Need advice on how to resurface lift-top coffee table.

[Jer]

We bought some furniture from AFW years ago and while it's all held up relatively well the coffee table was toast in a matter of months. It's a cheap laminate and if it wasn't for the fact that the table is actually a nice lift-top and also matched to two end tables and a sofa table I would junk it and start over. What I need is some ideas for resurfacing it. I thought about doing like tile or something like a slate but the added weight might be too much for the lift mechanism even though it locks out pretty good. Just seems that that much added weight would be too much. I debated cutting a new table top for it and then trying to match the finish but it's quite unique so I don't see that being very possible and don't really feel like doing the other three tables as well to keep them all matching. I considered attempting to contact the manufacturer but it's old enough now that I doubt they've produced this exact coffee table for quite a few years now. In addition, it wasn't very durable to begin with so I'd rather not invest in that same top again.

So... ideas?

[Irving]

You already thought of my idea, which was to just cut a new top and try to match the finish. Is it a pattern or a color you don't want to match? Also, tile wouldn't match, so why not a new top?

If it is just pressed wood with the laminate, you could try to sand off the laminate, then just buying some thin wood at Home Depot to attach to the top and finish how you want.

[newracer]

Glue a piece of HPDL onto the top.

[Wulf202]

you can re-laminate it, rebuild it, or refinish it.

which do you want to tackle?

[jslo]

Pictures might help us determine just how bad it looks. A couple other ideas:
1) If it's a veneered top, you could cut out a shape and inlay a new piece of veneer. A lot of times a different species/color is used giving it a unique look.
2) Might be able to wipe the whole top with a closely matched stain then use a bar top clear finish. Stuff is fairly thick and may require some type of edge trim
3) I have some clients that swear by a touch up stick that they use on dings and scratches on finished wood. I believe they get them at Home Depot

[JohnnyEgo]

If it's just ugly, take it to a countertop place and have them re-laminate it. I don't know that I would try to remove the laminate over pressboard. It's usually vacuum applied and/or hot pressed on, and it's probably what's really holding the particleboard underneath together. Plan B is to go over to the Woodcraft in Loveland or Sears-Trostel in Fort Collins and pick up a sheet of veneer. You can make or buy a vacuum press, or just load up the surface with a set of encyclopedias or whatever to weight it down.

[Jer]

I'll see if I can get some pics to post up so you have an idea. One of our dogs chewed one of the corners plus the edges aren't square as they're routered with some sort of a curve so I doubt a new laminate will be that easy to do. It also is a design that I'm not sure I could locate or come that close to matching up. Our TV stand thing has dark smoked tempered glass shelves so part of me wonders if we could just get one cut and place that on top to cover up the blemishes or.. I dunno. Maybe with pictures you guys can get some more ideas to suggest.

[SideShow Bob]

Once you get the top of the coffee table refinished, take some measurements and get ahold of Superior DG ( a member here ) and get a piece of tempered glass cut to fit the table top. That's what I did to the lift top coffe table the wife picked up at AFW several years ago. The top still looks new, the glass makes the top a little heavy to lift, but the glass has survived accidental slamming down and items dropped. Even held up to placing hot pizza pans straight from the oven set on it.
DG even included the clear plastic discs to keep the glass from rubbing on the wood finish.

[spideyar]

We have a relatively cheap lift top coffee table from AFW as well. Bought it maybe 6 years ago for around $100 and the top started looking like hell in no time. I thought it was a laminate surface or something but it actually just turned out to be a shoddy finish. A few evenings of sanding, restaining, and putting a top coat on, and it's been great ever since (going 4.5 years now since we refinished it and we use it non-stop as a laptop desk including using an optical mouse on it hours per night literally, etc). Are you sure it's not sandable?

[Jamnanc]

Go online with the wife, find something you like from formica. Go to home depot and order a 3x5' sheet of it $45 or so. Have it delivered to the store. In the mean time, sand your existing laminate with rough diamond paper and fill the holes the dog chewed and sand it down to an acceptable contour. Once the formica comes in, use contact cement on both the lid and the formica. Use 1/4" dowels to separate the pieces, then apply and roll on the new laminate. Use the appropriate bit in a router, borrow one if necessary, router to the edges, "it's easier than you think", and paint or sand and laquer the edges.