Upcycling Ideas For Your Dining Room With Tutorial

We’ve been working on some DIY projects, some have been upcycling ideas. The latest was a stone coated dining table. Before coming to this decision, I entertained the idea of buying a new table.

Home Decor Spending

What I wanted was either a reclaimed wood or marble table that I can adjust based on guest count. Of course, that meant spending a lot of money. Funny enough a recent home furnishing report from Improvenet of consumer surveys showed me how Americans furnish and decorate their homes in 2019:

• 77% said at least some of their home is furnished and decorated to their satisfaction
• Most common source of design inspiration comes from in-store displays (narrowly beating out social media, TV shows, friends and family and interior designers)
• 84% buy their furniture new and 74% purchase in-person as opposed to buying online

Consumers are willing to spend more on:

• Sofa
• Mattress
• Television
• Refrigerator
• Dining set

Upcycling Ideas For Your Home

If people are looking to spend more on these items, they’re likely to want to save on others such as tables, counters, etc. But I wasn’t a consumer willing to spend a lot of dough on a dining table. I think I loved the thrill of upcycling ideas much more than buying ready made.

Luckily, there’s a way to achieve a great look without splurging. So I thought about creating my own faux reclaimed table with the one I had. I also thought about spray painting it in marble…all of which were great upcycling ideas but I was worried about the final outcome.

Stone Coating Finishing

I happen to stumble on Daich coating. Somehow I managed to get onto their PR list and saw a call for the to SpreadStone Mineral Select Countertop Refinishing Kit. Sounded perfect! It transforms existing countertops made of laminate, cultured marble, Formica and more into real stone surfaces at a fraction of the cost.

You can transform worn-out vanities, bartops, countertops, backsplashes, and tables into beautiful stone surfaces. You can also use it on concrete, tile, wood, MDF and other surfaces.

It transforms your surface into a dynamic multi-coloured decorative stone finish with shimmering mineral accents and colour highlights found in natural mined rock. The kit comes in 10 decorative colours and covers up to 40 square feet of surface. It’s priced at $125.

Once applied, it resists heat, stains, abrasion, impact and household cleaners.

I actually wanted to refinish my countertop….that was until my husband pointed out to me that we can use this finish for our dining room table! Genius! All I needed to do is sand, roll and paint, done!

Stone Coating FAQ

The SpreadStone Mineral Select Kit is made with a modified blend of stone and mineral ingredients. With SpreadStone you are not “painting.” You are resurfacing with stone.

You don’t need to be artistic with this product. This is stone re-surfacing technology that lets you roll a real stone layer right over your existing surface.

Rest assured, the stone finishing is durable and can stand:

• daily use
• hot pans
• stains
• non-abrasive household cleaners

The product doesn’t smell bad and is safe for indoor use if you’re doing it during the winter. If you have some left, just close it and save it for other upcycling ideas.

Upcycling The IKEA Dining Table

So I put it to the test on my 13 year old table which I originally bought from IKEA. I think they actually still sell it. This table has gone through multiple transformations over the years. From white paint, to marble adhesive paper and now stone coating, there wasn’t anything standing in its way of upcycling.

Truly the perfect guinea pig. I figured if I tried it and it didn’t work, I wasn’t losing much. I do love this table’s sturdiness and practicality, which is why I haven’t traded it in for anything else. It can fit from 6-12 people and accommodate large dinner parties. It’s sturdy with a classic base but it can sure use some upgrades.

There’s no worries about applying this product during the winter months. It is an odourless, safe-to-use product and a great indoor project any time of the year.

Step by Step Tutorial

This product will last for many years. You may potentially need to apply a fresh clear coat application every few years to revive the surface, especially if you heavily use it.

Project Needs

The kit comes with that you need for coating and tool:

• sanding paper
• dust mask
• base coat
• stone coat
• clear coat
• paint roller
• paint tray

The above will suffice but we found that using a brush to applying the stone coating is better than the roller they provide. Also, using an electric sand palmer is good for the smoothing step. Finally, you may want to get a smooth spongy roller for the clear coat as it works better than the furry one.

Coverage rates for the Mineral Select kit run between 30 and 40 sq.ft. I chose the natural white for my table.

Project Steps

1. Take apart your table and if you can, apply painters tape
2. Clean the surface to be worked on
3. Sand it then clean off the dust collected
   1. Apply the base coat with a roller and allow to dry
4. Apply 2 coats of stone coat with a brush and allow to dry between applications
   1. Smooth the stone coat with a sand palmer to the level you like
   2. Depending on your preference, you can smooth it down so it has a softer finish it less to keep the organic look
5. Roll on a layer of Daich Clear Coat
6. Allow to dry and wait until the following day to use the surface
   1. You can apply as many clear coats as you wish.
   2. After the first two coats, allow 6–8 hours between subsequent coats in warm, dry conditions.

Wait as long as you like between steps (from days and weeks to even months). There is no mandatory schedule because all the steps are naturally air dried coatings. Just keep the surface clean and dust-free between coats.

The Gist of it

Upcycling ideas don’t have to be complicated and you don’t need to be an expert to do them. Great products like the Daich Stone Coating makes DIY project really easy. They are also mess free as long as you have a good space to work in. Take any tired surface in need of a facelift and apply the stone coating. The results are seriously amazing.

Would you give the stone coating a try?

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