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How To Refinish a Table With Fabric and Resin

Craft Basics· Home Decor

This is definitely not your normal “How to refinish a table” tutorial! Follow along as I show you how I put a fun and unique spin on this DIY project.
How-to-refinish-a-table-Crafts-Unleashed
If you have a table you want to update, or if you’re just bored with your dining room and are ready for a new look, here’s an easy way to revamp your table – with no painting required!
Resin on Table DIY
Fabric is a fun way to bring color and pattern to your furniture, and epoxy gives it a polished, professional finish.  My sister was looking for a fun way to refinish her dining room table, and she was nice enough to let me try this technique out on her furniture.  We’re both thrilled with the end result! Today, I’ll show you how to refinish a table with fabric and resin.

Resin TableHow to refinish a table with fabric and resin supplies:supply2

Step 1:  Prepare the table surface.  If your table is in good shape, you don’t need to do much.  This one was chipped and peeling in the corners, so we removed the laminate.

Table step 1Step 2:  Paint a layer of Mod Podge on the table, and lay the fabric on top.  Smooth out any wrinkles or air bubbles with the brayer.

step 2Step 3:  Seal the fabric with Mod Podge. When it has dried, seal it a second time.  This is critical because the resin will stain the fabric if it isn’t sealed.  We decided to paint the fabric with Mod Podge a third time to be on the safe side.

step 3Step 4:  Trim off the excess fabric.  This table had a plastic edge to it, so we tucked the fabric edges under the plastic.

tucked edgesStep 5:  Put painter’s tape around the edge of the table to prevent drips.

pour resinStep 6:  Mix the resin according to the package instructions.  Pour it onto the table surface and spread it out to form a thin layer.  Use the heat tool to pop any bubbles that may appear.  Just blast them briefly and they will pop to the surface.

Allow the resin to cure for 48 hours, then remove the tape.  Sand the edges if they are rough or uneven.

How-to-refinish-a-table-Crafts-Unleashed-2The cured resin looks amazingly like glass.  It has an incredible shine to it!

If you don’t need to revamp your dining table, you could always use this ‘how to refinish a table’ technique to update a coffee table, end table, or even a serving tray.

Table MakeoverI hope you enjoyed my version of how to refinish a table and will give it a try yourself. Have fun crafting and creating!

Morena

Morena Hockley is the crafty mind behind the tutorials at morenascorner.com. Morena is a stay at home mom to four young children, and crafting is what helps her maintain her sanity. It’s a wonderful outlet and it’s how she gets her “me” time. In a past life, Morena was an elementary school teacher and an assistant principal. She misses teaching, so her blog is in a sense a virtual classroom. Swing by and check out Morena’s Corner!

Comments

    • It’d likely be fine for rain. It is waterproof when done. However, even the highest grade epoxy will discolor and “yellow” after long-term exposure to UV light. For that reason, I wouldn’t suggest this for outside furniture.

      Reply

  2. Hi. Just found this post. It’s a great idea, and your table looks fantastic. My question is about how the fabric is bonded to the table. I have a lot of experience with epoxy, but none with Mod Podge. Is the Mod Podge strong enough to permanently bond the fabric to the table so that it won’t have a tendency to peel up over time? From what I can tell the epoxy in this project is just a protective coating over the top of the sealed fabric.

    Thanks very much.

    Reply

  3. This looks like a great alternative to a laminate sheet. Is the end surface smooth enough for writing, or can the fabric grain be felt? I RELLY want to try this for my craft tables and desk but I am nervous about bubbles and uneven coating etc.

    Reply

  4. Hi! I’m an editor for Remodelaholic.com and am writing to request permission to use one of your table photos in an upcoming post. We would like to feature this in a round up and would include a backlink and clear credit to you.

    Additionally, we routinely publish round-up style posts on our site and if you’re willing to allow us to use one photo from other posts you’ve done, we would love to add you to our directory of sites to feature. As a bonus, your site would then be on our radar for possible Facebook shares as well.

    Please let me know if this would work for you. Thanks for your consideration!
    Kimberly

    Reply

  5. Well, this was my very first craft project ever, and I botched it. My table still is not dry after 96 hours. I assume I will have to scrape it off and start over. I must not have mixed the epoxy correctly….. Live and learn 🙁

    Reply

  6. Awesome project. I love it.

    I’m so glad I found this post. I’ve been researching ways to redo our kitchen with a retro twist (they just don’t make fun counter top designs anymore!)…so it’s D.I.Y. and resin time. 🙂

    P.S. Isn’t Mod Podge the best?

