You don’t have to throw it out, just give it a face-lift!

A few years ago (about 5 maybe), after moving into my new apartment, I bought this dining room set from Ikea for a really good price.  Over the years the set stayed in really good condition (since I hardly used it lol I like to eat on the couch), however I wanted a new set to go with my next new place, but dining sets were expensive.  So, I decided to give it a facelift!

The original set looked like this …

And the newly refinished set looks like this…

At the time when I decided to give my set the facelift, my new favorite wood color was espresso, and I found some great materials for the seat cushions and table top.  Here’s what I did to make my set look brand new, very quickly.

Materials:

1. Staple gun (industrial)

2. Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Spray Paint in Espresso

3. Krylon Indoor-Outdoor – Acrylic Satin Crystal Clear

4. Hand painted turquoise fabric (for the seat cushions) from G-Street fabrics

5. White Snakeskin vinyl fabric from Jo-Ann Fabrics. Its a great material for a table top because it wipes clean very easily, or you can just use soap and water, etc.

Instructions:

1. Removed the table top from the base of the table and the cushions from the chairs.  the great thing about the set from ikea is that it is very user friendly, and can be taken apart with just a screwdriver.

2. Sanded down the surface of the table and chairs, so that the new finish of the table would adhere. ( No need to sand the table top, since it will be completely covered with the vinyl)

3. Bought some Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Spray Paint in Espresso (which is great for wood) and painted the surfaces of the table and chairs. Let them dry completely.  Most of these paints dry very quickly, under a half hour.

4. Painted the surfaces of the table and chairs with Krylon Indoor-Outdoor – Acrylic Satin Crystal Clear to seal the paint and make it more durable.  There are many different brands of sealant, you can choose the type that best suits your needs.

5. While my sealant was drying, I measured and cut the vinyl for my table top.  I cut enough vinyl to cover the entire table top and about 6 inches under the table top.

6. Laid the vinyl face down on a soft surface and then centered the table top on the vinyl. To attach the vinyl to the table top, I simple used an industiral stable gun and stapled all the way around the table top, pulling the vinyl as needed to keep the surface tight and flat.

7. Next, I measured and cut the fabric for my seat cushions.  I cut enough to cover the top of the seat as well as a couple inches on the bottom.

8. Laid the cushion on the fabric and attached the fabric to the cushion in the same way that I attached the vinyl to the table top.

9.  Once the fabric was attached to my chairs, the vinyl attached to the table top, and all the wood was dry, I re-attached the table top to its base and the cushions to the chairs.

And thats it!!  This same technique can be used to spruce up outdoor sets that have gotten a little worn, or any other piece that needs a little facelift   Summer’s comin, and we need money for vacation AND to spruce up the place!

*This set is now the property of a young couple who recently moved into the area

Tagged as: dining set, refinish