DIY How to Update and Refinish Glass Top Coffee Table

It happens. You get started on a project. Then you get stuck. What do I do next? I had a customer reach out about her glass top coffee table. She found it at a yard sale. It had one of those heavy red lacquer finishes with an Asian vibe. She had a vision how she wanted it to look but after attempting to strip off the old finish she gave up. She wanted the top to be more contemporary, with a glazed avocado green painted finish.

Supplies

This project would require stripping the old finish, sanding, fabricating a new top, and finally a paint and glaze finish. To complete this project I used the following:

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Avocado Paint water based

Mocha Glaze

1' x 6" pine boards

3/4" inside cove wood trim

As always practice safety. Stripping furniture causes splattering. Wear safety glasses, rubber gloves and old clothes or a shop apron. Wear hearing protection, a dust mask and heavy gloves for rough edges as needed.

Prepping the Table

I give her credit. She removed the bulk of the old finish. I still needed to go over it with some more solvent. It needed a lot of sanding. I started by brushing on the solvent. After a couple minutes I used a putty knife and rags to wipe off the solvent and dissolved finish. I repeated this a two or three more times now using steel wool to get off the debris a rag alone couldn't. The interior was fairly stained but since it was going to be painted that wasn't an issue. Once stripped I wiped down the table with mineral spirits to neutralize the solvent. I filled all the holes and gave the table a good sanding.

Fabricating the New Top

The vision was to add a new top over the existing one but grooved to accept the original glass top. I like using stock lumber for most projects. It just simplifies so much. When needed I'll use the better quality pine, usually from Home Depot or Lowes. This project called for 1" x 6" boards for the top. I routed a 1/4" x 1/4" groove on the boards that would serve as the inside edge to receive the glass. I measured the glass and added 1/8" to make the opening and cut the boards on the miter saw to suit. Since I had such a nice foundation to attach to, I directly glued and screwed the new boards onto the old top. I used clamps to keep everything flush and square. I left the table to dry over night and removed the clamps. I filled the holes with spackling. Unpictured is 3/4" inside groove molding I nailed on to hide the gap between the old and new tops. It too was mitered at the corners to help update the look.

Paint and Finish

Everything was sanded again. I then wiped the table down with a damp rag to pick up any remaining saw dust. The table was painted an avocado green with a brush. Between coats it was lightly sanded and then dusted with a clean cloth. After two or three coats I let it dry over night. Glaze was applied to give the table some character. At the corners I tried to match the grain at the miter cuts. Finally, the table was clear topped with three coats of a satin poly finish.

I hope you have enjoyed this Instructable. Please take a moment to view my other projects. I look forward to your questions and suggestions in the comments section.

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