Did you know that you can paint over mid-century modern Arborite furniture? It's totally doable but there are two simple but important steps to doing it right for a long-lasting finish. In this post, I'm sharing the scoop on how to paint Arborite as well as a retro dining table and chair makeover. The mid-century modern dining table is small and has one drawer and I think it would make a great desk or vanity table too.

Retro Arborite Dining Table Makeover

We'll talk about the retro table makeover first and the Arborite painting tutorial further down in the post.

The table is glam on the bottom and party on the top with this fun blue and white geometric pattern.


The legs were showing some wear and so they got freshened up with gold paint.


The inside of the drawer has a little stencil surprise too.


And rather than replacing the original knob like I normally do, I decided to keep the brass knob and paint the wood button in the center white. It plays nicely with the gold trim around the tabletop and the table legs.


To see where we started, this is what table the looked like before...


And here is the table after the makeover. Big difference, right?

Retro Arborite Table Vanity | Dressing Table

Because of its small size, I thought it would make a lovely vanity or dressing table and so next I paired it with a Glam Vanity Stool. Don't they look like they were meant for each other?

Retro Arborite Desk With Metal Chair

Here it is again paired with a retro metal chair to work as a funky desk.


This is what the retro metal chair looked like when we got it...


But with just a few coats of metallic gold spray paint, what a difference.


I love how breathing new life into this old Arborite dining table gives it three different uses. Which one is your favorite?

Leave your answer in the comment section below or press the Contact Me button at the top of the blog to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!



Now let's move onto the tutorial on how to paint retro Arborite tables with a lasting finish. This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. At no cost to you, we receive a small commission if you make a purchase. post contains affiliate links for your convenience so you can see what products I used or recommend to make this project.

Three Steps For Prepping Retro Arborite Dining Tables For Paint

The next three steps for prepping Arborite furniture for paint are the most important for a lasting finish. I'll be the first to admit that these steps are tedious but if you skip them, you will regret it later. Ask me how I know!

Step 1 - Clean the retro table

Remove any dirt, grime, and grease with a mixture of warm water, 1/4 cup of vinegar and a drop of Dawn dish soap. Another option is this cleaner but I ran out and have it on my shopping list.

Step 2 - Give the paint some bite 

Sand the Arborite to rough up the smooth surface. I used a mouse sander with an 80-grit sanding pad but you must be careful not to sand beneath the veneer.

Wipe the dust with a damp microfibre cloth and follow with a tack cloth to remove fine particles. Rub your hand over the Arborite to feel if it's rough to the touch. If not, carefully repeat the sanding process because you want to give the next step some bite.

Tip for dust free sanding when you work indoors

If you paint indoors like I do, here's a great dust free sanding tip that I learned from my fellow Furniture Fixer Upper pal Kandice at Just The Woods. Connect the end of your sander to the hose of your shop vacuum and hold them together with duct tape. Genius!

Step 3 - Prime the arborite retro table

This step is key for a lasting finish. Prime the roughed up Arborite with two coats of primer, rolled and not brushed, with a foam roller. Wait about an hour between coats and be sure to lightly sand with 220-grit sandpaper for a smooth finish.


NOW that we've done the necessary dirty work, it's time for the fun part, making the vintage Arborite table pretty with paint.

How To Paint Retro Arborite Dining Tables 

For this retro dining table, I decided to go bright and bold and keep the retro vibe going with a fun stencil.

Painting the retro dining table

I painted three coats of Peacock blue chalk mineral paint over the primed surface with a small foam roller. I waited an hour between coats and lightly sanded the paint with 220-grit sandpaper followed by a wipe with a tack cloth.


The table apron and inside the drawer was brushed with three coats of Fluff chalk mineral paint.

The metal legs were showing some wear so I removed them from the table and headed outside. It was the perfect sunny Spring day to refresh the legs with this pure gold spray paint. It's the same paint I used on the retro metal chair.

Stenciling the retro dining tabletop

Like I mentioned earlier, I couldn't stop at the bright Peacock blue paint color and decided to add some retro fun with this geometric wall stencil.


To stencil the tabletop I poured the same Fluff chalk mineral paint onto a paper plate and dabbed the excess onto a paper towel so very little paint remained on the brush.

I opted not to use the quicker method of stenciling with a stencil roller because the top had only been painted less than 12 hours earlier and I didn't want to risk using stencil adhesive to hold the stencil in place.

Instead, I used delicate surface Frog tape to hold the stencil and pounced with a stencil brush.

Don't forget the drawers

The outside of the drawer was painted the same Peacock blue and the inside the Fluff white. I added a surprise to the bottom of the draw with this polka dot stencil.

Protect the painted retro dining table

The chalk mineral paint I used does not require a topcoat because it will cure rock hard within 30 days. But for things like tabletops, chairs, and the the top of cabinets, I always protect the paint with three thin coats of this matte water-repellent clear coat. This will give the table a rock hard finish after 48 hours.


Part of me wonders if I should have painted the apron Peacock blue and the drawer front white. What do you think?

I'd love to get your feedback and/or any questions you might have about this makeover. Please leave them in the comment section below or press the Contact Me button at the top of the blog to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!





Please join me to take a look at how my talented friend's transformed these furniture pieces...

Press the links below to see the after photos and tutorials...

1. Girl In The Garage
2. Confessions Of A Serial DIYer
3. Petticoat Junktion
4. Prodigal Pieces
5. Just The Woods
6. The Interior Frugalista (that's me)