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refinishing old table question

9 years ago

I was given a kitchen table by a 70 year old gentleman that said it was his grandfathers. It is nothing grand, it's quite rustic and that's how I want it to stay. I had no intentions of putting it in my house as it was very dirty. The more I cleaned the more I fell in love with what was being uncovered! Now that I have all the dirt and old finish off I would like to finish it off but don't know where to start! I don't want to stain it and change the color as I love the wood but it is very porous. Tung oil, polyurethane or verathane were my thoughts. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also how might I finish the top without loosing the "old worn" look. I have sanded and rubbed with fine steel wool ad it is still splintery and could not be used in this state. Will anything seal it without changing the appearance drastically? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

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Comments (2)

bobismyuncle
9 years ago
Some photos would be helpful as "old worn look" is not specifically descriptive. Do you know what type of wood it is? I'd hold off on the steel wool. Some woods (for example oaks, that contain a lot of tannin), will react with the iron in the steel wool and leave black spots.

First, your finish will never be better than your preparation. Just cleaning and sanding will not effectively remove the old finish, in general. And a finish will not smooth out a splintery surface.

Second, be aware that most products called "Tung Oil Finish" are not tung oil, and most do not even contain any tung oil. Most are either a thinned varnish or a linseed oil-varnish blend. Unless it says 100% tung oil and contains no petroleum distillates, you are getting an imposter. Something that "looks sort of like tung oil." Tung oil, the real stuff, is not very protective and if you don't apply it right and allow sufficient inter-coat dry time, it will not look good and need to be stripped off.

Varathane is a brand name, not a specific product. It's sort of like saying, should I buy a Chevy? Well are you talking about a Volt, a Corvette, or a cargo van? Varathane makes both urethane and acrylic (water-borne) varnishes, as well as stains and other things.

It would also be helpful to know the look and feel that you are aiming for. Since we don't know that the current appearance is, it's hard to say what is going to change it.
CEFreeman
9 years ago
I can't add anything Bobsmyuncle hasn't said, because I'm still learning.
I can tell you I've found two methods to get a completely matte, sealed finish, but you've got to do your work first.

Where are you on this project? I'd love to see pictures.

Oh - I've also found that before I go hacking finishes with sanders, steel wool and other aggressive things, that something as simple as washing it down with Murphy's Oil Soap will cause centuries of grime to just wash off, without damaging the wood.

I picked up an antique, two sided/two person desk (drawers on either side) with gorgeous rounded corners and beading applied. I fully intended to paint it until the gorgeous, amazing veneer and finish were revealed.

Just a thought.
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I don't know what color you should go for with all those different woods in the room, but if you want to go natural I suggest that first you at least wipe down the table with an old white T shirt dampened with mineral spirits (to get any dust off). Really should have used a chemical stripper instead of sanding the finish/stain off. Sand to 220, wipe down with mineral spirits after each change in paper (I don't know what grit DS ended with). Then brush on a couple of coats of thinned (half and half) dewaxed shellac (Sealcoat is good) and denatured alcohol. You can lightly hand-sand with 320 between each coat but I really haven't found it necessary. After a couple (or 3 or 4 - depends on how thickly you're putting it on) you can use a gel stain to adjust the color if needed, then I would put on a couple of coats of gloss poly (sand and wipe between each coat), you can stop with that or top with a lower-sheen. I have only done doors and stairs this way, don't know what in particular you would use on a kitchen table but ask at finishing store, I'd think you'd want food-safe but don't know what brand or line would be best for durability. The shellac really makes the pine almost iridescent - I think you'll like it.
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Jody: I received a lot of help from a poster by the name of bobsmyuncle over on the woodworking forum. I had heard of him before and he had helped many people with their refinishing projects. I have no idea if the stripper I used was the best choice and later found out others mentioned that were more environmentally friendly so you may get better suggestions by posting your project/questions on the woodworking forum. bobsmyuncle did recommend the shellac, SealCoat by Zinnser, which worked well for me. It's a clear shellac so did not change the natural color of the wood, though I believe you could add a stain on top of that if you wish. Here is a link to my thread on the woodworking forum which has more step-by-step details. Here is a link that might be useful: Link to my refinishing project on woodworking forum
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