I found the perfect dining set in the classifieds.  It was beat up and trashed out and very ugly! Unfortunately, I don’t have a”before” shot of it.  It was the middle of winter and the garage was freezing, but I couldn’t wait.  I just did it in the kitchen. By the end of the day, I had it all sanded down and the sawdust all cleaned up -more or less.  I went to bed that night dreaming of how great it was going to look.

This is what I did:

• I removed the upholstered seats from the chairs.  Just turn the chair upside down and remove the screws.  They will probably be down a hole.  Set the seats aside to work on later.

• I sanded off the finish using a random orbit sander and a sanding sponge to go into crevices and on round surfaces.  I got the sanding sponge at Lowes in the paint department.
• The finish on the wood doesn’t need to be completely removed, but the surface needs to be roughed up with sanding to create a surface that the paint will stick to.

Random Orbit Sander and Sanding Sponge

• For painting I used a paintbrush and a painting pad.  I really like the finish the pad makes.  I found it at Home Depot in the paint department. It was called a HANDI PAINTER by Shurline.

Painting Pad

• I started with a good primer.  I did two coats of primer before I did the outer coats.
• Let it dry completely between coats.
• I used Olympic interior semi-gloss paint and did two coats.
• I would suggest several light coats of paint rather than one heavy one because a heavy coat of paint will probably drip.
• Keep a careful eye on all the joints as that is where drips are most likely to happen.
• Don’t try to paint in cold temperatures because the paint won’t dry quickly and will drip.