DIY Painted Secondhand Table Makeover

I thought I’d do things a little bit differently today to mix things up. Instead of sharing the full story behind my latest DIY upcycle project here on the blog, I’m going to send you right along to my Home Matters newsletter for the scoop! In case you didn’t hear, I relaunched my newsletter after a 6-year hiatus at the beginning of 2025, and I’ve gotta tell you…having this brand new avenue for content has been really exciting for me.

The newsletter is currently scheduled to go out to subscribers’ email inboxes every other week, and is a natural extension of the Dream Green DIY brand. I’ll be sharing behind the scenes updates on our life here in Virginia, shopping roundups, lifestyle tips for my fellow homebodies, and first looks at projects like that one I’ll be talking about today. Subscribe here (for free!) if you haven’t already. The next newsletter topic is going to be a roundup of my favorite springtime home accents, and you don’t want to miss it.

Last week on Home Matters I shared an exclusive first look at the thrifted $10 drop leaf side table that I bought from Goodwill with the intention of making it over. I loved the size and shape of the table (those elegant curved legs are show-stoppers), but the top had a bunch of water damage that needed to either be fixed or covered up. I don’t consider myself much of an aficionado when it comes to wood repair, but I do know how to handle a paint brush, so that’s how I decided to tackle this project: with paint.

We ultimately decided to sand down the tabletop (thanks, John!) and paint just that section of the table a new color to refresh it. Click over to Home Matters for a full breakdown of the steps I took to bring this secondhand table back to life, plus links to all of the supplies we used and the final paint color I chose. The process was super straightforward, though, and I definitely think a novice DIYer can handle this type of furniture makeover. If you spotted the two different paint chips I was considering several photos above, did you have a favorite? Would you have gone with the soft blue color I was considering, or would you have chosen the brown color, like I did?

While I absolutely adore the creamy brown tone that I picked for the tabletop, I think my favorite part might just be the new drawer pull. Or maybe the wallpaper pattern I added to the drawer as a liner! It’s hard to say because I genuinely love this table from top to bottom, and I’m so glad that I decided to save it and give it its moment to shine here on the Internet. By the way, the ruby-colored table lamp was another thrifty find that I’ll tell you all about in the newsletter. Click over to Home Matters here to read the full story and get access to the links for supplies and decorative accents in this makeover, including the drawer pull and lamp shade.

Thanks, as always, for your support, and if you decide not to subscribe to the newsletter, that’s okay! I, myself, am really careful about what I allow into my email inbox, so I totally respect if you don’t want to add to your daily reading list. But if you are interested in learning even more about our home and life, then I’d love to invite you to be part of the Home Matters community. Just click any of the links in today’s post to get in on that. Cheers!