Easy End Table Makeover Idea with Peel and Stick Wallpaper

Are you looking for an easy end table makeover idea? You will love this idea that uses peel and stick wallpaper to spruce up the tabletop!

We’ve painted furniture and upcycled furniture and flipped furniture and restored furniture so many times over the last years of being in business as a vendor booth owner.

And I wonder if I will ever run out of ideas for painting end tables. It’s certainly possible. But with so much inspiration around, I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface!

Not on my furniture pieces, of course! We’ll have no scratching of surfaces on our finished furniture makeovers!

Unless, of course, I put those scratches there on purpose. 😉

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This updated end table would be the perfect addition to any room in your home, and you’ll be shocked to see how simple this DIY project really is! You just need a handful of common tools and a little patience to transform any wood table into something unique for your space. 

Be sure to read to the end – I have a YouTube video that goes with this step-by-step tutorial and lots of creative end table makeover ideas to inspire your new project!

DIY end table makeover idea

My first thought for this little piece was to paint it with a gorgeous turquoise-blue shade of paint and add a pop of color with peel-and-stick wallpaper on top! This detail is completely optional, but it adds a unique look to this colorful end table makeover!

how to paint a wood end table: step-by-step instructions

Let’s go over the supplies I used for this adorable DIY side table makeover! Most of these are commonly available at your local hardware store. You may need to order the paint online and you can shop the links below to make it easy!

list of supplies:

Use the links below to purchase some of the supplies for this project! You are helping to support this blog and all the free tutorials we offer here! Thanks so much!😊

• B.O.S.S. Dixie Belle Stain & Odor Sealer (this stuff is amazing!!)
• Serenity Silk All-in-One Mineral Paint (you can also use Dixie Belle chalk paint if you prefer but you will need to seal the chalk paint)
• 2″ Mini Angled paintbrush
• sanding sponges
• RAD Pads sanding sheets
• White Lightning Cleaner

step one: prep furniture for paint

Before we dive into the gorgeous paint color I chose for this end table makeover idea, let’s talk about prepping the piece for paint.

The first step should always be to clean the entire table really well. Even if you are painting a piece of furniture that you already use in your home, it needs a good cleaning. White Lightning Cleaner is a powdered form of TSP and cleans so well.

You can read about cleaning with this amazing stuff by clicking HERE.

The next step for this particular piece was to block any reddish color that might bleed through the finished painted surface. B.O.S.S. is the ticket for this task. It Blocks Odors, Stains, and Stops bleed through.

This thrift store table was on the reddish/orangey side so to play it safe, I applied two coats of B.O.S.S. with an hour of dry time between coats.

Note that we’re not sanding this piece at all! If your side table has a poor finish or is made from a wood veneer, you’ll want to give it a light sanding with sanding sponges or fine grit sandpaper before applying the primer and paint. You can also use an orbital sander for flat surfaces like the table top.

step two: paint your side table

Then it was time to add the color! We all love this part, don’t we?? The first coat of Serenity Silk All-in-One Mineral Paint covered the whole piece, giving it new life with little effort.  

The color is going to match the top I have planned for this piece perfectly!

If your paint is thin or you’re using latex paint, you will probably need to add 1-2 more coats of paint.

step three: add contact paper 

This step is completely optional, but it will give this old table a totally new look! For best results on your old end table, I recommend following the steps below:

how to apply peel and stick wallpaper to furniture

And peel and stick wallpaper is so easy to apply, Here are the steps:

• measure and cut the peel and stick wallpaper allowing about an extra inch all the way around
• use something on one end to hold the wallpaper down (you’ll see in the video what I used)
• peel the backing sheet off a couple of inches and center the wallpaper on the tabletop
• use your finger to smooth out the wallpaper and gently pull the backing sheet off a little at a time, smoothing as you go
• once the paper is completely on the side table top, toss the backing sheet and smooth the wallpaper down with a soft cloth, smoothing out any bubbles
• use an Xacto knife with a new blade to cut off the excess around the edge of the table (you’ll see me do this step in the video)

You can see here that I am holding the Xacto knife at a 45* angle along the scalloped edge of this end table. I just ran the knife along the edge, cutting as I went along.

If I missed a spot, I carefully cut away the peel and stick wallpaper.

It’s best to watch this in action. You can see me cut away the peel and stick wallpaper in the YouTube video towards the end of the post.

step four: let the paint dry

I like to let my painted projects rest for a couple of days before I use them so the paint can fully cure. 

how do you update end tables?

This is just one of many painted end table ideas! Can’t you imagine this technique on other end tables? It’s such a fun way to update an end table that is kinda ho-hum, don’t you think?

does peel and stick wallpaper work on furniture?

Yes, peel and stick wallpaper works on furniture! The wallpaper is sticking so well to this end table! I made sure that I went over the whole surface with a soft cloth to make sure it adhered completely.

I even went around the cut edges with my finger to make extra sure the paper wasn’t peeling back. You can always spray the entire top with a coat or two of clear coat to really lock in those edges.

more ideas for painting end tables

Here are a couple of other painted end table ideas for your old end table makeover. They would look fantastic in your living room, but they’d also look great as bedside tables!

• Restore an old side table with wood inlay
• Transform an old step ladder into a little side table
• Paint a scalloped edge table with milk paint
• Refresh two-tier little side tables with a little bit of paint
• Makeover a demilune table for the perfect accent table
• Turn an old fire extinguisher into a unique side table
• Give any small table a boho look with a little paint
• Paint the table legs and stain the wood top for a two-toned look

how to use refinished end tables

Not bad for a $5 end table, don’t ya’ think?

This old piece could be used in a variety of ways:

• as a side table between two chairs with books or magazines on the bottom shelf
• in a bathroom with mason jars filled with cotton balls and other bathroom essentials with folded hand towels on the bottom
• between two twin beds in a girl’s room (or in another color scheme for boys!)
• near an entryway as a place to drop keys and a purse
• next to a bed as a bedside table
• below a window to hold fresh flowers

DIY side table makeover: YouTube Video

Here is the video to go along with this post! Be sure to watch – my little dog, Barkly shows up while I was working on this end table makeover idea! 🐶

He’s cute but annoying. 😉 Tap below to watch!

FAQs

Can you use peel and stick wallpaper on a table?

Yes, you can! It’s such a fun option for a sweet little table like this side table that I found for about $5 at a thrift store! It totally brings it to the next level! You can also use contact paper inside of an old entertainment center or inside of an old dresser. It’d also look great inside of an old coffee table for a pop of color.

What kind of paint should I use to paint an end table?

After years of experience painting and refinishing old furniture, I’m still a huge fan of chalk paint and milk paint for any furniture paint job. These paints have wonderful, rich colors, and they’re perfect for covering solid wood pieces with little effort. In fact, today’s project only required one coat of mineral paint! You will want to seal your paint with a natural oil like tung oil and furniture wax for the greatest durability.

Can you paint end tables without sanding?

The answer really depends on the particular table you are refinishing. It’s always a good practice to at least scuff up the surface of any piece of furniture for the paint to adhere really well. Fortunately, milk paint and chalk paint can stick to wood surfaces really well, so I don’t always sand my tables before adding the first coat of paint. It’s a great practice though, and really important if you’re painting a wood veneer surface or if the piece has been painted in the past. The sanding sponges make quick work of this task and will give you a great finish every time.

easy furniture makeover with Dixie Belle

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