Recovering or Adding a new Top to Ikea Dining Table? Re-generate an old or tired space and give it a fresh breath of life. Click here for answers, information and tips

[doomedmuffin]

Hello, I have an Ikea Liatorp dining table (hopefully an image of this table has attached as I can't see it) and I'm looking to recover the table top in some way. I believe the top of the table in made from fibreboard. Looking at it, it appears to only have a layer on paint on top, with no other protection against bumps and scraps, as a result the top is looking pretty scruffy. I like this table and really don't want to buy another so I'm hoping I can refurb it in some way. I don't want to use a table cloth and would rather have the top exposed so I've been trying to think of ways to recover the top. I'm a DIY novice and I wouldn't be confident in trying to repaint the top and gather from research that this can go very wrong on this type of surface and that it is not particularly good at protecting from further bumps and scrapes. I was thinking that there may be a way of cutting a thin layer of wood and sticking on top of the table top to create a new top? Does anyone know if this is possible? How would you attach the wood to the table top? Would a no more nails type of adhesive work? This is an extendable table, but I have no need to extend it and would be glad to get rid of the unsightly line going through the middle of the table. I presume that I could not use MDF etc as it would look rubbish and would need to use a real wood, can anyone suggest what type of wood would be best and what thickness, where to get it from? I was then hoping to paint (what type of paint would be best?) the top and treat it with some kind of sealant (any suggestions?) I will be painting the top white again and have heard that some sealants turn the paint yellow, which obviously I don't want! I'm not completely against using a different material than wood if it would work and not look rubbish. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

[TheDoctor4]

Hi

As you have suggested - there are quite a few different options available to you and which solution you decide to use is very much a personal one.

As the table itself is extendable I would be inclined to keep it that way so to do so I would rub down with a suitable fine grade sand paper and then use a decent multi-surface primer to prime it with: https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/DIY-superst ... coats.html and then use a decent quality top coat to finish. If you need to protect the finish further a decent clear varnish.

If indeed you would like to cover the join then you could get a circular piece of timber cut to fit over the top that could be glued down. No More Nails, Gripfill or any of the other strong construction adhesives would work fine but once its stuck that's pretty much it, it's there for ever.

In terms of sourcing a piece of timber of this kind, your local timber merchant or carpenter would be the best place to start. In respect to finishing, again, this can be painted (primed first and then topcoat with maybe a varnish protective layer) or even unpainted and treated with varnish to retain the natural look of the wood, again, more of a personal choice.

One other option may be a piece of acrylic (either clear or coloured) cut to shape and stuck on. This would require no painting or treating but would be subject to melting if not items were to be placed on it and also would need to be cut in a perfect circle to the exact size or it would look shabby.

Hope this helps