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    Home » Furniture Makeover » Black Sofa Table-Easy Makeover

    Black Sofa Table-Easy Makeover

    Published by Gail | Published August 14, 2013 | Updated October 20, 2022
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Tips on how to give a tired old sofa table a new look using DIY chalky paint. How to get the smoothest finish ever! Great tips for furniture flippers! #MyRepurposedLife via @repurposedlife

    I'm sharing the easiest way to do a sofa table makeover with paint! It's amazing what a little paint and plaster of paris can do to improve an outdated piece of furniture.

    This is a pretty black table, but it wasn’t always so loveable!


    This old sofa table had seen better days. It was scratched and worn, and pretty much downright ugly. I got so busy with the makeover that I forgot to take a before picture.

    sofa table makeover

    To make it easy on my back, I raised the table up onto some old milk crates. I gave the shelves a pretty good sanding with my orbital sander, but you can see I didn’t sand the legs. NOT a fan of sanding turned legs.

    I mixed up a small batch of my own chalk paint using Plaster of Paris to make a primer. I have been doing this a LOT lately. It will stick to anything. Smile  I did a couple of light coats, which takes no time at all since it dries so quickly.

    I did a light sanding after each coat of the POP chalk paint to get a really smooth final coat.

    After the chalk paint (primer) dried, I moved the table to the paint booth. You can see that my paint booth isn’t all that grand. I have one large piece of plastic stapled to the wall, and then it just lays on the floor. I prefer to put my pallet on top of the plastic, while some scrap 1x2’s hold down all the sides to keep the plastic from flying around. (this picture is with the primer only) Can you see that this has been the easiest sofa table makeover ever?

    I then painted it with my HomeRight Finish Max Fine Finish Sprayer using Behr semi-gloss Beluga. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

    I LOVE the finish that I get with my sprayer, especially on the legs! Painting legs with a brush is not fun at all. How do you do it? I go up and down, side to side, and then I have crazy brush strokes!

    Who knew there were so many shades of black paint? I don’t think I’ve bought Beluga before, but I LOVE it!

    This is the front. That is a faux drawer, and I don’t know whose bright idea it was back in the day to make faux wood grain out of PLASTIC! Personally, if this were my table, I’d turn it around and put the drawer against the sofa or the wall. Winking smile

    Not a great picture, but you can see the great finish on the top and the legs! Best sofa table makeover to date!

    I have to tell ya, I love these easy/quick makeovers! Gotta love the power of paint combined with a great paint sprayer.

    So, here’s my question…. show the drawer, or turn it around?

    gail

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. La Verne @ hopeandsalvage.com

      August 15, 2013 at 12:57 am

      Can you just pop that front piece off? You are right about how awkward it looks-sort of front heavy. The rest of the piece is classy and that makes it look a little gaudy.

      Question: With the sprayer....if you spray a little heavy and have a run/sag, do you catch it with a brush or foam or sand it later? Does the touch up show differently than the smooth spray?

      Reply
      • gail@myrepurposedlife.net

        August 15, 2013 at 8:50 am

        La Verne,

        I rarely get any drips with the Finish Max. IF I do, it's because I have thinned the paint too much. I typically keep a chip brush in my back pocket just in case. I did a lot of spraying yesterday, and didn't have a single run.

        If I catch it with a chip brush, it blends in really well. If it's on the first coat you would never know it even happened after the second coat. If it's on the final coat, and you catch it right away and lightly hit it with the chip brush, and give it another quick shot a few minutes later, all should be great! I've never "not" caught it and had it dry... if so, then you would have to sand it, and I think it might be more noticeable.

        gail

    2. Diane

      August 14, 2013 at 11:21 pm

      Does the chalky paint cover over all finishes? I have some painted plastic fronts to a desk to refinish and also
      an old beautician's stand covered with a glossy "countertop" material. Do you normally prime with the same color
      you paint with? I am looking for a worn look.

      Reply
      • gail@myrepurposedlife.net

        August 15, 2013 at 8:46 am

        Diane,

        Yes, I use the chalky paint for all finishes. The front faux drawer of this table is plastic wood grained stuff. It went on great. I recently painted some plastic mirrors with great results. You do have to seal it to keep it from scratching off. I mostly use poly products.
        since you're looking for a worn look, you could sand it back before sealing. Many people use a damp rag to "sand" this type of paint.
        gail

    3. Pat

      August 14, 2013 at 10:23 pm

      This looks so great.
      I like the black...kind of looks matte finish.
      Command Max did a good job.
      I like that you kept the same hardware (drawer pull) on the table.
      Looks good.
      Patricia

      Reply
    4. leslie thompson

      August 14, 2013 at 5:23 pm

      have you posted how to make your own chalk paint? I am searching for a tutorial.

