Yard Sale Coffee Table Makeover (2024)

Recently, I picked up a $5 yard sale coffee table. Do you go to yard sales? I haven't been to one in quite a while. I was lucky to find a very old coffee table and two pairs of jeans for fifty cents each. Who can pass up such a great bargain?

The photo above shows that the table is not perfect. I believe they purposely placed the price tag front and center so that the person buying the yard sale coffee table would know just what they were signing up for.

Doing a Google image search netted me one that appears to have sold for $39 exactly like it.

It's Furniture Fixer Upper Tour Day! Be sure to visit my friends' projects at the bottom of this post.

Old Veneer on Yard Sale Coffee Table

I always recommend inspecting and fixing your project. I didn't have to look very hard to see this bad veneer. There must have been water damage to loosen the veneer in this way. Step 1 was to remove the loose veneer with a putty knife.

I began sanding with 150-grit sandpaper and finished up with 220 grit.

The wood felt nice and smooth, so I proceeded with the other repairs.

Make Repairs as Needed

As I tried to tighten the screw, I noticed it was stripped out. Someone had even tried the toothpick trick. I opted to drill a new hole and use the original screw to sturdy the wobbly yardsale table.

To do that, I used three different sized drill bits. The smallest bit was used first and went through the brace all the way into the bottom of the tabletop, which would allow the screw to easily set into the wood. The second bit was used to make the hole large enough for the screw to pass through the brace. Finally, the last and largest bit was used to make a countersink hole for the head of the screw.

Yes, I have countersink bits, but they are broken off and aren't long enough to penetrate the tabletop.

After replacing the original screw, the yard sale table was much more sturdy.

Clean Your Yard Sale Project

My preferred product, Surface Prep from All-in-One-Paint, is at my vacation home, where I've been using it to paint the walls. So, I went with a second choice, Krud Kutter. I diluted it in the small plastic cup in the photo and used an old rag to wipe down the yard sale coffee table. When you buy something second-hand, you don't know what it's been exposed to.

Due to the bad veneer issue, I was careful to use a barely damp rag on the tabletop. This method worked well for removing all the dust from so much sanding.

Time for Paint

The paint color is Mediterranean from HTP All-in-One Paint. I used a small foam roller for the first coat and my favorite paintbrush and the roller for subsequent coats.

Bad Veneer Shows Through Paint

I'm sorry to say that paint does not cover up flaws on the yard sale table. I thought it wouldn't be too bad, but no such luck.

The putty knife I used was rather large, so I used a plastic spoon to dispense the wood putty onto the tabletop.

I was a little heavy-handed with the wood putty, so I let it dry overnight before sanding it.

First, I sanded with a sanding sponge and an orbital sander. Then, the yardsale table was ready for a couple of new coats of paint on the tabletop.

The bottom left image shows the table after the first coat; next is the completed project image.

Yard Sale Coffee Table Completed

The smaller coffee table works great with a small sofa or loveseat.

Mediterranean Blue Yard Sale Coffee Table

This newly refurbished yard sale coffee table will be rehomed as soon as I can get it to my booth.

Related Content: More Table Makeovers

Furniture Fixer Upper Projects to Inspire You

• Yard Sale Coffee Table Makeover (You are here, thank you.)
• How to Strip Stain From Wood Using a Carbide Blade
• Chest on Chest Dresser Makeover
• Side Table Makeover
• Patio Table Makeover