Before and After: A 2-Hour, $25 Redo Makes the Most of a Damaged Secondhand Table

If you’re in the market for fresh furniture for your home but are hitting stocking issues or shipping delays, here’s your reminder that you can often get exactly what you want secondhand — as long as you’re willing to put in a little work.

DIYer Monica Aberle (@surreyridgehome) scored this West Elm wood dining table off of Facebook Marketplace for a steal. The only problem: It was a little beat-up, with a bare patch where the old owner had started sanding down the finish (and quickly gave up).

“It was a great shape though,” Monica says. “I loved the clean, mid-century modern legs the table had — it just felt like it needed a new life.”

At first, Monica sanded down the whole table with the intention of giving it a different stain finish. But the patch that was previously sanded ended up having some wood filler that wasn’t absorbing any of the new color. “To be honest, when it wasn’t taking the new stain, I was ready to part ways with the table,” Monica says. “But then, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to try giving it a coat of paint.”

So, armed with a new plan, Monica purchased furniture and cabinet paint in an off-white color (Benjamin Moore’s Pale Oak). The project cost just $25 to pull off and only took two hours — and in the end, Monica ended up loving the results.

Now, the creamy white dining table is surrounded by wood dining chairs for a setup that looks straight out of a catalog — but is still plenty welcoming.

“Sometimes a change in direction produces a final result better than the original vision,” Monica says. “I thought I’d miss having the table a light wood — but honestly I don’t ! The light color brightened the whole room.”

Inspired? Submit your own project here.