      Reply
      • gail@myrepurposedlife.net

        August 14, 2013 at 6:10 pm

        I have blogged about it, but never have given exact measurements. I don't measure when I cook, so therefor I'm bad about measuring when I DIY paint. Mix plaster of paris with some water, add that to the paint. Formula to follow in a future blog post. 🙂

        gail

    5. Cher @ Designs by Studio C

      August 14, 2013 at 5:17 pm

      Looks great!! I say show the "drawer" - it is really neat looking. Thanks for the name of the paint... I may add it to my paint repertoire!

      Cher @ Designs by Studio C

      Reply
    6. Holly

      August 14, 2013 at 4:54 pm

      Your finish looks wonderful! I like the look of the drawer but it would depend on the room it is in. Great job!

      Reply
    7. Donna in SC

      August 14, 2013 at 4:38 pm

      Totally LOVE the idea of chalk paint on just about anything! You're such an inspiration to so many of us who are afraid to try different ideas. Thanks for always sharing! nrn

      Reply
    8. Laura Clark

      August 14, 2013 at 4:24 pm

      I am in love with this sofa table, the finish looks so nice in the pictures. If it were mine I would put it with the drawer in the back for awhile and then put it with the draw out just to change things up. It is amazing what paint can do to a piece of furniture like this. Thanks for using the Finish Max on this project!
      Laura

      Reply
    9. Stacie Czech

      August 14, 2013 at 1:57 pm

      Beautiful piece! I recently bought the Command Max sprayer on your recommendation. I love it!! I've used ASCP in it and it works beautifully, however I think there's a lot of waste. I'm interested in reading a post about your experience with it.

      Reply
    10. Korrie@RedHenHome

      August 14, 2013 at 11:19 am

      It looks great, Gail! I like the drawer, actually. But it's always good to have options 😉

      Reply
    11. girlfromwva

      August 14, 2013 at 10:48 am

      it looks really nice. i think i would go ahead and show the faux drawer.

      Reply
    12. Suzanne

      August 14, 2013 at 9:29 am

      I love this one. The finish on it is sooo beautiful -- it looks like satin. Love the shade of black too. The tip of putting the table on top of the crates to finish it was such a good idea! As always, you inspire me!

      Reply
    13. Marianne

      August 14, 2013 at 9:09 am

      As usual, it's gorgeous!! I agree, drawer facing the back of the couch...now is it for sale? I have been looking for a sofa table for a week, JUST got off of Craig's List and on FaceBook...here you are with exactly what I want!

      Reply
      • gail@myrepurposedlife.net

        August 14, 2013 at 9:48 am

        Marianne,

        I did this makeover for a neighbor, I believe anything he has is for sale. 🙂 Thanks for your comment.

        gail

    14. Pam

      August 14, 2013 at 8:51 am

      I love BLACK! I tend to wander that way when buying clothes also! Black is classy and it looks so nice on furniture. Great job Gail.

      Reply
    15. Maxine

      August 14, 2013 at 8:20 am

      I like it very much, the color, the finish, even the drawer front. Just looking at it I'd not know it was plastic.
      I will be making my own chalk paint soon for a pair of bedside tables and plan to spray paint the final coat but just so I know...you can't spray paint chalk paint, can you?

      Reply
      • gail@myrepurposedlife.net

        August 14, 2013 at 8:56 am

        Maxine,
        I plan on testing my CommandMax today or tomorrow with ASCP and my own version of chalky paint. 🙂
        Honestly chalk paint goes on so easy, I don't generally mind it even on spindles or turned legs.

        Thanks for your comment, hope your tables turn out fab!
        gail

    16. Terri

      August 14, 2013 at 8:02 am

      In the picture the "drawer" front looks fine, I don't really know what it looks like IRL, but I like it! Great job!

      So, if I am reading correctly, do you just use your own chalk paint recipe as a primer and not to paint the finishing coat?

      Reply
      • gail@myrepurposedlife.net

        August 14, 2013 at 8:50 am

        Terri,

        I use my own version of chalky paint for all kinds of applications. I use it as a primer and as a topcoat. However, I'm not a big fan of waxing. The flat finish of this type of paint needs a protective coat of some sort. When I use it as the topcoat, I generally use wipe-on poly for that protective coat because it's easy. 🙂

        I love that I can make a diy primer any color I want by adding a little Plaster of Paris! LOVE!
        gail

    17. Diane

      August 14, 2013 at 7:48 am

      Your table looks great! Maybe the reason you aren't fond of the drawer is that you know it's plastic.

      Reply
    18. cassie

      August 14, 2013 at 7:24 am

      very classic in black! i love the shape of this table!

      Reply
    19. Karl Micheal

      August 14, 2013 at 6:38 am

      this is a really nice table project. depending upon the room and setting...drawer showing! thank you for all your posts.

      Reply
    20. Doris Henson

      August 14, 2013 at 5:41 am

      I LOVE it....I've been making chalk paint too....and it is super easy to use and does cover nicely. Great finish on this piece Gail.

      Reply

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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