Coffee Table Makeover Part 1

So I finally got around to starting that coffee table makeover! In case you missed it, about 7 months ago, we found this little baby on the side of the road. For fa-ree! Just a few houses down! So we lugged it into our basement and I have always had the intentions of redoing it. At first glance it does not look so bad.

 However, there were a ton of scratches and dents in the top as you can see in the photos below. It also just happened to be stained the same color as our floors. Like camo!

 Great shape though! The TV tables that we have in our den are a black satin finish, so that is the tables soon-to-be new hue!

 Now on to the dirty part that I put off for a long while. I got a can of paint stripper. Dirty minds.

 This stuff is highly toxic, so if you use it be sure to wear safety goggles and chemical safe gloves. I also wrapped a scarf around my face so I wouldn't breathe any in.

 You spray a heavy coat on the table and let it sit for 15 minutes. When you return it should look all bubbly.

 Then all you have to do it use a scraper and it just sort of comes off in a sludge. I ended up having to go back and spot do this because some areas the inch of poly were thicker.

 At the end of the day, this is what the table was looking like. Still little bits of the old finish but FAR less than if I had to sand all of that poly and stain off!

Next step is to use my brand new mouse! to sand off the remaining finish and get out any imperfections. I have actually started this process, but it is slow moving and I don't have significant pieces of time to devote to it. I am hoping to have the table done by the end of the week.

Stay tuned for part two!