SUPPLIES

Parlour Style Side Table  – SALVAGED
White Lightning Cleaner
Auto Sponge
Dewalt Drill | Impact Driver
Bosch Orbital Sander
Sanding Sponge
1″ Small Flat Paint Brush
Floral Transfers For Furniture
Everglades SILK All-In-One Paint
Satin Clear Coat Protection

PREPPING THE PARLOUR TABLE

To start the prepping process, I glued up the leg that needed repair. This glue-up is an easy fix. I start by cleaning and sanding the dowel and surrounding area so all the old glue gets removed. Then, using some Titebond Wood Glue, I add some into the hole and onto the dowel and re-glued it back together.

This repair was a super tight fit, so I didn’t bother with clamps, but if you have a repair that feels it would benefit from clamping, I would definitely recommend it.

CLEAN

I had to go over this table multiple times to get it spotless and squeaky clean – which it actually did squeak! The table got wiped down with a heavy-duty furniture cleaner and a large automotive sponge. Then I let everything dry overnight.

SAND

I knew I wanted the raw wood look with a decor transfer on top, so I started by sanding the top down to bare wood. This is easy with a rough 60 grit sandpaper and my orbital sander. It eats through the existing finish quickly. Will the orbital sander leave swirl marks? The answer is sometimes YES – especially when I’m using such a rough sandpaper, and I’m not working with a hard wood.

But here’s how I fix the swirls –

• Strip finish with 60 grit sandpaper
• Smooth out the wood with 120 grit sandpaper
• Clean and finesse the wood with 220 grit sandpaper
• Hand sand with 220 grit or higher for a flawless wood finish

PAINTING 

Once I had the entire tabletop stripped of the old finish and the rest of the table scuff-sanded, I removed the dust and started painting with this Everglades SILK All-in-One Paint.  I used my 1-inch flat brush to apply the paint, and in the pic below (and this weekend’s upcoming video), you’ll notice I don’t worry about getting a little paint on the raw sanded wood top. In fact, I LIKE going over the lines a little because once I give this top its final sanding, it makes the cleanest/sharpest line, as you’ll see in a bit!

To paint the spindles super smooth (NO brush strokes), I used my Slap It On Paint Technique. Works like a charm and gives me a super smooth finish on anything with a circumference. I always keep my paintbrush on the drier side. When I reload, I add a little bit of paint, apply it to the spindle gently, and then so my slap it on paint technique. And remember, the first coat always looks a little scary.

How To Get A CRISP Edge Painting Outside the Lines!

After applying two coats of Everglades and letting it dry 100%, it was time to get my PERFECT crisp paint line on this tabletop. And the trick? I take my sander and 220-grit sandpaper, and lightly sand away the paint that had overlapped onto the tabletop. I find this method takes way less time than masking off with painter’s tape or trying to keep a steady hand while painting!

How To Use Transfers On RAW Wood

Applying furniture transfers directly onto raw wood is generally not recommended, although I’ve done it on the sides of drawers numerous times like here, here, and here and have never had a problem.

But when researching for a raw wood tabletop, I found out why you should seal first.

Furniture transfers adhere best to non-porous smooth surfaces. And depending on the wood species, raw wood can be very porous and absorb or interact with the adhesive, causing the transfer to lift, peel, or bubble. When using it on a high-traffic piece – like a tabletop, the best practice is to seal the raw wood before applying a transfer. One or two coats of a water-based polycrylic topcoat works amazing. I applied mine with a sponge but a brush or application pad works just as well.

Once the topcoat dried and the wood was sealed, I went ahead and started designing my table top with my floral transfer. This was an older transfer I’ve had and I don’t think it’s still in production, but you can find beautiful floral transfers here and here.

For this parlour table, I also burnished the transfer to get rid of the little ghost line around the floral design. This is optional. This finishing pad is what I like to use because it’s rough enough to get rid of the ghosting yet gentle enough not to tear the transfer.

FINISHING TOUCHES

To protect this floral transfer and wood top, I used this Satin Clear Coat. To apply it, I used a sponge applicator. I like to pour the topcoat onto a paper plate, dip the flat side of the sponge into the topcoat, wipe the excess off on the side of the plate, and then run the sponge from the top of the table to the bottom of the table using long even strokes.

For the final detail, I assembled the table back together using the original screws and lining it up exactly with the existing screw holes.

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