Patching and Plastering - Leveling/Smoothing out a table top

I bought a laminate rectangular school table that the previous owner sponge painted and fabric painted with letters, numbers etc.. I painted it with an enamel paint after scraping and sanding attempts did not work at all (that fabric paint is tough!). The surface is still too rough. What do I use to smooth it out? I need a leveling compound that is hard and durable and that will stick to the painted surface. Is there a wall compound that would work or do I use a concrete compound? I will paint over it again for the final finish.

Welcome to the forums!

How did you sand? did you use a sander or just hand sanding?

You could apply a thin skim coat of joint compound, sand, prime and paint. That should give you a super slick surface. The only drawback is the j/c won't be as hard as the laminate and can be damaged if abused.

What have you done to try to strip it? A wire wheel on an angle grinder carefully used may do a good job. There are also some that attach to powered screwdrivers, but I don't know if it would have the necessary power. You'd jsut have to try and experiment.

As for the top resurfacing. Joint compound is really soft and concrete is extremely brittle if it is too thin. Your best bet is probably some type of epoxy table top material.

I would try purchasing a fiberglass 2 part resin. Make sure the table is very level. Mix the 2 part and evenly pour on the top, don't brush roll etc. It will level itself. After the first coat you can wet sand the top with 220 and it will be ready to paint. Just a thought. They sell it at Home Depot in 1 gal cans. Have plenty of ventilation