How to Redo a Round 1970s Side Table

Are they worth saving? This was a hotly debated topic between Stuart and I. We often come across the same style of vintage coffee table on the curb or posted for free on social media sites. We've given it a whirl a couple times now and we're convinced these tables CAN be saved and given a fresh face lift that will knock your socks off. Here we'll share with you two different modern looks for vintage 70s coffee tables.

First, we need to be upfront about the weaknesses of these pieces. More often than not, they have a veneer top that cannot withstand sanding. You'll also usually find ornate details, including doors and an enclosed cubby that can be difficult to modernize. But paint is your friend and it's totally possible to change the look of a 70s coffee table using paint and some wood.

Start by painting the table a neutral color like white or grey. Be sure to check out our technique for achieving a near perfect paint finish.

Once you've finished painting a neutral coat as your base, you can take the table in many different directions. Here are 2 looks we've tried:

Look 1 – rustic charm

Since you likely can't sand and stain the top (remember our warning about veneers?), we'll create the same look using inexpensive pine boards.

Step 1

Measure the length and width of the table top and figure out how many 4" x 1" pine boards you'll need to cover it completely.

Cut the boards the same length of the table top using your saw of choice. If your tabletop has some sort of edging around you can also choose leave the edge exposed and fit the pine boards within the edging.

Step 2

Give the boards a light sanding all around.

Step 3

Apply a stain in the color of your choice to the pine boards. For this particular project we used a stain that has the polyurethane protective coat in it. This will save us a couple steps in the end.

Make sure you also stain the edges of the boards since you'll see a little bit where they come together.

Use steel wool to "sand" between coats of stain. You'll want at least two coats of stain but you can apply more if you want a deeper color.

Step 4

You can attached the boards to the table a couple different ways depending on the look you are going for. You can use a drill and screws or a hammer and nails to drill/hammer in from the top. This will leave the screws or nail heads exposed, which may work for the rustic look you're after. If you don't want to see the nails or screws, flip the table over and drill/nail from the underside. If you are lucky enough to have or borrow a brad nailer, brad nailing from underneath is the quickest and gives the cleanest look.

That's all there is to it! An ornate 70s coffee table has become a really cool rustic piece that is much more pleasing to the modern eye.

Does that sound like a little too much construction to you? No problem, let's explore what we can do just using paint!

Look 2 – playful pattern

If adding wood planks isn't for you, you can totally add some fun using colors and pattern. Here is how you can create your own chevron pattern:

Step 1

Find the centre of your table using a measuring tape and make a small mark. This will be the point of your first chevron.

Step 2

Mark the edge of the table at a spot that creates an angle that you like. Use painters tape to join the center mark to your mark on the edge. Measure the same distance on the other side of the table and again connect them with painter's tape.

Step 3

Decide how thick you want your chevron the be (we used 4″ for the first chevron). Measure this distance from the center point you've already marked and each of the points along the edges. Use painter's tape to join the center mark to each edge point.

Step 4

The trick to getting perfect lines is to paint your neutral main color along the edge of the tape. This paint layer will bleed a bit under the tape which is okay because it's the same color underneath. At the same time, this will seal the tape so your next coat, will NOT bleed under the tape.

Step 5

Paint you bold color on the inside of your taped chevron. Wait a couple hours and apply a second coat.

Step 6

Once your color coats have dried well, slowly remove the painter's tape. You should be left with perfectly straight lines and an awesome pattern on your vintage coffee table.

We learned on this particular project that this technique doesn't work well over bumpy trim pieces. Whoops! We should have known better since the tape can't get a good seal over these edges. To fix up these areas we went back with a small brush and painted white.

This technique can be applied as many times as you'd like to create a fun pattern.

So there you have it, two different modern looks for vintage 70s coffee tables. Which look do you prefer? Have you tried to update a 70s coffee table? How did it go? We'd love to know what you think so please leave us your comments below.

How to Redo a Round 1970s Side Table

Source: https://threecoatsofcharm.com/dont-just-drive-by-2-beautiful-reasons-to-pick-up-that-unwanted-70s-coffee-table/

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