How to Paint an Old Ikea Coffee Table

If your tired of the old color or the tone of wood on your Ikea coffee table, you can change that by doing a home paint job on the table. The process is three-fold. First, you must sand the table. This has two purposes. It removes stuck-on debris and sands out small nicks. It also scuffs up laminate, if the table has it, creating grain to take the paint. Next, priming is a must. The primer seals the coffee table. It also creates a base for the paint to come and increases adherence. Finally, the easy part: the painting. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Sand the table using strong strokes of the sandpaper. Keep moving and sand all surfaces equally. For laminate, you don't need to sand through it; a few vigorous passes on each area will create adequate tooth for primer adhesion.

2

Paint on one coat of primer. Don't worry if it's not opaque. That's not the primer's purpose. Paint in smooth strokes. Keep an eye out for drips, especially around corners. If you see a drip that's dried, sand it down and swipe a bit of primer on the spot. Allow that to dry before proceeding.

3

Paint the coffee table with semigloss paint. Paint a light coat. Semigloss holds less pigment than flat finish paints. You will almost surely need more than a single coat. Don't overload the brush. Use light, sweeping strokes with the loaded brush. Use fuller strokes to distribute the paint. Depending on the color of your selected paint, the original color of the Ikea coffee table and the surface, two, three or more coats may be necessary for an opaque finish. Don't rush. A heavy coat applied to finish the job will be gloppy and sloppy. Thinner coats will produce a more professional finish.