Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Refinishing a Dining Room Table
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RonMeints
03-10-06, 12:05 PM
We were lucky enough to get a vintage mahogony dining room table, 6 chairs, and a sideboard from an estate at a great price. We've brought the chairs back to about 90% of their original beauty using Howard's Restore-A-Finish and wax. The sideboard and table are both refinished using the same product - EXCEPT for the tops. What is the best finish to put on a table top that is going to have everyday use as the family table. (It's been sanded, smoothed, and stained so I'm starting with essentially raw wood.)
Ron
Ron
sue stoia
03-10-06, 02:29 PM
Ron. I'm not an 'expert' okay? but I do have some experience with finishes. You already must know that the obvious answer for a surface that will be getting that much use is to use a polyurethane finish. A lot of people object to it though because it looks so plastic. If you use the satin or semi gloss version you can avoid some of that.
My mom was an avid refinisher and she always swore by a varnish called Waterlox. It can still be found at the waterlox web site. I believe it's a tung oil based varnish. It has good resistance to stains but isn't technically a plastic finish. My mom always said it's best to use oil based finishes on wood. The linseed (or other) oil in them nourishes the wood fibers. That's why I always use an oil based paint on woodwork and latex paint on walls.
Anyone is free to over ride me on this opinion. Just never use straight tung oil on a surface that will be getting heavy use. In my experience it gives no protection at all from water stains.
Sue
My mom was an avid refinisher and she always swore by a varnish called Waterlox. It can still be found at the waterlox web site. I believe it's a tung oil based varnish. It has good resistance to stains but isn't technically a plastic finish. My mom always said it's best to use oil based finishes on wood. The linseed (or other) oil in them nourishes the wood fibers. That's why I always use an oil based paint on woodwork and latex paint on walls.
Anyone is free to over ride me on this opinion. Just never use straight tung oil on a surface that will be getting heavy use. In my experience it gives no protection at all from water stains.
Sue
marksr
03-11-06, 03:08 PM
I would use polyurathane. It is the most durable and easy to apply. What you may want to do after apply several coats of poly is to take some real fine sandpaper and sand the surface. Then apply wax as you have to the rest of the piece.
mako
03-12-06, 09:17 AM
There is one more major, huge consideration you must make.
---- Is this piece an antique, and if so, do you want to retain it's "value". I'm not an antique enthusiast myself but I know many that scoff at antiques refinished with "modern" finishes like polyurethane and lacquer.
If this is an antique and you want to preserve the antique value, test the finish with some denatured alcohol. IF---- if the finish dissolves and gets greasy feeling, you have a shellac-finished table and will require shellac again IF you require the "antiquity" to stay and want to maintain value. Know that there is a lot of subjectivity to this but most collectors I know of are quite picky on this.
NOW, if you were me, and didn't give a rats hootie about whether a kitchen table is a true "antique" or not (unless it's like from the 1800's or earlier), just finish it with polyurethane as mentioned above. Looks great on mahogany.
Here's how I use polyurethane (btw I have a preference to "Defthane" which is Deft's poly). It's more work than most people put in it but it will result in a nice, nice finish.
1) Sand and stain (or skip the stain, mahogany will darken in a couple months anyhow and really looks better raw in my opinion). Do not sand higher than 180 or 220 grit or you may have trouble later with the poly staying bonded to the wood.
2) Allow stain to dry for specified time on stain can.
3) THIN your first coat of poly around 20% with mineral spirits (even though the can says not to do this but only b/c it increases airborn pollutants so they have to by law say that). This makes it thinner and easier to sand--- acts as a nice sealer coat. Actually I thin my first two coats around 40-50% but one coat of 20% is good enough). Use a good quality CHINA BRISTLE brush to apply. Allow to dry overnight in a DUST FREE ENVIRONMENT WHERE THERE ARE NO DRAFTS. Clean the brush with naptha or mineral spirits.
4) Sand with 180 and then 220 to smooth and mildly scuff the surface, beware not to sand through the stain. Use a kitchen sponge as a backer for the paper to make it easier.
