Dyed Wood Table from Goodwill

Furniture can be expensive...especially if you're needing to furnish an entire apartment like like recently had to.  But there are options.
I went to my local Goodwill and purchased this solid oak table for just $15!

With a little sanding and a few bottles of RIT the table was completely transformed.

What you'll need:

• Wood table
• Handheld sander
• RIT dye (I used 1 bottle of Teal and 2 bottles of Black for this project)
• Paint brush or sponge brush
• Polyurethane to coat (optional)
• Gloves, plastic tarp (optional)

1. First, you'll need a smooth, untreated surface to dye-so get out your sander and get to work! (remember to always sand with the grain of the wood)
   
2. Once you have a sanded surface, prepare your dye.  I diluted my dye in buckets before applying (About 1-2 cups of water for 1 bottle RIT dye).
3. If possible disassemble your table.  Luckily, my table came apart fairly easily so I was able to work on the legs and table top separately (which, I dyed different colors).  If your table does not come apart that's OK...it might just be a little extra work.
4. Using a sponge brush apply dye to table surface.  Apply in thin layers with the grain of the wood.  Let the dye soak into the wood before applying additional coats.
   
5. How many coats you apply will depend on the color you desire and the type of wood your table is made of.  My table is made of oak...which is one of the harder, less porous woods so it took a few more coats than the average wood table. I think I ended up applying about 5 coats each on the legs and table top.
6. Allow to completely dry (overnight).
7. Using dye as a stain works great because unlike a stain which sits at the surface of the wood, dye actually penetrates the wood.  For this reason a finishing coat is not necessary.  However, since this is a dining room table that will see a lot more wear than the average furniture, I decided to coat it with polyurethane (I ended up using a can and a half of the semi-gloss spray kind).
8. Allow to completely dry (overnight) and reassemble.

There you go-an affordable, completely one-of-a-kind table!