How to Paint Furniture and Fill in Table Top Grooves

Painting old furniture and tabletops is a good way to make them look fresh and new again. A new coat of paint covers up scratches and stains while allowing you to update furniture with a new color. Tabletops get grooves and dents in them from use, and these grooves must be filled in before a table is painted. All you need to fill in dents and paint furniture are some inexpensive supplies.

Instructions

1

Place the table or furniture to be painted on top of the protective plastic sheet. This step prevents paint splatters and dust from getting on the floor.

2

Sand the furniture. Sanding the furniture will help remove minor scratches and ensure that paint goes on smoothly. According to the Lowe's website, it is a good idea to sand scratched or dented areas with 120-grit sandpaper, and sand the whole table or piece of furniture with 220-grit sandpaper.

3

Clean the table or furniture. Wood putty and paint will go on better if the table is clean. Dust off the table, and wipe off any dirt or food spots with a damp sponge.

4

Use a putty knife to fill in tabletop grooves with wood filler. Scratches or dents in tables may be too deep to remove with just sandpaper, so they must be filled in with wood filler. Minwax makes a wood filler that can be sanded 30 minutes after application with a putty knife.

5

Sand the areas just filled with wood filler. To ensure that paint goes on smoothly, sand the areas with wood filler again. Make sure the wood filler has had at least 30 minutes to dry, and sand it with 120-grit sandpaper followed by 220-grit sandpaper until the filler is flush with the rest of the tabletop.

6

Paint the table with primer. The primer helps the paint stick to the table and go on smoothly. Paint a thin layer of primer on the table or other furniture, and let it dry completely.

7

Paint the table with paint. After the primer is dry, use the paintbrush to paint the table with two coats of paint, allowing the paint to dry thoroughly between coats. A roller can be used to speed up painting on a large tabletop.

8

Allow paint to dry. Once the paint is dry, the table or other furniture is ready for use.