Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Successfully refinished my kitchen table

Hello DIYers
I have read many posts on this forum for alot of different projects and I appreciate all the help I have gained. I wanted to share a small success with those who may be thinking of refinishing a piece of furniture.

We have an Ethan Allen country style pedestal table that is stained in a maple sort of finish. The top finish had become quite sticky and would turn white when something warm was put on it. We have wanted to have the table top refinished for several years now. I was afraid to do it myself.

I did some research and decided that I did not want to strip the wood with a chemical stripper--I have stripped cheap wood furniture before and it sometimes ruins the grain. I did not want to risk it on this piece of furniture. I did not want to strip the stain off, either because I did not plan to refinish the pedestal. I did not want to sand the piece as I don't really have the skill for that either.

I wanted to do something that would be simple for the novice that I am. I read about the "cotton ball test" to determine the type of finish on my table. Dampen a cotton ball with some acetone nail polish remover. Choose an inconspicuous test spot and dab it with the cotton. If the cotton sticks or the finish softens, you have a varnish, lacquer or shellac finish. My table passed the cotton ball test, so I could use Formby's Furniture Refinisher.

Formby's does not remove stain, only the top coat. I used 000 and 0000 steel wool pads. I followed the manufacturer's directions printed on the can for safety and for product use. This product does a great job taking off the varnish and leaving the beautifully stained wood. I had funny looking areas of dark discoloration on the table and this product removed all of these "stains".

The directions on the can say to buy the Formby's pads, but these were not available so I decided to use the steel wool. They worked fine. I mainly used 0000 pads, but if there was a particularly sticky area, I used 000 and then went over it again with the 0000.

After all the varnish was removed, I wiped the entire table down with a clean 0000 wool pad and the refinisher. Then I rubbed the whole table with a dry 0000 pad along the grain. This took up the last of the varnish.

After much reading I decided to use a wipe on polyurethane rather than Tung Oil or Tung Oil products. I just don't think I have the skill to deal with Tung Oil. The polyurethane will be a good second choice, also. I have only put on the first coat at this time and the table top already looks fantastic.

Stripping the varnish and applying the first coat of polyurethane took me about two and half hours. My table seats 6 with the leaf in it.

Anyway, just thought I'd pass this on to those who may be considering refinishing a table top.:)

Sounds like a good job, - congrats.
Did you take any Before and After pics for your 'portfolio'..??

That's a great idea! I wish I had.

Just wanted to add that I brushed on a coat of tinted polyurethane because I thought the table top was just a bit too light. I bought Minwax polytint (I think that's the name). I chose "maple" and it is looking very nice!

Thanks for the reply.

Thanks for your post...
Its always gratifying when a job youve done turns our well... and posting that here, may help others as well.
kudos