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Repurpose and Upcycling ·

How to Restore an Old Railroad Cart into a Coffee Table

We were lucky enough to find an old railroad cart table at a local antique store with the original boards still attached to it! It looked pretty rough when we bought it, but we knew we could transform it and make it into something really special for our downstairs game room. We wanted an antique railroad cart table to use as our coffee table down there since we are trying to make it into a vintage game room eventually. So we knew when we saw this table, it was the one for us! I thought I would go ahead and share this easy DIY process with you all in case you find a similar table and want to transform it as well.

Railroad Cart Coffee Table
Here is a finished view of our coffee table!

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Supplies Needed to Restore the Old Railroad Cart:

Before Railroad Cart Table
Here is what the before looked like. You can tell here it is very dirty and dusty!

Get Rid of The Dirt and Grime

Obviously, the first step would be to get rid of all the dirt and grime covering the table. This one was pretty covered in dirt. It had been sitting outside of the antique store for who knows how long and it was not in perfect condition.

But we knew with a little TLC, we could get this table in working order again. My hubby used his air compressor in the garage and blew air all over the table to clean it up real good.

Then, we simply wiped it down with a dry cloth afterwards to remove any remaining debris hanging on.

Cleaning the Table
Ready to spruce this baby up!

Sanding the Antique Railroad Cart Down

After you have the table all nice and clean, the next step would be to sand it down real good. As I mentioned above, we used an electric sander for this part and it made things go by pretty quickly.

I would strongly suggest investing in an electric sander if you like to re-do a lot of furniture pieces like this. It will definitely save you time in the long run!

Sanding the Table
Hubs just starting to sand it down.

We did notice with this table that it had several nails sticking up from it. Which in turn, would rip the sandpaper off of the sander.

Because of that, we did have to hammer down a few nails before sanding the whole thing down.

Hammering the Nails Down
Here you can see where we had to hammer down some nails.
Sanding the sides of the table
Don’t forget to sand the sides down too!
Sanding the price off
For some reason, they actually wrote the price on the table with a sharpie. So we really had to sand it down a lot here to get that off!
Sanding the table down
Getting there!
Completed Railroad Cart Table After Sanding
Finished sanding!

After sanding it down, it really brought out the old black paint color. I loved how rustic it made it look.

It is the perfect, authentic vintage looking table we were envisioning for in that room.

Sanded Down Railroad Cart Table
Here you can really see the black paint shining through on the tabletop.

Apply The Wood Sealer Onto Table

After we got the table sanded down completely, my hubby used the air compressor again to blow off any remaining pieces left.

Once you do that, you are ready to seal it! We had some leftover sealer from when we applied the wooden shiplap onto our kitchen bar wall.

I am not sure of the exact name of the one that we used, but I do know it is a semi-gloss finish.

Applying the Sealer to Table
This sealer really brought out the black color even more.

You can use whatever kind of wood sealer that you want for this project. I was really happy with the semi-gloss finish because it gave it just a little shine, but not too much.

I just used a cheap foam brush to apply the sealer on the table as well. I did go through about 4 total to finish it up, but thank goodness they are cheap and come in a big pack!

Halfway Sealed Table
You can really see the difference here after you apply the sealer.
Close up of Sealing Table
Close up of the cheap foam brushes I used to apply the sealer with.
All finished sealed table
Look how pretty it is all done!

Tips for Applying the Sealer:

  • Use at least 2 coats or more on top if you are planning on using it as a coffee table to set drinks down on (we did two on the top total).
  • Don’t forget to apply the sealer on the sides too (I only did one coat there).
  • Apply a generous amount in any areas that have cracks or holes in the wood. That way it is sealed up nicely in case anything ever spills there.
Finished Railroad Cart Coffee Table
I also moved our living room rug down here to this space and I think it fits much better down here instead. I will link it below:

Enjoy Your New Railroad Cart Coffee Table

Well, that’s it! This was a super easy DIY project and it only took us a couple of hours from start to finish. The end result was so worth it and I am very happy with how it turned out.

This railroad cart coffee table is the perfect vintage touch that this space needed! If you are looking for more easy DIY projects like this, then check out how I transformed an old family heirloom that was handed down to me.

I love taking old pieces of furniture and making them new again with a little TLC!

How to Restore an Old Railroad Cart Into a Coffee Table
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Learn more about how to turn your builder grade home into something more here too!

About Charity Gentry

I love Jesus, coffee, and home decor. I also love to cook and bake as well as read in my spare time! Follow along with me for all my latest DIY projects and ideas!

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Comments

  8. Cristina Rosano says

    I really love your DIY posts and this coffee table looks amazing! If I had space or I was back home, I would surely try to do it with my dad! He loves upcycling things and I enjoy helping him. Thanks for sharing x

    Reply

  10. Jenny in Neverland says

    Okay I LOVE this! My boyfriend and I have been on lots of steam train holidays so I think if we had our own place, something like this would be really special. I love how it looks in your living room – so rustic and authentic! x

    Reply

  12. Jodie | That Happy Reader says

    I love finding new uses to old pieces and you’ve done a great job in this project! Well done. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  13. Eve Morgan says

    What an awesome coffee table upcycle! It suits your home perfectly too! I love that all the rustic grain started to come out when you sanded it down, it gave it such a lovely look. The step by step guide is also really helpful. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

    • Charity Gentry says

      Thank you so much Eve. I am glad you enjoyed it and I am so happy with the rustic grain showing through as well!

      Reply

  17. Jaya Avendel says

    I really love this! It is simple and pretty and so useful. Upcycling is a wonderful way to continue the life of something hardy. We have many abandoned old railway tracks that used to run freight trains in our woods so we are always coming across pieces of wood still beautifully full of life.
    Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply

  26. Stephanie says

    Now this is just too cool! I love the creativity! I would never think to upcycle something like this but you did an amazing job. It’s such a statement in the room and I bet it’s an awesome conversation starter!

    Reply

  28. CD says

    I just stumbled across this post. I have access to seven of those old carts, and I hope I can get them on the cheap. I’d love to save them for a purpose such as a table. Thanks for the info on your project. Great information!

    Reply

    • Charity Gentry says

      Awe yay! I’m so glad you found it to be useful and stumbled across a few carts of your own too! That’s so exciting!!

      Reply

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