Sand it to get a key, then paint with the best quality glossiest paint in the paint store. I'd go for bright pink.

Cheap damaged furniture is so great for customising!

Well, we can see it's not green. It's white.

is mr. green getting on anyone else's nerves? refinishing a table rather than getting rid of it and buying another one IS green. sheesh.

Light the table on fire in the middle of a redwood forest. Throw some tires in there for good measure. Then go persecute some widows and orphans.

i'm sorry - i wansn't meaning to personally attack you. it just seems that a lot of the time it seems to me that you aren't seeing the big picture. excuse me for being negative - you are right.

it also isn't my place to criticize you for your efforts and opinions.

First, I doubt whether MrGreen knows if the IKEA table can be refinished. Second, the suggestion that furniture that is inexpensive and cheaply made is not green is specious at best. Third, no one here has suggested throwing the table away.

My fix: a tablecloth.

My second fix: keep the legs and use them with a new top. Send the old top to MrGreen for recycling.

lay down a fun vintage wallpaper, and then shellac the hell out of it.

glad we could be amicable and thanks for keeping me in check!

Funny, when elizabeth in AL first mentioned it I couldn't help but see her point. Despite MrGreen's counter-attack on Elisabeth's taste, his condescending "NOT GREEN" line is not only arrogant but often indefensible. Too often well-meaning Greenies do miss the big picture, like thinking that burning wood as fuel is "NOT GREEN" or missing the environmental cost of shipping "renewable" bamboo products from Indonesia vs. using plantation timbers from our own backyard. Nonetheless, I am always encouraged by how polite you posters are (the women at least).

btw - i had a lavender metal side table that i used as my bedside table - got AWFUL watermarks on it - first, i spray painted it with white, thinking it the water glass wouldn't make marks on it anymore - boy was i wrong. so, i papier mached it and sprayed fixative on it (same stuff you use for charcoal drawings so the dust doesn't get anywhere or smudge). it worked very well as a bedside table, but it is very labor intensive. you could try some cabinet liner and use that. or you could use fixative to spray fabric onto it. i think that would look awesome.

Here's an option that I can't imagine is green due to the toxic fumes it produces, but it is most definitely glossy:

A thick resin, the kind where you mix the two ingredients together, they have some sort of magical chemical reaction, then you pour it on the surface, spread it out carefully, and let it dry for about a day. My BF uses it in his art, and it is the glossiest surface I've ever come across, but also equally toxic and a bit messy to use. I believe you can get one type at Michaels (yes, the craft store), it is ironically called "Envirotex". But I'm pretty sure you could find it at some other paint stores as well.

MrGreen:
While you certaintly have some valid points, it is incredibly smarmy, and, as kirk said, arrogant and condescending to go around shouting about how 'NOT GREEN.' this or that is. If you wanted to turn more people on to green principles, why not suggest alternatives instead of attacking people (directly or indirectly)?

First Option:
http://www.amazon.com/Xerapol-Plexiglas-Acrylic-Universal-Scratch/dp/B000F537GY

Second Option
http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product?storeId=10101&Pr=p_Product.CATENTRY_ID%3A2000758&TID=101&productId=2000758&catalogId=10101

http://www.modernplastics.com/novisplasticpolish.html

Third Option (toxic-but works for durable and shinny resurfacing)
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=78&

Forth Option
http://www.janvil.com/plastic_polish.htm

There are so many products out there...try google. ;-)

I come here for suggestions and solutions, not to watch Mr. Green use every article as a political platform.

Refinishing is the best option - a light sand and then a high-gloss paint is perhaps the only clear option. Throwing it out and getting a new table is a bad idea.

There - simple.

Shiba

If the surface is not damaged, but just a little dull, you might try using automobile wax (Turtle Wax is one). I used it to restore my old white kitchen counter, and it did the trick, even protecting it from stains. It can be redone every 4-6 months or as needed. Good luck.