Refreshing table top

Sebastian Dangerfield

https://www.bakerfurniture.co.uk/product.php?RangeID=83

I bought one of the dining tables in this range 6 years ago. Almost instantly the paint / stain on the table top began to fade, a firm wipe of a wet cloth deemed to strip whatever the finish was away. Before long it looked like bad fake tan on a young ones arm. Id like to freshen it up with a nice dark wood finish, but havent got the first idea whats involved. I assume sand it down, but am not sure if it needs varnish / stain / oil / something else.

Any suggestions would be welcome! It cost a lot of money so would hope to not ruin it beyond repair

C. Eastwood

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058260232/refreshing-table-top

photos?

whizbang

First try sanding a small area, preferably hidden/out of sight if thats possible! If this works out ok, then sand the whole thing. If it sticks/clogs up then its chemical stripper you need.

Almost any woodstain (not varnish) will do whatever colour you like, but the depth/darkness will depend on lots of things; just keep lightly coating until its good enough,

Then finish with a really good quality varnish. probably 3 coats, maybe more..

But definitly find a good specialist paint supplier; avoid anybody that sells Ronseal.

Alun

Looking at one of the photos on the website, I'm wondering if the table top was not varnished in the first place, but oiled or, more likely, waxed instead, in which case, attempting to varnish it may end up creating more of a problem than it was meant to solve. Also it mentions "Reclaimed timbers are enhanced by a gently-distressed elegant two-tone finish ...", which would make me lean more towards a waxed finish. If it was varnished at all, wiping it down with a damp cloth wouldn't have had any significant effect on the finish I would have thought.

Might be worth contacting the manufacturer and asking what finish was used.

Sebastian Dangerfield

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119536401#Comment_119536401

Thanks. And if it was waxed... should I just add more wax? I've sent an email to the company anyway.

Lumen

It's tricky to advise when there's no decent pics, don't know what wood it is, or what stain/finish was applied.

The fact that the colour has got patchy is a bit of a red flag. I'd probably use white spirits to remove the wax but don't really know what that's going to do to whatever dye/stain is in there - it might end up a bit of a mess. There's nothing that can't ultimately be fixed with some combination of stripper and sanding, but it depends on how much effort you're prepared to put in and what tools you have available.

If white spirit doesn't work then I'd probably go with a general stripper like Owatrol DSP800.

Once you have all the crap off it, maybe a "hard wax oil" like Liberon matt. If you want it a different colour then stain it before applying the finish, but even clear finishes tend to change the colour a bit.

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/liberon-hard-wax-oil-for-wooden-furniture-floors-matt-2-5ltr/

Something like matte poly varnish is going to be sturdier but won't look as natural.

It'll be much easier to maintain once you've applied your own finish as you know what you're dealing with.

If in doubt experiment on the underside, but of course there's no guarantee that the underside has the same treatment as the top!

Sebastian Dangerfield

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119540738#Comment_119540738

Thanks. She's packed into a storage locker while we move house, Ill post a picture when I get it back at the weekend

Alun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119540415#Comment_119540415

Yes, basically. You''d find it difficult to completely remove any wax finish to make a more hard wearing polyurethane varnish stick, and you'd run the risk that it might start peeling where the wax wasn't removed completely. You can get both clear and coloured furniture waxes in different colours, like this for example ...

https://www.rustins.ltd/briwax/our-products/waxes/briwax-original

But I really do think, in the absence of anyone here being able to see the table and ascertain what finish has been applied, that you should wait and see what the manufacturer says. Mixing finishes can result in all kinds of problems.