As a furniture purchase, a dining table can be a budget breaker. Instead of buying a brand new table, invest in a used table from a flea market, garage or estate sale or thrift store. With a little restoration, or creative concealment, an older table can be just a functional as a brand new model and have even more character at a fraction of the cost.
When Shopping For Used Merchandise
Before you shop, keep some important things in mind:
- Arrange for transportation. Thrift stores and flea markets typically do not deliver, so make sure you have a plan in place for transporting the table if you find one you like. If you’re exploring an estate sale, ask about delivery, and get a list of potential charges before you buy.
- Negotiate. Many used furniture outlets are willing to negotiate, especially on larger items or multiple purchases. It never hurts to ask for a better deal or inquire about senior citizen, cash or other discounts.
- Shop early. You aren’t the only person looking for a bargain, so plan to shop early in the day. If you’re hunting for multiple items, or plan to borrow a truck if you get lucky, it’s also a good idea to ask if a merchant will hold an item until you can arrange for pick up.
- Bring cash. When you’re garage sale hopping or doing the flea market shuffle, don’t expect to pay by check or credit card. Alternative payment methods may be available, but it’s a sure bet everyone takes cash. Even if you don’t want to carry a lot of money around, bring enough for your best guess at a 10 to 25 percent cash deposit.
Choosing The Right Table
Not all tables are created equal, and the best looking candidate may not always be the best choice. Before you fall in love with a piece, be sure to:
- Measure for dining. It’s disappointing when a piece of furniture won’t fit into the space you’ve allotted for it, so measure your dining room or other location before you shop. A good general rule is there should be 42 to 48 inches of open space on all sides of a dining room table for chair placement and for diners to enter and exit.
- Measure for seating. Coffee tables should be one-third shorter than the width of the couch or sofa they’re paired with. Using this guide, the appropriate sized coffee table for a standard 84 inch, three-cushion sofa is 56 inches. The most convenient height for a coffee table is level with the couch cushions or, at most, one to two inches lower.
- Check for problems. You may find a pristine table, but usually a find will need some work. This may involve cleaning and filling a few scratches, or require a complete refinishing treatment. You won’t know without taking a close look at any candidates. In your assessment, check for:
–Pest predation: Make sure to check the tabletop, underside, and legs for signs of insect activity like bore holes or the presence of frass (fine saw dust).
–Dry-rot: Dry-rot is a fungus that weakens and eventually destroys wood. It can sometimes attack wood furniture kept in damp sheds, warehouses or garages, leaving it looking grainy and shredded or spongy in spots.
–Quality workmanship and materials: There’s a big difference between a table that’s been nailed together and one assembled using dovetailed joints, or one made from solid wood or hardwood, versus a veneer or soft wood product. You may just want a reliable, decent looking table instead of an investment piece, but take the time to know what you’re buying. Recognizing cheap construction could either help change your mind about a purchase, or work in your favor when negotiating a lower price.
–Wobbles: Tables should be stable surfaces, so check for makeshift shims like folded paper. Evening out a table’s legs may or may not be an easy fix. Either way, it’s better to know as much as you can before you buy.
–Easy cleaning: Well-maintained wood isn’t that difficult to clean, but a neglected piece with decades of wax buildup may need the application of some serious elbow grease. There are specialty products on the market like Murphy’s Oil Soap designed to be gentle to wood, but when there’s more gunk than a wood cleaner can easily tackle, you may want to reconsider the purchase.
Touch Ups
After thoroughly cleaning the table, you may want to fix any blemishes in the wood. If there are dents that you want to eliminate, you can use a sander on the surface and fill in the dent with wood putty. Minor dents may even disappear by rubbing water over the dented surface, laying a cloth over it, and applying a hot iron over the area. Both of these methods will require you to re-stain the area to match the rest of the table finish.
For superficial scratches, you can buy pigmented furniture polish and simply rub it into the table with a cloth. Scuffed edges can be masked with paste wax or a touch-up marker. Compare your options with how much time you’re ready to invest in the project.
Painting
Adding a rejuvenating coat of paint is a time honored way to rehabilitate a thrift store find, be it a table, wooden chair, chest or other wood, wrought iron or plastic object. There are even spray paints designed to bond with plastics that make it easier to rehabilitate lawn furniture, including tables and chairs you may not have considered worthy of a second life in your home.
Spraying is widely considered one of the easiest ways to paint a table, but take your time. Two layers are better than one, and a light coat applied in accordance with the paint manufacturer’s directions is less likely to cause pesky drips that can ruin the finish before it even dries. Oh, and always apply paint where there’s good ventilation.
Stenciling
If the idea of a monochromatic layer of paint on your new table seems drab and uninteresting, you can always add decals or stencils. You can achieve a designer look with very little effort if you’re willing to enlist the aid of a crafty friend or brave the shelves of your local craft store to explore the many stencil, stamp and sponge products on the market.
Adding Tile Or Making A Mosaic
A tiled tabletop or one containing an interesting mosaic can be quite a conversation piece. Both projects require some planning and a number of steps, but they aren’t that difficult to complete. You can showcase some surprising objects, too. Consider making a table top out of pennies, broken plates or polished stones.
Refinishing
When you think of redoing a wooden thrift store table, stripping and refinishing probably comes to mind. If you haven’t tried this type of project before, it can be labor intensive, but very satisfying. It can also increase the value of the piece, or transform it into a family favorite and something of an heirloom.
When you haven’t refinished a piece of furniture before and are dealing with an antique, a piece over 100 years old, or a vintage item, a piece between 50 and 100 years old, you may want to let an expert do the honors. This is also true if the table is made from a quality hardwood or includes complex elements like inlays, decorative carving or elaborate lathe-turned legs.
