HOW TO PAINT AN IKEA DOCKSTA TABLE

Hello friends.  I hope you’re all enjoying some sunshine, wearing really cute masks, and checking the occasional DIY project off your list.  I’ve been busy working on projects and trying to “finish rooms”, so now I have a bunch of projects to blog about!  I’ve been finding some great pieces on Facebook Marketplace for bargain prices that I can’t pass up, so my DIY list keeps growing 🙂

I bought an IKEA DOCKSTA table about 10 years ago.  Within the first week, there were chips in the table. Ugh.  Over the years, I met other people who bought the same table and had the same issue.  I started asking around about why and how this would happen.  I learned why IKEA furniture chips:  The wood is too soft to support the paint they use.  So when something bumps the table, the wood isn’t hard enough to hold off the object bumping it, so the object breaks through the paint and dings the wood underneath.  I did my research and talked to paint department associates at hardware stores.  One person suggested boat paint.  I knew nothing about boat paint (since I live in the quintessential “prairie state”, but did my research.  (It’s sometimes referred to as marina paint.)

Disclaimer:  A couple years ago, I refinished the table with countertop paint.  It didn’t work, it was a total bust.  I still got chips in the table.  It also showed “scuff” marks from darker colored items being set on top.  One of my darling cats threw up on the table when I was at work, and the paint eroded in that spot.  I know it’s gross, but it helps illustrate that this paint was not going to last.

Now it was time to try out the “boat paint”, gulp.  I ordered some in glossy bright white, and set up my paint area.  I did do this in my basement but opened the windows for ventilation.  I’ve tried painting in my garage, but flies and tiny pieces of debris always end up in the dried paint.  So gross.

Process for priming and painting with boat paint:

1. Use a medium-grade sandpaper, sand the table smooth.  Make sure to really smooth out any chips.  You may not be able to fully smooth them out, but buff out the hard edges of the chips so the new paint can level itself when drying.
2. Using a damp rag, wipe down the table removing all the dust.
3. I used my beloved Bulls-Eye 1-2-3 latex primer.  Two coats. Using a foam roller, roll on two coats, letting it dry completely between coats.
4. Repeat the sanding and wiping down process between coats using a very fine finish sand paper.  I used a 220 grit.  The medium grade will be too much for thin coats of paint.
5. Using a VERY dense foam roller, roll on a thin coat of boat paint.  This is oil-based paint, so put your roller in a Ziplock bag and seal it well so you can re-use it for the next coat.
6. Repeat the sanding and wiping down process between coats.  I did 3 coats of boat paint.
7. After sanding down the last coat, I applied a gloss polycrylic topcoat (not polyurethane – that will yellow over time) – with a fresh dense foam roller.

** I linked to all of the products I used below.

Important to know…

There will still be a slight texture using the roller.  I was tempted to use a sprayer to paint it, but would have had to thin the paint – and I wanted to see how it would hold up at full strength.  I may go back and sand it down and spray it later in year if this is the miracle paint I’ve been searching for 😉

This (below) is what it looked like after my disastrous attempt at countertop paint.  Ahem, see the big chip in the paint. I had already sanded it down some, which is why you see the variation in color.  It also had a slight texture in the paint from the roller.

Sorry for the yellow cast from the lights, but this will give you an idea what it looks like during the early stages.

Supplies to Paint Furniture with Boat Paint

Affiliate Links are used for your shopping convenience.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.  

I’ve had it painted and in my kitchen for a couple months and I’m happy to report it still looks the same.  No scratches, chips or discoloration.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.  More projects to come!

Jen