A step by step tutorial on how to Repurpose a damaged thrift store furniture into a gorgeous Coffee Table Makeover using Gold Leaf, Masking Tape and few simple supplies.

I specifically love Furniture Makeovers and I scored this table from the thrift store it for less than $10 which was a great price but came with a few flaws.

But nothing that could not be fixed with some Gold Leafing and handy DIY skills.

If you want to see my recent Coffee Table that I made from scratch then do check out my Marbled Resin Coffee Table post.

I really enjoyed transforming this table so much so that I transformed another one just like this one and you can check out my Stenciled Coffee Table post to see how it looks now.

I fell in love with the gold handle and the “Royal Pillar” type woodwork at the front of this table.

It was in a pretty decent condition overall except for the fact that the top part had some damage.

Here is the before shot.

If you look closely at the top you can see that there is almost a bulge on the top part.

Also it had a few minor scratches scattered around

Since the table looked and gave a sense of feeling very bulky I knew the color that I was going to choose should make it feel light and fresh.

Almost like a Royal Finish by using Gold Leaf.

Step By Step Tutorial on how To Transform a Thrift Store Coffee Table

Step 1

First things first I chose the color white for transforming this piece.

I specifically used my HomeRight Finish Max Sprayer which gives an amazing professional paint finish.

Load the white paint into the sprayer, you will need to thin it out if the paint consistency is too thick.

Then start the spraying process by lightly building up the color.

I sprayed the entire table in Behr’s Semi-Gloss Enamel in the color White and it needed about three coats for a full coverage.

 It took me a total of ten minutes with the sprayer and then I waited an hour between the coats before re-applying.

Step 2

I was not able to take off the handle pulls as it was a really old table and it really was stuck in place which is the reason they look white now.

The original gold handle was really dull in my opinion which is why I painted over it using Gold Liquid Gilding.

It did take time since I had to go into all the little details and curves.

I loved how it turned out so much so that the Wooden “Pillars” I painted Gold as well.

Look at how shiny and pretty the handles look now.

Such an amazing upgrade for what it looked before already.

Step 3

Now for the top part of the table which had the most glaring damage.

I chose to Gold Leaf half off the top party completely and the less damaged side I was going to create a pattern with masking tape.

I chose to Gold Leaf the table for two reason firstly because when you apply Gold Leaf it has this amazing texture and look that the uneven bulge was easily going to hide away.

Secondly I just really wanted to use Gold Leaf

I taped off the top part of the coffee table at an angle.

Be warned Gold Leafing takes a lot of patience.

After taping the table I then applied a thin coat of Mod Podge or Decoupage Glue

And from that point onwards  it was just a matter of placing the sheets delicately on to that area.

Gold Leaf is a super temperamental medium to work with and you’re going to end up with not so perfect patches and gaps but thats what adds the beauty to it.

Just go over the empty spots with another thin layer of glue and apply a gold leaf sheet until everything is covered.

If there are really small areas that are impossible to fill for some reason just go in with a Gold Sharpie and fill those gaps.

Step 4

The next step of my Coffee Table Makeover was the Masking Tape process.

To be quite honest it really is your choice to Gold Leaf the entire top or add this fun design element of a half and half design that I went with.

I placed the masking tapes equally spaced in a diagonal manner.

I tried my best at keeping the lines as even as possible.

Then I went in and painted on top with the same Liquid Gold Gilding that I used for the handles in the front.

When that was dry I took off the tape and ended up with this little beauty.

You  can’t even see the damage on top anymore, the gold leaf camouflaged it perfectly.

To preserve my hard work I applied two coats of Polycrylic and then sprayed on top a High Gloss Finish spray.

Im thinking of getting a Plexi Glass cut the same exact size of the top so that NOTHING happens to it or the other option is to apply Resin.

But this is how I transformed my Thrifted Coffee Table.

What do you guys think?

Want to Remember this Project? Then Be sure to save this Thrift Store Coffee Table Makeover Using Gold Leaf to Your Favorite DIY Pinterest Board.