Revive a coffee table

Nothing beats filling your home with vintage pieces and secondhand finds that you can treasure for years to come.

WATCH: How to upcycle old furniture

While there are some things you should never buy second-hand, picking up furniture finds will save on money and reduce waste.

If you’ve found the mid-century furniture item of your retro dreams, then rediscover the original beauty of the piece with this simple revamp.

Tip! If your piece is coated in a layer of grime, you may wish to rub over the piece with fine steel wool drenched with methylated spirits. When you’re done, immediately wipe away excess metho with a clean dry cloth. Let dry before continuing.

Chris Jones

Chris Jones

Gather your supplies

Coffee table of mid‑century design (here, made by Parker Furniture)
400-grit sandpaper
00 fine-grade steel wool
Danish oil (try Feast Watson Scandinavian Oil)

You’ll also need

Drop sheet; clean dry cloths (2); screwdriver; cork sanding block; flat stirrer

Here’s how

Step 1

Lay out drop sheet in your work area. Place table upside-down on drop sheet. Using screwdriver, unscrew tabletop from leg frame. Place screws (and any extra fittings) in a safe spot for later.

Chris Jones

Step 2

Fold and tear a strip of sandpaper to suit width of sanding block. Wrap paper around block.

Chris Jones

Step 3

Lightly rub over surfaces of tabletop with sandpaper using long even strokes. Make sure you rub in direction of grain (never rub across grain) and take care not to dig into the veneer. Brush away dust.

Chris Jones

Step 4

Using steel wool, rub over leg frame of table. Again, rub in direction of grain. Brush away dust.

Chris Jones

Step 5

Reattach tabletop to leg frame, using screws (and any extra fittings) reserved in Step 1.

Chris Jones

Step 6

Stir oil with flat stirrer. To apply oil to timber, dampen a fresh piece of steel wool with oil and work it into underside of tabletop and leg frame. Rub oil in direction of grain. Turn table over and apply oil to tabletop.