5) Apply second coat full strength, medium thickness, do NOT try to pile up a coat. Thinner is better than thicker. You can thin it about 10% with mineral spirits if you have trouble with brush marks not laying flat.
6) Dry overnight, scuff with 220 (this is a requirement, as polyurethane does not burn itself into the previous coat and must have a roughness to grip onto). Make the surface nice and dull and ugly, but flat and smooth.
7) Third coat full strength or thinned 10%. Dry overnight.
8) If you desire a really nice, flat, smooth surface (especially if you used gloss poly) you can scuff the surface again with 180 and 220 to make it nice and flat and consistent, and apply a final THIN coat (thin around 40%) and dry overnight. This last thin coat will be able to lay down very nicely but doesn't build much to it.
Remember
*Thicker finishes do NOT equal more protective finishes-- just the opposite, as thicker finishes can chip and ding more easily, and nothing is more of a pain to fix than a big hunk of finish that chipped out.
* The more time spent sanding and making sure the undercoat is nice, smooth, flat, and perfect, the better the next coat will be.
* Polyurethane will amber any wood. Looks great on mahogany! But overapplying the finish will cause it to darken more than you may wish. Do not shoot for that "fat piled-up" look.
---- Is this piece an antique, and if so, do you want to retain it's "value". I'm not an antique enthusiast myself but I know many that scoff at antiques refinished with "modern" finishes like polyurethane and lacquer.
If this is an antique and you want to preserve the antique value, test the finish with some denatured alcohol. IF---- if the finish dissolves and gets greasy feeling, you have a shellac-finished table and will require shellac again IF you require the "antiquity" to stay and want to maintain value. Know that there is a lot of subjectivity to this but most collectors I know of are quite picky on this.
NOW, if you were me, and didn't give a rats hootie about whether a kitchen table is a true "antique" or not (unless it's like from the 1800's or earlier), just finish it with polyurethane as mentioned above. Looks great on mahogany.
Here's how I use polyurethane (btw I have a preference to "Defthane" which is Deft's poly). It's more work than most people put in it but it will result in a nice, nice finish.
1) Sand and stain (or skip the stain, mahogany will darken in a couple months anyhow and really looks better raw in my opinion). Do not sand higher than 180 or 220 grit or you may have trouble later with the poly staying bonded to the wood.
2) Allow stain to dry for specified time on stain can.
3) THIN your first coat of poly around 20% with mineral spirits (even though the can says not to do this but only b/c it increases airborn pollutants so they have to by law say that). This makes it thinner and easier to sand--- acts as a nice sealer coat. Actually I thin my first two coats around 40-50% but one coat of 20% is good enough). Use a good quality CHINA BRISTLE brush to apply. Allow to dry overnight in a DUST FREE ENVIRONMENT WHERE THERE ARE NO DRAFTS. Clean the brush with naptha or mineral spirits.
4) Sand with 180 and then 220 to smooth and mildly scuff the surface, beware not to sand through the stain. Use a kitchen sponge as a backer for the paper to make it easier.
5) Apply second coat full strength, medium thickness, do NOT try to pile up a coat. Thinner is better than thicker. You can thin it about 10% with mineral spirits if you have trouble with brush marks not laying flat.
6) Dry overnight, scuff with 220 (this is a requirement, as polyurethane does not burn itself into the previous coat and must have a roughness to grip onto). Make the surface nice and dull and ugly, but flat and smooth.
7) Third coat full strength or thinned 10%. Dry overnight.
8) If you desire a really nice, flat, smooth surface (especially if you used gloss poly) you can scuff the surface again with 180 and 220 to make it nice and flat and consistent, and apply a final THIN coat (thin around 40%) and dry overnight. This last thin coat will be able to lay down very nicely but doesn't build much to it.
Remember
*Thicker finishes do NOT equal more protective finishes-- just the opposite, as thicker finishes can chip and ding more easily, and nothing is more of a pain to fix than a big hunk of finish that chipped out.
* The more time spent sanding and making sure the undercoat is nice, smooth, flat, and perfect, the better the next coat will be.
* Polyurethane will amber any wood. Looks great on mahogany! But overapplying the finish will cause it to darken more than you may wish. Do not shoot for that "fat piled-up" look.