Refreshing a Tired, Painted Console Table

Years ago my mother-in-law gave us this painted console table. It's been well used but doesn't fit my style anymore. I've been contemplating buying a console table because this one is a little wide and I don't like the look of it. I've looked and looked and I can't seem to find the right piece. Everything is either too wide, too short, or too expensive. So this weekend I had a few free hours and thought I would strip my tired, painted console too see if I could get a better look. This simple project took me 3 hours and cost about $20. 

First, gather your materials:

• painted furniture in need of a good stripping
• drop cloth
• stripper, I used Citrustrip 
• mixing cup
• plastic scraper brush
• gloves
• eye protection 
• paint brush, DO NOT use foam brushes
• steel wool

Second, make sure your painted furniture is clean. If you are inside I recommend putting down a drop cloth and doing so in a well-ventilated area. Put on your gloves and eye protection. Pour the stripper into a thick plastic or metal container. Do not use a thin plastic cup because the stripper may make it deteriorate. The same goes for foam brushed... do NOT use them. I learned the hard way as the stripper slowly melted the foam away 😬. Anyway, once you have the stripper ready start applying a generous coating to your furniture with a paint push. Once the entire piece is coated, wait. I could see the paint starting to peel back in some areas within 15 minutes. Even if areas don't bubble, it's still working.

stripper applied and waiting

I waited about 30 minutes before I tested an area and it was good to go. I put my gloves and eye protection on and started scraping off the paint with the plastic scraper. You want to scrape with the grain of the wood so you don't splinter it.

I scraped the entire table removing all the gel and as much paint as I could using the scraper. After I got all that I could that way I took the rough steel wool and scraped the entire piece trying the smooth the wood and removing all the remaining paint that I could. Next, I went into the detail area (around the legs) and used a toothpick to get the gel and paint out of those areas. Finally, I cleaned the entire piece with a household cleaner.

BEFORE- such a pretty paint job😜                                  AFTER - some of the paint remains

I either missed a few areas with the stripper or they were tougher because there are a few paint patches that remain. I'm sure I could have gone in and applied stripper again to those areas but I really liked the way it came out and decided the leave the paint that remained. It gives it character. I was planning on white-washing the piece after removing the paint but it looked so nice as it is, that I'm going to leave it. It ended up better than I had hoped. So if you have a piece that could use an update, give stripping a try. It was easy and with a little elbow grease I was able to salvage what I had and love it more that I could have imagined. Now to find some cute pieces to add to my table and the wall behind.

The Finished Product!

While the piece is still a little too wide for the space, I think I'll use it until I find the perfect console for this space. I may end up white washing it in the future but I think I'll leave it like this for a while. Thanks for checking my little tutorial out. Feel free to ask questions if you have any.