It appears as though hubs and I have entered into the redo or maintain your stuff phase of life. My card tables were in sad shape after years of school projects and art projects. Simply covering them with tablecloths didn’t change the fact that they looked awful. I have had this little idea percolating in my mind for awhile. Â I have recovered a card table chair and there would be no reason why I couldn’t recover a card table the same way. All it would take is the laminated fabric or vinyl for the top. I already had the tiny staples and staple gun left over from the chair recover (or so I thought).
Doesn’t my table top look sad, ugly and dirty. I did clean it and it just doesn’t get any better.
Pretty much all card tables have a little layer of padding under the vinyl. You can see it in the photo above where it is cut. I saved this padding to reuse as it was already cut to size and not in too bad a condition. It is the thin packing wrap that
The supplies you will need are.
- safety goggles
- Staple gun and short staples
- Enough vinyl for the top or laminated fabric
- scissors
- staple pulling devices ( we used everything from a staple puller to pliers and a flat head screwdriver)
- 2 small shallow bowls or jars for screws and used staples
- scissors and craft knife
- phillips head screwdriver
Keep in mind that small children and these tools do not mix well. This is probably the reason why this job didn’t happen any sooner.
- Measure your card table top and while you are measuring check to see if your table top screws into the base and legs.
See the little brackets that are riveted to the table top then then screw into the metal table base.
Now you know if your card table is able to be recovered.
Buy your vinyl or laminated fabric for the top. Â I tried to buy a non- stripey design so it wouldn’t matter if I lined up the stripes perfectly. Un-aligned stripes drive me crazy over time. I chose vintage looking Paris postcards.
Put your card table upside down on your dining table or the floor. It is easier on your back and your knees. Using your phillips head screw driver remove all of the screws.
Take the legs off of the top and set them aside. Then start to remove all of the staples any way you can. Take a photo of the corner so that you can see how the vinyl was stapled in the corners.
It was stretched really tight and stapled a bunch.
Remove the vinyl and place your choice of top face down on your work surface. Place the padding on top and then your table top. It will make a sandwich with the top face down, then the padding and lastly the table top also face down.
Cut the top about four inches longer than you need on all four sides. This gives you something to pull on when you are stapling. We will trim the extra off later.
Staple one time in the middle on the first side.
Then I pulled the Paris fabric tight on the opposite side and put one staple in the table (through all of the layers) also in the middle. Then work one on each side of this first staple alternating opposite sides. Leave the corners alone for now.
Then staple the other two sides.
It will  be stapled on all four sides with no corners done about 1/2 way through.
If your staples don’t go all the way in then you can get a hammer and tack them down firmly.
Then do the corners the same way as the photo stretching and stapling as you go. I tried to staple little bits instead of big folds of the vinyl.
Take the craft knife or scissors and trim the extra vinyl just on the inside of your staples away from the table edge.
Put the table base and legs back on your table top and put the screws back in.
See Tom put the screws back in for me. He also did most of the work but that happens at my house whenever I get out the tools. He did a great job and I just did other things.
I also have vinyl left over to do the chairs as well. So I am pretty happy about this project.
Things I would watch out for before starting.
- make sure you have enough staples for the staple gun before you get started.
- Make sure the staples you have fit the staple gun you own.
The top isn’t as tight as the original top but it isn’t wrinkled and the laminated fabric stretches more than the vinyl did. It looks good and is easy to clean. It gives new life to an old table and keeps me from wanting to buy a new card table. This is good since we have two tables and they both needed recovering. It keeps them both out of the landfill.
talk to you later,
Karen