Refinishing a pub table

Recently, I refurbished a table to go with a couple of chairs that hubby brought home. He had found them on the side of the road and figured I could fix them up so we could use them outside.

Table Of Contents

Free chairs – Before
Free chairs – After
Refinishing the table
Sealing the wood
Protecting the corners
Supply list
For your convenience

Free chairs – Before

Here is the ‘before’ pic of the chairs that hubby found on the side of the road. All the details are on this post: Let’s Upholster with Burlap!

Free chairs – After

I was surprised that I was able to fix these chairs and then make them cute, but I did!

Now that I had two tall chairs, I needed to find a tall table. I started, as I usually do, online where they are referred to as ‘pub’ tables. There were several options that I liked: wood only, metal only, wood & metal. I settled on a wood/metal combo that was just around $100. Before buying it, though, I knew I’d be looking around for something less expensive. I headed to the Goodwill….

To my surprise and delight, I found exactly what I was searching for; and it was only $24.99 before the 20% discount!

Refinishing the table

The table was stained with a dark finish, just like the chairs had been so I knew I could refinish it in the same way. As with the chairs, I didn’t think I would need to use a stripper. Besides, it’s messy! So, I decided to simply sand off the finish. For this process, I used my 5″ orbital sander & a 220 grit sandpaper to remove the finish, and just like when I sanded the chairs, it worked beautifully!

I was excited to see that the sanded wood looked just like the wood on the chairs – bonus!

Sealing the wood

Once the table had been sanded, I wiped it down with a soft cloth and then followed up with a tack cloth. Now it was time to seal the table for outdoor use. I usually use water-based Polyurethane for all my wood furniture but since I planned to use the table on the deck, I wanted to protect the wood as best I could.

I did some research to find the best product to use and found Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane. It is an oil-based finish created for outdoor use.

I didn’t need much so I planned to buy a quart. Home Depot didn’t carry the product and Lowes only had the Satin in a gallon size. Ah well, maybe I’d find other uses for it. I bought the gallon (*spoiler alert – I’ve already used it on two other projects this summer) and brought it home. Because it is oil-based, I also bought a couple of paintbrushes that I could toss if I wasn’t able to get them clean after use.

The instructions on the can are to apply 2-3 light coats, allowing at least 4 hours of dry time, then doing a light sanding before applying the next coat. I followed the directions exactly, applying 3 coats and the finish on the table came out great! Although this is Satin, it does have a bit of a sheen as opposed to being flat like the other brands of topcoat I have used. It also provides a warm, golden glow to the wood.

Protecting the corners

In the ‘before’ picture, you may have noticed a damaged corner of the table. After I started sanding off the finish, I noticed that the tabletop was not real wood but a veneer over particleboard. That wasn’t thrilling, but I figured since it was only $25 ish, I’d work with it. Once I finished sanding and sealing the table, I decided to protect the corners.

I found metal corner protectors on Amazon. I ordered 1.5″ x 1.5″ in a Bronze Tone, Pack of 24 for $7.99 What a deal!

To install the metal corners, I used a small hammer and a pair of needle-nosed pliers. I needed the pliers to hold the nails because they are so tiny!

To my delight, the corner pieces fit perfectly and did the job I was looking for, they hid the damage on the table.

I have used this little table and chairs several times since I finished refurbishing the set. I found a darling little footstool at a garage sale for $5 and it is the perfect height to use with the chairs.