DIY Table To Ottoman And How To Paint Furniture Without Sanding

It’s time for another Feature Friday with Family and Friends post!

When the boys are away this is how us girls play. When the men leave town, my girlfriends and I always come up with some fun way to get down. This particular weekend we decided to get our DIY on. When a friend is in need it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty. There’s nothing like good company, good food, and good crafting! Turning a table into an ottoman couldn’t be easier and painting furniture without sanding first is the icing on the cake! I had so much fun working with my girlfriends on this project and it’s very rewarding to see the smile on your dear friend’s face when it’s all complete.

Quick and Easy DIY Coffee Table to Ottoman Project

This is a very easy project and only takes 2 days to complete. You gotta give your paint plenty of dry time otherwise it could have been completed in one day. I’ve also found the perfect product to paint furniture without sanding. That makes the project really easy!

Easy DIY Coffee Table to Ottoman Tutorial

Let’s gather up some supplies…

Table (of course), fabric, foam, loft batting, paint, primer, foam paint brushes, staple gun and staples.

The amount of fabric you will need depends on the size of your table. Make sure and measure giving plenty of allowance to staple and cut past the staples. You will need the same amount of loft batting. The foam should be the size of the table top. Measure, measure, measure.

I want to let you in on a great tip. I have found an amazing product. There is no need to sand down wood furniture to get that gloss coat off before painting. Cover Stain Primer is all you need. It almost has a chalk paint effect.

No need to sand wood before painting, just use a coat of Cover Stain Primer

A little black was added to the primer just to give it a tint closer to black than the stark white that is in the can.

How to paint wood furniture without sanding first.

I haven’t had a chance to try it out on laminate furniture but I’m guessing it would work great. If I give it a go I will definitely let you know!

Painting cover stain primer as a base coat on furniture so no sanding would be needed.

I really loved the color and thought the tables turned out pretty cute with the color stain on the legs and the black on the top.

No need to sand furniture before painting. Check out https://easypeasypleasy.com to find out more.

That color scheme just didn’t work on this project so we forged on.

By the time we got done painting the Color Stain Primer on all three tables, the first table was dry and we immediately started painting on the black paint. Once all three tables were painted, we left to dry overnight.

Then, we laid the foam that had been cut to size on the top of the table and the loft batting over the foam.

DIY Coffee Table to Ottoman using foam and loft batting

You could always use spray adhesive to give a little extra security between the foam and table but I wanted this ottoman to be easily converted back to a table if the need should arise. The depth of the foam is entirely up to your preference. Use 1″, 2″, 3″, etc. Make the choice by how much cushion you really want.

Once you have your loft batting in place over the foam, it’s time to staple. This table made stapling fairly easy. It had a good 2 inch lip all the way around. I stapled the batting closer to the edge of the underside to give room for stapling the fabric in place.

Adding loft batting to a #DIY table turned ottoman.

Finally, it’s time staple on your fabric. This can be done by yourself but is much easier with a second set of hands. I started on one side in the middle. I stapled my first staple past the loft staples. I then moved all the way around to the opposite side, pulling the fabric tight, and placed a staple in the middle on that side. I then proceeded with the same steps on the last two sides. All that’s left is to staple in between. Tally pulled and held the fabric tight as I went along with staple gun.

Do It Yourself Table to Ottoman

As Tally was pulling the fabric tight and I was stapling, Shayla was coming behind us and trimming the excess fabric. With three friends working together we knocked out the ottoman portion of this project in less than 2 hours.

Quick and easy table to ottoman diy project.

I had such a great time working with my friends on this project! Staple guns are so easy to use and that Cover Stain Primer worked like a charm. If you haven’t taken on a project like this, I encourage you to give it a go! It really is much easier than you think. If you have questions about any of the steps just send me a comment. Don’t forget to sign up so you don’t miss any of my Easy Peasy ideas!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

To get all things Easy Peasy Sent right to your inbox!

