, or oval table. Avoid tables with intricate designs or carvings, as they may be more difficult to refinish.
3. Pay attention to the condition of the table. If there are any major issues, such as severe damage or deep scratches, it may not be worth the effort to refinish the table.
4. Consider the size of the table. If you plan to refinish the table yourself, you may want to choose a smaller table to make the process easier.
5. Check for signs of wear and tear. If the table is missing parts or has cracks, it may be difficult or impossible to refinish.
6. Look for tables made from a variety of woods like oak, pine, or mahogany. Different woods will require different refinishing techniques.
7. Consider purchasing a table that is unfinished. This will make the refinishing process much easier.
What You’ll Need
Before you get started, you’ll want to gather all of your supplies.
Make a material list and check it twice so you don’t have to keep making trips to your local home improvement store. This makes the whole process a lot easier and less frustrating.
These are the things we used to refinish our own farmhouse table:
Materials for Prepping
- Cleaning rags: You can use old towels, paper towels, or even old t-shirts for cleaning the round dining table. If you plan on doing more projects around the house, its smart to keep a stash of construction cleaning rags.
- Household cleaner: Any household cleaner, especially one that cuts grease will work for cleaning the table before you start the refinishing process.
Materials for Table Makeover
- Premium stripper: You’ll need some kind of stripping product to remove the old polyurethane or paint from the entire table, or just the top of the table if that’s the only part you’re refinishing.
- Scraper: Some kind of scraper is needed to remove the polyurethane or paint as the stripper loosens it. You’ll want to make sure you don’t damage the wood, you can use a plastic scraper if you’re worried about using a metal one.
- 220 Grit Sandpaper: 220 grit sandpaper is great for distressing or roughing up a piece in preparation for paint. You can use sheets of sandpaper and sand by hand or use a handheld electric orbital sander or a detail sander that will allow you to get in every little corner. If you use an electric sander, be sure to get sheets of sandpaper specifically for your sander. A belt sander can work for the table top, but it won’t be very useful for the table base. Depending on how it’s made, you might be better off just using a sheet of sandpaper in hand.
- Polyurethane: Polyurethane is used to seal the table and protect it from wear and tear in your dining space. We opted out of staining our modern farmhouse table, but if you choose to use stain (there are tons of different stains to choose from), be sure to add polyurethane after to protect the table.
- Paint brush: You’ll need pain brushes to apply the polyurethane and/or paint to your table. You can purchase spray polyurethane and paint, but you’ll get a smoother look by brushing it on.
- Any supplies you may need to repair your table during the refinishing project such as wood glue, wood screws, wood filler, etc.
Our DIY Round Farmhouse Table Makeover
Our farmhouse style table refurbishment was an easy project that just took a little time and patience.
It’s so easy and anyone can do it!
Here are our step-by-step instructions for doing your own DIY farmhouse kitchen table project.
Step One: Clean the table
For the first step, Travis and I had to clean the table. This is an easy step that you can use pretty much any household cleaner for.
Cleaners that cut grease are perfect for this task. Use paper towels, an old rag, or even an old t-shirt that can be washed and reused for similar projects.
This table, in particular, has sides that can fold down for a small space. Therefore, when cleaning, Travis was sure to clean everything – including the pocket holes and creases along the center of the table.
Step Two: Apply stripper
Next, Travis applied the first coat of premium stripper to remove the old polyurethane. He let the stripper sit on the table top for 30 minutes to work its magic.
Step Three: Scrape off the first coat
After allowing the stripper to set for 30 minutes, Travis used a scraper to remove the first coat of polyurethane.
Step Four: Apply stripper a second time
Next, he applied the second coat of stripper, waited 30 more minutes, and scraped the remaining old polyurethane off of the wood.
Step Five: Wipe and Sand
After removing all the old polyurethane, Travis wiped the table clean and dry again before lightly sanding it with 220 grit sandpaper.
When sanding the edges, he got into the deeper grooves with elbow grease and sandpaper.
Step Six: Clean
Next, he wiped down the table and cleaned it again.
Note: if you want to stain your own table top, this will be the time to do it. We left the natural wood color and just sealed the table with polyurethane.
Step Seven: Apply first coat of new polyurethane
After cleaning and drying completely, he added the first coat of new polyurethane and let it dry for 30 minutes.
Step Eight: Lightly sand
Between coats of polyurethane, Travis lightly sanded with 220 sandpaper to help to keep a smooth finish.
Step Nine: Repeat steps seven and eight twice more
Travis applied a total of 3 coats of polyurethane to the the table top and sanded lightly between coats, but not after the last coat which will be your top coat.
Step Ten: Paint the table legs
After finishing the polyurethane, Travis painted the legs of the table with black paint.
This is an optional step, you could polyurethane the entire table if you prefer that look. This would also look great with a white base, or add a splash of color if you’re feeling bold.
The completed diy round farmhouse table makeover
We couldn’t be more thrilled with how this table turned out.
Originally, we were going to paint the legs black. Then, I was afraid the black legs would be too much with the black dining room walls. So, we were going to paint them white.
At the last minute, I asked Travis to go ahead and paint them black. It dawned on me that the black legs would actually blend perfectly with the walls.
The flow of the black table legs, black dining room walls, and our black fireplace is beautiful and calm.
When we purchased the table, it came with a set of 4 wooden chairs. They were not quite the style we were going for.
To give this farmhouse table a modern twist, we purchases these 4 black and wood chairs on amazon.
We hope these steps will encourage you to do a fun DIY table makeover!
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