Strip and Stain a Pine Dining Table

Hello,

I have a pine dining table that is about 20 years old and I would like to strip off the old nasty yellowing/greening stain that is there currently and apply something that is more of a matte walnut colour. (to match something like the sideboard in the latest Early Settler Catalogue 1.2mb pdf)

Ive never done anything like this before and am concerned particularly with the legs which have been rounded on a lathe in a rather delicate way.

Where do I start?
How do I get the current stain off? sanding only or with a cream/paint remover?
When I apply the new stain, how do I ensure i get an even coat? (I understand pine can soak up stain at different rates, particularly when the timber on the top surface of the dining table is made up of several pieces)

Help! (and thanks!)

Let's try doing it in steps. Stripping comes first....

You need to get a face mask, plastic eye googles, some working gloves, and you must work in a well ventillated area with good lighting, spread out some old news papers and start with the leafs or legs.

Buy, the creamy paint remover, 2- 3" synthetic brush, a scraper, some lacquer thinner or acetone as your after wash, and some 2/0 or 3/0 steel wool.

Paste, one leg up at a time, apply heavy coats, and wait about 5 minutes and then scrape it, to see if the remover soften up the coating, if it did you can then try using the steel wool to take off the soften coating, or use the solvent with a clean brush to remove all the sludge. Always end with clean solvent as the after wash.

If the removers hardens, apply another coat, and then start removing.

In some cases, the stain may come off with the remover.

In the photo, do you mean the tannish background color?

Any questions, feel free to ask.

Good Luck

thanks for that! will hit up Bunnings this weekend and gets started.

The colour im looking for is the tan colour but i dont want a gloss finish.

What would you recommend for pine? I obviously want a pretty uniform finish.

While your there, why don't you check out the stain colors.

Maybe, some others here are more familar with the color stain here, can give you some good advice on the color.

What are the tried and trusted brands for furniture (in particular, pine furniture) ?

Shnita, when you get the table cleaned up etc if you go for and oil based stain IE: compatable with mineral turps then apply it with a rag. I have found you can get a good even finish. Then spray with estapol satin clear. You will be happy with the results. Its unlikely you will get the table back to pine colour so you may have to experiment with the stain. I have used this process to put on all the pieces I have made from Pine. You can view them at http://gallery.groov-e.com

Regards Mike

A double coat of baltic stain will get you close to the early settler catalog.

Miko is on the right path...