Pub Table Furniture Flip With Paint and Simple Fixes
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This pub table and bar stool set had seen better days—scratches, wobbly legs, and a tired finish made it the perfect candidate for a fresh new look. With a little repair work and a few coats of paint, this dated set was completely transformed into a stylish and functional piece ready for everyday use or casual entertaining. Whether you’re working with a thrift store find or refreshing your own furniture, this makeover proves that a little effort goes a long way!

This pub table and bar stools were “free to me” when my cousin sold some furnished apartments. I’m not sure why there are only two bar stools.

It’s Furniture Fixer Upper Tour Day! Be sure to visit my friends’ projects at the bottom of this post.
Inspect Furniture and Make Simple Repairs

The underside of the table states that this set came from Big Lots. I’m not sure who put the set together, but as you can see, the bottom brace was installed upside down. Also, someone painted this set and didn’t bother to fix the situation. The original color was a semi-dark wood tone.
Remove the Bar Stool Seat

I had to remove the front leg to fix the brace, but first, I had to remove the seat.

After removing the leg bolts, the front brace was turned around to the correct orientation.

The screws I took out weren’t sufficient, so I grabbed some two-inch pocket hole screws as their replacement.

Replacing the screws is easy, as long as you place the stool upside down. This image gives you a good feel for the original color of the pub table and bar stools.
Clean Pub Table Project Before Painting

Before painting, I used Heirloom Traditions Surface Prep Cleaning Wipes to remove dust and grime on the pub table and bar stools.

The pub table had a few dings and scratches, but the orbital sander quickly removed all of them. I started with 150-grit sandpaper and finished with 220-grit sandpaper.

The color I chose was Mediterranean. I’ve used it on a yard sale coffee table makeover. Did you know blue is my favorite color?
My Favorite Paint Technique for Furniture Flips

I love the small gray foam rollers from Heirloom Traditions All-in-One Paint. Pouring the paint on a Styrofoam plate makes painting very manageable.

With the seat removed, it’s easy to paint the pub table bar stool upside down using the small foam roller.

You may notice a little gray paint still visible near the top where some details are. I’m okay with that because the roller gives a flawless finish when completed.

It is best to do a light first coat, which I call the “ugly coat”. In this photo, you can see the pub table legs have had a couple of coats while the stool only has one coat.
When I got this set, the table was dismantled. It is cumbersome, and I had difficulty carrying it around during its makeover. That is why you don’t see any photos of the table assembled.

The large blue smudge on the corner of the pub table is from a previous spill while I was painting the bar stools.

The photo above shows the tabletop with one coat of the Mediterranean applied.
Smoothing Paint Finish With Brown Craft Paper

On such a large surface, there may be some less-than-perfect paint. I prefer to burnish or buff in between coats with brown craft paper used for shipping packages.
Correcting Blemishes on Freshly Painted Furniture

Somehow, I had a paint bubble, forcing me to use sandpaper. Do you see the little stick man?

After the second coat of paint, a bird flew over and left a little something behind. A baby wipe was used to clean up the mess.
Light Sanding

Getting a smooth paint job on a large surface can be challenging in less-than-perfect weather conditions. It was too warm and humid on this particular day. Therefore, I had to use fine-grade sandpaper on the sander with very light pressure to smooth out the final coat of paint.
How to Tone Down a Bright Paint Color

The Mediterranean color was slightly brighter than I wanted for this furniture flip. In addition, this easy makeover took up all of my time and energy. Do you remember that I mentioned this tabletop is so very heavy? I was constantly “chasing the shade.” I love using Smoked Glaze on furniture makeovers. It darkens the color and offers a protective coating to the paint. The link above will show how I’ve used this technique on many furniture pieces.

This image of the four legs represents the color before and after the glazing. The leg on the left has not had the glaze applied.

I think the color looks so much richer after applying the Smoked Glaze.
Pub Table Furniture Flip

I had to enlist the help of a neighbor to reassemble the massive pub table. Getting good “after” photos was also challenging because the table was difficult to maneuver.

I’m not sure what the small spots are in the photos. They aren’t visible in real life.

If I’m being frank, it may be my least favorite furniture flip. It’s probably because it’s so heavy and awkward. I can’t wait to get it out of my way.

Let’s see what my friends have been up to; I know they won’t disappoint.

How to Change the Bottom of a Dresser
Pub Table Makeover (You are here, thank you!)
Bless your heart for tackling such a beast! The glaze gave it such a classy touch though. Great job!
I can totally relate to just wanting a project done and out of the way! This was a great freebie though, and the blue really adds a fun element! XOXO
Love the new color… sooooo much better! Pinned XOXO