    Reply

  7. Awesome table. I’m going to resurface a formica table for table top games.

    How much Mod Podge did you use on the table surface and on the fabric?

    Reply

  8. HI .. where can we get the resin ? and is this available in jars or gallons ? and what will be the cost of the final project .. thank you for your help !!!

    Reply

  9. Hi there! I appreciate how easy-to-folllow your instructions are. I am wanting to paint my laminate kitchen countertop. (I live in a small space so my countertop is roughly the size of your average coffee table, would I just need 8 oz package of EasyCast). How has the table aged, would mine hold up if Im putting dirty dishes and water on it all the time- but no cutting of course. And if Im wanting to just add a bright color paint would i still need to cure the color with a gloss, is the resin stain a light caramel otherwise?

    Reply

    • I would get two boxes to be on the safe side! The table has held up well, the only thing to watch for is don’t place very hot items on the resin until it has cured completely. The resin is completely clear (unless you use an old box….don’t store it too long because over time it does yellow). So if you want to paint a bright color you should be able to just pour the resin on top of it. Good luck!

      Reply

  10. Hi! I’m new to upcycling, and I know this post is old, but how did you remove the laminate without damaging the plastic edge?
    This is such an amazing idea, and it turned out beautifully! I can’t wait to upcycle my table 🙂

    Reply

  11. Hey i see that this is old but i’m hoping that someone email me back….. My daughter has a Minnie mouse table that’s be ruin and I wanted to redo it. i wanted to change it to the Frozen theme, will this work for any fabric

    Reply

  12. Hi Morena! This may be a stupid question 🙂 When you use the resin/epoxy does the painter’s tape “hold it in” at all or is it just to protect the edge? In other words, if I use it on a flat surface without tape, will it “roll off” the edges? Thanks! 😉

    Reply

    • Hi Amy! The resin will “dome” as long as you don’t over pour it! On a large surface like this one I used tape to make sure there were no drips, but on smaller projects (like pendants) I just pour a small amount of resin and it domes nicely. You just have to be sure it stays flat and isn’t moved while it cures!

      Reply

  14. This looks fantastic! Really a great diy period piece from the 50’s. I can almost remember table tops that had a similar design! My question, maybe a dumb one, how safe and how durable is resin? or Mod Podge? I’d like to do this to my kitchen island which will obviously have contact with food and see heavy use. Somewhere I also read that Mod Podge should not be used with edibles. Thanks! Great job!

    Reply

    • Thanks, Deb! Neither Mod Podge nor the type of resin I used are food safe, so you would have to use a mat or plate with food items. The resin is durable but it will show scratches if you are using it as a cutting surface. It holds up well to heavy use, just be sure to apply several small layers and let them cure completely before applying the next layer, otherwise it will take some time for it to set completely.

      Reply

  16. Love this idea but question: have you tried this with the original laminate surface on the table? You are applying ModPodge to a more porous surface than laminate during your tutorial. Will the fabric stick as well to laminate?

    Thanks.

    Reply

  17. I am following Mod Podge Rocks and I landed up here…. what a fantastic table and I love the record placemats! I have never used resin before, but know I feel encouraged to give it a try! I am also a Pinterest addict so I will go check out your boards too 🙂

    Reply

  19. Hi,
    Love what you did! Have been on the look-out for an old 50s style table and chair set for years and am still waiting. I really shouldn’t refer to the 50s as “old” as I was born in the mid-50s but I’m getting really tired of the over-used terms vintage, antique and retro! 🙂
    When you refer to a “heat tool” are you referring to a blow dryer or something else?
    Many thanks,
    Cathy

    Reply

    • Hi Cathy! The link to the tool I used is in the supplies list….just click on the words! It’s the kind of item you use for heat embossing.

      Reply

  20. Perfect, I was looking for a way to update my craft table top. Using some fabric will be just perfect! A question though: how resistant is the resin once dry?

    Reply

  24. Awesome is too simple a word to describe that table. Where did you get that fabric, goes perfectly with the table. Great vintage table also. Those old babies just don’t wear out. Love the style so much. Great project also. Must have taken a lot of work but worth it. Looks fantastic. The records on top are a hoot. Happy weekend

    Reply

  25. What brand of resin did you use and where is the best place to get it. I bought a thrift store table some months ago and still trying to figure out what to do with it.

    Reply

  27. I love this, it is beautiful and I have a table in my basement from the 50’s with chrome trim and chrome legs and this would be perfect, I just wish I had those chairs, LOL. Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply

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