How I Revived an Ugly Orange Coffee Table: A Step-by-Step Guide with Materi

How I Revived an Ugly Orange Coffee Table: A Step-by-Step Guide with Materials and Tips

This project was by far my biggest challenge, but I took it as a learning experience rather than letting it stress me out. I’ve learned through this process that I prefer to channel my creativity into a piece instead of getting frustrated and giving up. Let’s get started!

This coffee table was chosen by my nephew, so I decided to let him help with the process. He started by giving the table a good cleaning with Krud Kutter. It was really grimy, so it took a few scrubbings to get everything clean.

"The Ugly Orange Coffee Table in All of It's Glory"

The top was glued to the base, which meant I had to work with it still attached. I knew I wanted to paint the base gray, so I picked up Heirloom Traditions All-in-One Oxford paint. But before painting, I decided to sand the top to give it a whitewashed effect because I loved the wood grain pattern. While using my DeWalt orbital sander, I accidentally took off too much on one edge, messing up the grain. I started with 180-grit sandpaper, hoping to just remove the original finish without going through the veneer—but I misjudged it.

At first, I was upset because that was the only spot where this happened. I fixed the edge with Bondo, but the area was too smooth, and there wasn’t any visible grain left. I’d heard about a product called Retique-It, which allows you to apply a new wood grain finish. I decided to give it a shot.

I applied Retique-It Liquid Wood and followed it up with Retique-It Whitewash. But here’s where the problem started: the original wood grain pattern was still visible underneath, and it clashed with the new finish. So, I scraped off all the Retique-It and used a product called Aquacoat to fill in the original grain.

"Original whitewash finish with gray base"

After reapplying the Retique-It Whitewash, I encountered the same problem again. The multi-directional grain was still showing through. Frustrated but determined, I watched a YouTube video on achieving a Pottery Barn-style finish and decided to pivot my approach.

I removed all the Retique-It and applied a light coat of Retique-It Liquid Wood. Then, I went over it with Varathane Briarsmoke gel stain, wiping away some of the excess and using a chip brush to create a weathered look around the edges. I grabbed a stiff broom and ran it across the surface in the same direction to add texture and achieve the finish I wanted. Finally, success!

"Pottery Barn-inspired finish with a mix of whitewash and Varathane Briarsmoke gel stain."

Now it was time to tackle the base. I wiped everything down with Heirloom Traditions cleaning wipes and removed the legs to make painting easier. I applied Heirloom Traditions All-in-One Oxford in three steps: a light coat, a dab coat, and a full coat. If you haven’t tried this paint, I highly recommend it—it’s awesome! I skipped a topcoat on the base but applied three coats of Minwax Polycrylic spray to the top, lightly sanding between coats with 220-grit sandpaper for a smooth finish.

For the underside of the table, I used Frog Tape around the base and applied the same Pottery Barn-style effect to the bottom, ensuring the finish was consistent all around. After removing the tape, I painted a clean, straight edge where the top met the base.

With the piece almost finished, there was one more thing: the drawer. Initially, I planned to keep the original knob, but with the new Modern Farmhouse look, I decided to upgrade to a black half-moon drawer pull. Since the new pull had two holes, I used my drawer pull gauge to line up and drill the new holes. I also sanded the inside and sides of the drawer, cleaned it up, painted the front, and attached the new pull.

"The new black half-moon drawer pull fits perfectly with the Modern Farmhouse vibe."

Now the table was complete, and I was ready to sell it! I took a video, snapped some pictures, and staged the coffee table against my makeshift staging wall. I used Photoroom to show how the table would look in a Farmhouse living room setting. Initially, I listed it for $350 on Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. After several weeks of tweaking my price, it eventually sold for $200 on OfferUp.

The finished Modern Farmhouse coffee table, ready for its new home!"

This coffee table makeover was a huge learning experience for me. From sanding mishaps to experimenting with different finishes, it really tested my patience and problem-solving skills. In the end, the Pottery Barn-style finish, along with the sleek gray base and black drawer pull, gave the piece a fresh Modern Farmhouse look.

Even though it didn’t sell for as much as I initially hoped, I was proud of how it turned out—and the satisfaction of overcoming challenges along the way was priceless.

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