Restyled Sewing Table

Turn an old, broken down piece of furniture into a new and modern design with a simple paint technique. A Restyled Sewing Table can be placed in any room for a cool, unexpected look. Painting craft projects have never looked this good.


 

Materials:

• Tools for hardware removal
• Sandpaper
• Dry rag
• Gray acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Wood glue
• Small nails and wood putty (optional)
• White acrylic paint
• Water
• Sponge brush
• Old T-shirt
• New knobs (optional)
• Spray paint (optional)

Instructions:

1. If there is a sewing machine in the cabinet of your table, remove it. Remove any knobs or hardware that is not needed or may impede the painting process. I like to paint the bottom of my projects, so I also removed all of the hardware used to hold the machine inside the cabinet.
   
   
    
2. Sand the table's surfaces to remove old varnish, smooth out imperfections and to give the surface a tooth for the paint to adhere to. Wipe off the sanding dust using a clean, dry rag.
    
3. Secure the folding table to the top of the table so that it doesn't open. You can use small nails and wood putty to disguise the nail heads, but I have found that a good, strong wood glue is more efficient and it doesn't require you to hide the evidence (nail heads). My table also had a door on the front. When it opened it allowed leg clearance for sitting and sewing, but not much else. The backs of the knobs on the door were blocked by a support board on the table. I opted to secure the door after the painting and the new knobs were attached.
    
4. Paint the entire table using a gray acrylic paint. Repeat with as many coats as needed for complete coverage. Allow the paint to dry. Tip: I didn't have gray paint so I mixed light blue and chocolate brown acrylic wall paint left over from previous projects.
   
   
    
5. Lightly sand the edges and the detail on the table to distress and age. Wipe off the sanding dust using a clean, dry rag.
    
6. Thin white acrylic paint with water until it is a milky consistency. Using a sponge brush, and working on one side of the table at a time, apply the mixture to the table. Immediately wipe off the paint using rags from a cut up T-shirt. The remaining residue creates an old, dusty appearance to the painted surfaces.
   
   
    
7. Reattach the old knobs, or choose new ones that are a better match for the new paint job. I changed out the old knobs for silver ones, but the old ones could have been spray painted and reused.