We've had a hand me down oak table for quite a few years now. It was the table my husband grew up eating around and we were lucky enough to inherit it when we had the need for a kitchen table. The table itself was in okay shape; the veneer was starting to bubble up a bit and the chairs were just falling apart. Finally one chair broke enough that my husband agreed that it was time to let it go. So the hunt began for new chairs. Luckily right off the bat we found this beauty. At only $50 (wahoo!!) this table was a steal! It's solid wood, the leaf is stored under the table, it seats 8 and it has the big chunky legs we were after!
After
The finish needed a bit updating and I couldn't wait to see what was under the old finish! You'll never believe how simple it was.
Before
SUPPLIES:
Plastic to protect the floor - Dollar Store Shower Curtains
are perfect!
We started by placing plastic shower curtains down to protect the floor. Then we placed the table top on buckets while the legs stood upright on their own.
The only stripper to use!
I grabbed my all time favorite wood stripper and started pouring the orange goo all over the table and legs. I used an old bristle brush (dollar store paint brushes for the win!) to brush the Citristrip all over the place. I like to lay it on thick, especially on the sides. I've heard of placing plastic wrap over the stripper to keep it moist for longer. Next time I'm going to try that! Then I left it for a few hours to do it's thing. After a while I tested a small area to see how easily the old finish came off (if it is hard to get off completely it needs more time, if it came off with ease it's time to start scraping!) Below is a quick video of how easy the finish should come off.
After putting on my gloves (Ignore me with no gloves in the video! oops!) I used a putty knife (plastic is best to avoid scratching the wood) to remove all of the stripper and finish off into a small bowl. Once the majority of the stripper was removed, I grabbed some steel wool and mineral spirits. The mineral spirits combined with the steel wool scrubs off any excess or harder to remove finish. I went through about 5 or 6 rolls of steel wool in this project. A little tip is to pull the rolls apart into 3 pieces. Then every time the steel wool seems gummed up I turn it over until all the steel wool is completely covered in goo. Then it's time for a new one. I used paper towels dipped in mineral spirits to wipe off any excess stripper as well.
Before and After a quick removal of the old finish. The "after" still needs to be cleaned with mineral spirits and steel wool.
At this point the table resembled a weathered wood finish. There was a bit of old finish left in a few knicks and dings, but that just adds to the weathered wood look. This was exactly how I had envisioned it! I let it dry a couple of days before I gave it a light sanding to make the wood completely smooth. Once everything was wiped down completely I used a cut up white t-shirt to apply the Minwax Wipe on Poly. I made sure to apply it with the grain in long even strokes, letting it dry completely before applying the next coat. Since it is a dining table that I expect to have heavy wear and tear I applied 6 thin coats on the top and 3 thin coats on the legs. I love the Minwax Wipe-On Poly for finished wood because it brings out an amazing depth to the wood and protects it super well.
That was all there was to it! Super easy! If the table wasn't the right shade after I stripped it I would have easily grabbed a can of the color of stain I wanted and applied a thin coat, wiped it off and let it dry. Once the color was what I wanted I then would proceed with the Minwax Wipe on Poly to protect the finish.
Hope you have an amazing weekend! Let me know if you have any questions about this project that I can help with!
