Refinishing an Oak Pedestal Game Table... {Part 3}

When I last posted I had added the first of three coats of satin Spar Urethane {I use oil based} on the top of the oak pedestal game table I am refinishing.

I let that first coat dry for 24 hours, then lightly sanded the top by hand with 220 sanding paper, wiped off the table with a wet wipe, let it dry thoroughly, and added another coat of urethane. I use a brush when I apply urethane. A roller will leave little bubbles. Urethane is self-leveling so brush strokes will flatten as it dries. I went through that process one more time of adding urethane -- for a total of three coats -- before I decided the top coat was about as good as it could get. Then I used some grade 0000 steel wool and lightly "sanded" it. This will take off dust particles and leave your table top looking and feeling smooth to the touch...

Finally, I added one more step that I've never done before. I cut out a round piece of  terry cloth from an old towel and placed it under my orbital sander. Then I buffed up the table to a beautiful shine. I use a satin finish in the urethane which leaves you with a soft sheen. So pretty!

I also prepared the base of the table over the weekend by lightly sanding it. I'm going to spray paint the pedestal with a black satin primer and paint in one. You just need to rough up the surface of the item enough that the paint will adhere easily. I like using spray paint on furniture. It gets into nooks and crannies and doesn't leave brush strokes. Plus, it's so much faster! The only thing you need to worry about is putting on several light coats, rather than heavy coats, so the spray paint doesn't run.

I'd found early on that one of the casters the table rests on kept coming out. When I turned the table over to examine the casters, this is what I found...

In the first place those are so grungy they make me shiver, but, aside from that, not one of these casters matched! No wonder the table was a little wobbly. I bought four of these new "antique" casters. Hopefully, these will give us a level table...

I plan on painting the base pedestal in the next couple of days. I'm so excited to get this table finished and placed in our loft, so I can start beating my husband at Uno. {Rarely, if ever, happens.}

Wishing you a sun-filled week...

Refinishing an Oak Pedestal Game Table... {Part 2}

See Refinishing an Oak Pedestal Game Table... {Part 1}

This post is for the novice furniture refinisher and it's about putting perfectionism aside when working with wood. When I sew I am careful to precisely line up seams and sew with precision in order to make a project look more “professional," however, I have to remind myself when I’m working with wood that it is a “living” product and to appreciate its not-so-perfect nature. Because wood is a porous, fibrous, organic material, it is filled with imperfections and unique characteristics. It's those unique characteristics that make wood beautiful. Sometimes I have to remember this when refinishing a piece of furniture. In all of the furniture I've refinished no two pieces have reacted the same way to the refinishing process. You can look at it as frustrating or a challenge depending on your outlook. Here's an example of the table I'm currently working on...

 Do you see in the photo above those little arrows pointing to the lighter wood grain lines going across the tabletop? Also...

...in the photo above the tabletop took the stain darker in the area where the arrows are pointing.  These differences could be because you applied the stain unevenly, but I'm very careful about the process of applying stain these days because I had a disastrous fail once when I wasn't so careful. (Go here for that post.) When the urethane is applied the differences are made even more obvious. Sometimes when I see things like this -- especially the difference in stain -- it irks the perfectionist in me, but I've learned to let it go. You'll never notice it once the furniture is situated in your home. 

This tabletop is so different than any other wood I've worked with. It might be the quarter sawn wood. In any case this is the craziness that was revealed in the wood when I put the first coat of urethane on it...

I might add that the wood looks a little rough, but I had sanded it down to smooth perfection before applying the gel stain! It's just a crazy wood with tons of character. I'm using a satin spar urethane to finish the tabletop. In the picture it's still wet, which is why it is so glossy. 

Anyway, the moral of this post is to embrace the imperfections in the furniture you acquire to refinish. And while you're at it, you might want to embrace your own imperfections and the imperfections in others. Your life will be happier for it!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Refinishing an Oak Pedestal Game Table... {Part 1}

Last year around this time I was on a quest to find a pedestal table to use as a game table in our loft.  I wanted a round table about 45 inches wide. I looked at new tables, but I was more interested in an antique solid oak table. I love these tables. In my mind they are so much prettier and made so much better than many of the tables they make these days. I was in the habit of looking on Facebook Marketplace every day to see if one would come on the market. Here's the table I finally ended up buying...

(Picture source: Seller)

This table was everything I wanted. Solid oak. Beautiful craftsmanship. Forty-two inches wide and in as good a condition as an old table could be. The best part is this table cost only $50. Fifty! I had been looking at tables that were anywhere from $1000 (veneer) on up (solid wood), so this was a find of monumental proportions. So happy! I don't have any idea how old this table is, but the base of the table is very different than many pedestal tables. Usually the pedestals are curved. This one has very straight lines and looks a little art deco (1925 to 1940) to me. Any ideas about how old this table might be?

Well, yesterday I finally got around to starting the refinishing of this beautiful piece. The tabletop was in very good condition, but it had a light honey oak finish. I wanted something darker. I used Zep All-Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser to clean the surface of the table before painting on the Citristrip to strip off the stain and varnish. The surface of this table didn't strip off as easily as other tables I've refinished. It took two applications of Citristrip and a lot of sanding to get it down to the natural wood. After stripping the wood I used Klean Strip Paint Stripper After Wash to clean off all traces of the stripper. All of these products can be found at Home Depot or Lowe's. Here's a photo of the table with the first Citristrip application...

The Paint Stripper After Wash leaves the piece a little wet, so I let it dry overnight and put it outside in the sun this morning to make sure it was totally dry before I started sanding...

Later, I used a little elbow grease and sanded the surface with my orbital sander. I used 120 and 220 grit sanding paper. Once it was sanded and cleaned again, its beautiful character started to shine through! I noticed, of course, the different striations on the wood. I did a little research and found this wood was quarter sawn. 

I'm used to seeing plain sawn wood which creates a "cathedral" pattern in the grain. (The grain starts and travels up to a peak and down again.) Quarter sawn gets its name from the fact the log is cut into quarters. "This cut features annual growth rings at a 60 to 90 degree angle. This creates a visually appealing, somewhat tight vertical grain pattern, often with dramatic flecking." It was fun to learn something new...

 (Source: Schenck and Company)

This afternoon I applied some Minwax Gel Stain in Hickory to the piece. It's beautiful! Here is half with the gel stain and the other half unfinished. I love how the darker stain makes the grain of the wood more obvious...

I absolutely love this dark brown hickory color on oak. I used this same color for my dining room table when I refinished it, and we've loved it. Tomorrow I will finish the top of the table by applying a couple/few coats of Spar Urethane. I plan on painting the bottom of the table, so you'll have to come back to see that process.

Wishing you a wonderful day!