Redo an Old Card Table and Chairs
It’s easy to redo an old card table and chairs. You can easily give your chairs a new layer of padding, and you can redo the table with a brand new easy-to-clean vinyl cover. The metal frames are also easy to redo, and a new paint job can do wonders for an old card table and chairs. Simply follow the instructions below, and redo your old card table and chairs to make them as good as new.
Getting Started
The first step in your effort to redo a card table and chairs is taking the seats and tabletop apart from their frames. Simply remove any screws and bend up any tabs holding the seats, chair backs, and tabletop in place. The chair seats and backs, and the tabletop should come right off, but after years of use, it may be necessary to use a little force. Gently tap the corners with a rubber mallet if necessary.
Prepare the Metal
Before your redo or repaint an old card table and chairs, it’s necessary to properly prepare the metal. Clean away dirt and grime with warm soapy water, and rinse well. If necessary, brush away spots of rust with a wire brush and fine grade sandpaper. After sanding away any rust spots, spray them with metal primer.
Paint the Frames
After the metal has been properly cleaned and primed, wipe down the frames with mineral spirits in a well-ventilated location. Apply a coat of rust-resistant spray paint, and after the first coat dries, apply a second coat. Follow product label instructions for best results.
Redo the Padding
You can give your chairs and tabletop brand new padding to make them look like new and feel much more comfortable. Remove the staples from the chair seats, chair backs, and tabletop, and remove the old covers and padding. Trace and cut new sections of padding from 1/8-inch thick rolls of foam.
Recover the Tabletop and Chairs
After cutting new sections of padding for the chairs and tabletop, redo the covers as well. Heavy-duty vinyl tablecloths are fantastic material for recovering old card tables and chairs. Vinyl tablecloths are easy to clean, they’re available in many colors and patterns, and they’re sturdy.
Cut the new covers about three inches larger than the seats, chair backs, and tabletop. Put the foam padding in place, wrap the new covers tightly around the chair backs, seats, and tabletop, and staple them securely in place with a heavy-duty staple gun. After the painted frames have dried for at least twenty-four hours, replace the seats, chair backs, and tabletop.
Replace the rubber leg tips with new ones, and your old card table and chairs will look fantastic. For the price of a large vinyl tablecloth, mineral spirits, spray paint, and new rubber tips, you can redo a card table and chairs, and make them look as good as new.
