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How to repair coffee table top?

Hi everyone, I have a white coffee table that has water rings/ stains & nail polish remover damage which has peeled off the paint. If I paint over it will it cover the marks, or do I need to sand, fill, prime etc. first? I have no experience whatsoever here so any advice would be much appreciated. Pics attached for reference. Thanks!

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JacobZ

Hi @ls9123,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your questions.

If you simply paint over the stains and dents, unfortunately, they will more than likely show through. If you want a perfect repair, the process will be as follows.

Start by filling the holes with Spakfilla. Use the provided spatula to apply a small amount of filler, smoothing it off so it is as close as possible to flush with the rest of the surface.

Allow the filler to dry and then give the whole surface a light sand with a sanding sponge. Make sure the filler blends in nicely and the glossy sheen has been removed before proceeding.

Once sanded, apply a coat of water-based primer such as Dulux 1Step Prep Primer, Sealer & Undercoat, followed by two coats of your choice of water-based paint. If you want a similar finish, look for semi-gloss paints.

Have a look at How To Upcycle Almost Anything With Paint for some further guidance.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

ls9123

Hi Jacob! Thanks so much for your reply. I actually went in store today. I bought the sponge you mentioned but the filler I chose was Earl’s Multfill. I managed to fill the gaps & sanded it down. I didn’t purchase a primer though. Can I paint over it without this? And does the entire surface need to be sanded down to remove the existing gloss? Picture attached for reference. Thanks again!

JacobZ

Hi @ls9123,

The Earl's Multifill will work fine.

If you give the whole surface a sand, your coatings will stick to it much better. You don't need to go crazy, but you want to try to remove the sheen.

It's usually best to prime things before painting, especially when fillers are being used, but as the surface is already painted and fairly uniform and your filled sections are very small, you should be fine without a primer as long as you use quality paint.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Jacob

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