25 thoughts on “DIY Table To Ottoman And How To Paint Furniture Without Sanding

  1. Absolutely gorgeous. I’m wondering why you painted the top of the table, when it was completely covered in batting and fabric? It seems it would be a quicker project if you painted just the legs?

    • Good question! The way this table is made, we could completely remove the batting and fabric and convert it back to a table if need be. The staples are on the underside and can be removed without damage to the look of the table. No need to paint the rest of the table later. It will be ready to go!

      • Good thinking! It certainly turned out beautifully, I will be looking out for a suitable table in my local op shops, I’d love to do this!

        • If I can do it, you can too! It really was one of the easiest DIY projects I’ve ever done. Let me know if you find a table!

  2. Kristen says:

    Just a question about how well the primer and paint adhered to the unsanded wood? Any sign of peeling or chipping?

    • The primer did amazing! It is oil based but it gives almost a chalk like finish. I used it just for paint on a piece I painted for my mom and even looks great with nothing covering it up. I even sanded to let the old color come through. No paint peeling or chipping. Thank you for the question!

  3. I want an ottoman for my living room coffee table so bad! I’ve thought about converting a table like you did here but I haven’t found the perfect table yet! Sounds like you and your gal pals had a blast working on this one… and it turned out so cute! Thanks for linking up with us at Welcome Home Wednesdays! Can’t wait to see you back next week!

  4. Shannon says:

    So was the grey the primer and then you painted over it with a black top coat? If so, did ou use a latex base paint for the top coat?

    • lacier77 says:

      Hi Shannon! Great question! The grey color is the primer. The top coat was actually oil based. My girlfriend wanted a super shiny look and went oil based. I used some of this primer paint on another piece of furniture for my mom and we chalk painted over the top and it worked really well. We also painted a piece in just this tinted primer and left it that color. Turned out amazing! I think anything would work over this primer! Thank you so much for stopping by!

      • Shannon says:

        Thanks! Have BIG plans for my great grandma’s china cabinet but the idea of sanding it was giving me the shakes!!!

        • lacier77 says:

          No way girl! Don’t sand! Either chalk paint (but you have to use the wax too) or use this primer and some paint. Saves a ton of time!

  5. Shagufta says:

    Great DIY idea. what was the brand and shade of black paint you used, can you post of picture of it like the primer. thanks.

    • lacier77 says:

      In this case it was a sateen oil based paint. You can use any paint you want. I don’t normally use oil based cause it doesn’t clean up well with water. I don’t have the can of paint as I was doing this project for a friend and she supplied the paint.

  6. Margie says:

    How did you apply the primer to the table? With a roller or paintbrush? If so what type or brand? I used the same stain tinted, on my cabinet doors and it came out horrible? I had to sand it back down. I’m thinking it wasn’t mixed correctly, but not sure.

    • lacier77 says:

      Hey Margie. Great question. I used very inexpensive foam brushes. They worked like a charm. The primer goes on real thick but dries kinda like chalk paint. Hope that helps.

  7. KatieK says:

    Hi there, I love this! When you did the other pieces for your mom using the primer, did you use the grey primer that you made from adding the extra black, or did you paint it using the original white color of the primer? I’m thinking about using this primer for a dresser and wanted your opinion on the color…I love both white and grey pieces. If you used the grey, did you just add the black from the can of black paint from the top coat?

    Thanks!

    • lacier77 says:

      Hey Katie! Thank you so much. I used the same can of primer with the little bit of black added when painting the pieces for my mom. The hardware store just added a little black paint to the primer and the grey looked was achieved. They can’t add much or the can will be to full to place the lid on. I hope that helps. I wish I still had the paint can so I could see if any labels were added on the amount of color added. I’ll check with my mom tomorrow and see if she still has the can.

  8. Katie k says:

    Thank you so much!! I just did a piece using the primer, leaving it just white as is, and I think next time I’ll definitely add a tint of color. 🙂

Comments are closed.