100 year old oak table

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rfetter

New User
rick
I want to refinish my oak kitchen table, it was wiped down with linseed oil by my grandparents so I am not sure how to get it ready for a poly finish. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks.
 

striker

New User
Stephen
Rick,

I'm about as qualified to comment as the dog next door on finishing questions so hopefully others will comment and straighten me out. I think if this is an a family heirloom, you may want to go with a finish other than poly. Although its a good resilient finish, the poured on appearance will look out of place on a vintage piece.

If I was faced with this question, I'd look into a griain filler and maybe a wipe-on finish varnish finish. There are a number of varnishes out there from home brew to specific table top blends.

I'd be interested in what others come up with here too.

Stephen
 
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Bill Clemmons

Bill
Corporate Member
I agree w/ Stephen about the Poly finish. I think it would look out of place on this piece.

Howard Acheson is generally considered our resident expert on finishing. If he doesn't respond to this thread, you may want to send him a PM and get his opinion.

Bill
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
I agree w/ Stephen about the Poly finish. I think it would look out of place on this piece.

Howard Acheson is generally considered our resident expert on finishing. If he doesn't respond to this thread, you may want to send him a PM and get his opinion.

Bill

+1 on Bill's suggestion re. Howard Acheson. I'll add a thought and we'll see what Howard comes up with as well.

Lightly sand the table and wipe it down with mineral spirits to remove any old wax or leftover grease from grandma's pot roast gravy and biscuits. Apply 1-2 coats of Zinsser SealCoat diluted to a 1# cut (100% dewaxed shellac) as a sealer. Lightly hand sand and remove the dust with MS. Apply the final finish of your choice. I'd suggest Waterlox "Original" as a very durable and easily repaired alternative to poly that would look more appropriate for an heirloom piece. If the sheen is more than you like then you could top that with Waterlox "Satin". The satin is less likely to show minor scratches and dings, etc.

http://www.waterlox.com/

Good luck.
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
I would opt for Behlens Rock Hard Table Top finish. Hard, resilient, flexible enough to allow wood movement, flows on well. Don't buy much more than you need, as it does not hold well in the can after its opened (will skin over even if what you use is decanted into a separate container and the lid is closed promptly after mixing, altho that under the skin still works well).

Go
 

Howard Acheson

New User
Howard
An old table used in a kitchen is going to have years of gunk, cooking oil, dirty and greasy hands, dish washing detergent and lots of other gunk on and in the wood. Linseed oil is only a very small step up from no finish at all. It has no protective qualities and any water and chemicals will easily pass through it into the wood. It's also possible that it has had supermarket cleaners and polishes applied at some time and most of these items contain silicone which is impossible to remove when embedded in the wood.

The way I would approach it is to first take the table apart--at least, get the top off. Get yourself a chemical paint stripper containing methylene chloride. A gel water rinseable formulation would be best. This aggressive type paint remover will do the best job getting the surface clean. If you use the water rinseable type, remove the gunk scrubbing with a stiff scrub brush as you flow on the water.

Once the items are dry, sand them first with 100 grit up to 180 grit without skipping any grits. Or, use a scraper to remove any leftover gunk and smooth the surface. Now deal with any possible remaining contaminates by spraying on a coat of dewaxed shellac. Buy yourself a couple of cans of Zinsser Spray Can shellac. Spray on an even coat to both sides and all edges to create a barrier coat. Apply a second coat. Do not sand between or after the shellac coats or you will destroy the barrier you are attempting to create.

Now, decide on your top coat. My preference is for a non-poly varnish as it looks nicer. Waterlox Original or Behlen Rockhard are both excellent and provide as much protection as any poly varnish. Apply the first coat and let it fully dry. Then, using 320 paper on a sanding block sand lightly in the direction of the grain. Vacuum off the dust and apply three more coats.

I know it's a detailed process but it will give you the best shot at dealing with what you are starting with.
 

rfetter

New User
rick
Thanks everyone who has replied to my post, now I just have to decide which way to go.

Thanks again, I have really enjoyed this forum since I joined.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
It's a hundred years old?

You hate this table? I mean you hate the way it looks?

Why don't you just buy a new table and give that one to somebody who will appreciate ONE HUNDRED YEARS of family, Love, tears, joy, thankfulness, and just plain living?

You're going to strip off one hundred years of life and coat it with plastic? :no: Sad.
 

IvanSahba

New User
Vanya
I think it is not a good idea to try to refinish a oiled wood that is that old. It has oil penetrated so deep that it will cause problems under your synth finish layer. Sanding it requires a very deep removal before it can work and not peel later.
 

Dean Maiorano

New User
Dino
I'm with Mike's and Ivan's thinking on this - no (new or synth) finish. Frankly whoever owned that table probably rubbed it down with linseed oil because it was cheapest, most available and better than pale dry wood. There is a finish on that table already and Mike's identified it quite well.
 

Howard Acheson

New User
Howard
Let me make this point about linseed oil. One reason it is a poor finish is that is crystallizes after a number of years and actually becomes sort of sand-like and rubs off the surface. That is the primary reason why the old rule regarding using linseed oil as a finish was "one coat a day for a week, one coat a week for a month, one coat a month for a year and then one coat every year forever". It does not remain as a liquid "oil" embedded in the wood.

The OP said his grandfather used the linseed oil. That means it has probably deteriorated completely over the years. It's probably got more gunk embedded than any remaining linseed oil. Use of a methylene chloride paint stripper will likely clean it up pretty well. Any residual gunk will be sealed by the coating of dewaxed shellac.

I doesn't sound like we are talking about a true antique quality table. Rather it's an old table that with a little rehabilitation can have another 100 years of use.

After its been cleaned up there is no reason not to use a good oil based varnish or poly varnish finish. Certainly coating it in linseed oil is a poor choice. Today's finishes will provide greatly superior protection and appearance for many more years than something like linseed oil or any other oil finish.
 

Dean Maiorano

New User
Dino
Duty and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder, the final finish will fit the owner's objectives.

There are as many options as there are opinions, the only one that will matter is Rick's and his family's. There are no sins in any of the choices and there is more than one way to use or achieve any of them.

We all know the sadness that comes with the changing of physical connections to our past. We all know the bitterness that comes with realizing we didn't go far enough to achieve a goal.

There is sage advice offered from specialists in the field of inquiry and practical inquiry by nostalgics as to why there's a need to change the finish. There is food on the table, food for thought.

Dean
 
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