If you’re a fan of DIY projects and love painted furniture, then you’re in for a treat! In this blog post, we’ll be sharing our experience of transforming a thrift store painted sewing machine table with the help of Rethunk Junk paint.

From dingy and worn out to a beautifully refurbished piece, this project was both satisfying and cost-effective. So, come along and find out how we gave a new life to an old table!

wooden old sewing machine table before paint

Here’s what this sewing table looked like before. It actually had a working sewing machine in it, and I decided to leave it in this time.

Painting these old sewing tables are a fun little project, so I decided to try something new with this one.

Many people from our Facebook audience have told me to try Rethunk Junk paint, and so I finally tried it out on this project. Here’s how it all went down.

Table of Contents

Supplies Used for Painted Sewing Machine Table

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Electric Screwdriver
Tin Foil
Painters Tape
Rethunk Junk Prep Cleaner
An Old Rag
Rethunk Junk – Wildberry
Zibra Round Paint Brush
Fine Grit Foam Pad (Use code RAY10 to get 10% off your order)
Tack Cloth
Old English
Bar Keepers Friend

Find out what my top 10 must have painting furniture supplies are here.

Painted Sewing Machine Table Makeover

This was a pretty simple makeover. We unscrewed the 2 pieces of hardware from the table… one was attached inside a little drawer and the other inside of the table.

And then I covered the sewing machine with some tin foil so I wouldn’t accidentally get paint on it. I thought I would paint this inside part, so I also taped off the hinges so I wouldn’t have to remove them.

So this Rethunk Junk paint says to clean the furniture with The Prep, and then paint. So, I sprayed The Prep all over, letting it sit for a minute or two before I wiped it all down.

Honestly… I hated this little pump spray bottle. By the time I was done spraying this little desk down, my finger was so tired. Haha Next time I would totally put it in a better spray bottle instead.

A few minutes later the surface was all dry, so I started painting.

Painting Sewing Machine Table with Rethunk Junk Paint

I used the color Wild Berry, to make this a fun little statement piece. And I used a Zibra round brush, one of my favorites for painting furniture, to paint on the paint.

The consistency was great! But the coverage, that was another story. Honestly I’m not surprised though. These bold warm colors always have terrible coverage, no matter the brand of paint.

brushing rethunk junk paint in wild berry onto table

The round brush made it easy to get the paint in all of the details on the laminate front, but worked well on all of the flat surfaces too. Check out the best paint brushes for painting furniture here.

It took me, what, 20 minutes to paint this little table, and then I let it dry.

When I came back, I did a little scratch test, and it seemed to hold up really well, even on the plastic, laminate front. So that’s awesome.

scratching rethunk junk paint on the sewing machine table

And then the paint felt a little gritty, so I sanded it all with a fine grit foam pad to remove that slightly gritty texture.

I wiped off the dust with a tack cloth, and then I painted another coat of paint on… I ended up with 4 coats of paint total to get full coverage.

And unfortunately, the gritty texture was still there after each coat of paint, so I had to keep sanding to remove that.

For the last coat, I just left it. It is what it is, and this desk will go to someone for cheap anyway. I let the paint dry for a couple of days, and then I worked on the finishing touches.

How to Refresh Old Wood

After that first coat of paint, I taped off the inside so I could just leave the inside wood… whoever sews here will probably have needles that could scratch up the paint… wood is a better finish in here.

Learn how to prevent paint bleed through painter’s tape here.

To freshen up the old scratched wood on the inside, I wipe on a light coat of Old English.

This Old English is a dark tinted oil that gives the finished wood a nice sheen, but it also soaks into scratches and darkens them, making the scratches blend in with the finished wood.

wiping old english onto sewing machine table top

I have major memories using this stuff as a kid to make the wood around our house look fresh.

If you need something stronger to cover wood filler, check out this wood stain repair tutorial to learn how to camaflouge large damage.

Another technique to restain wood furniture is to use gel stain to restain the wood. But Old English is easy for very minimal scratches.

Learn more about the different methods of wood surface repair, from basic scratch repair to more intensive refinishing.

Cleaning Hardware

Last, but not least, I polished the old hardware.

I boiled it in water for a few minutes, and then I poured the hardware in the sink to clean it… annnnnd one piece fell down into my garbage disposal. Ooops. So that was fun.

polished brass hardware after being cleaned

I ended up fishing it out with a pair of pliers. Thank goodness! And then I cleaned the hardware with some Bar Keepers Friend. Look at how shiny they look now!

Here’s more information on how to clean old furniture hardware. Watch how we gave this painted sewing machine table a perfect pop of color here:

And here’s what the sewing table looks like now!

closeup of pink painted sewing table with gold hardware

pink painted sewing machine table with gold hardware

More Before And After Makeovers

Click any of these “before” photos below to view the “after” of that makeover.

pink painted sewing table with singer sewing machine

I love the pop of color!! I would have loved to have something like this when I was a teen!

If you love bold colors, check out some purple painted furniture ideas here.

I hope someone will get to learn how to sew with this little table… and let’s be honest, that the sewing machine works well enough for someone to use it. Haha

Check out our Rethunk Junk paint review for more information on what to expect if you use Rethunk Junk paint on your furniture.

Painting a Sewing Machine Table

Update your old sewing table with this painted sewing machine table makeover with the help of Rethunk Junk paint.

Materials

Tools

Instructions

Remove the old hardware and cover the sewing machine with tin foil to protect it from paint.
Clean the table with The Prep and an old rag. Spray The Prep all over, letting it sit for a minute or two before wiping it all down.
Brush 2-4 coats of Rethunk Junk Paint onto the table, letting it dry between coats. Sand between coats if desired for a smoother finish.
To freshen up the old scratched wood on the inside of the sewing table, wipe on a light coat of Old English.
Clean the old hardware with Bar Keepers Friend then attach the hardware to your painted sewing machine table.

Recommended Products

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More Painted Sewing Machine Tables

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