Refinishing Oak Coffee Table

[ye12]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and to woodworking and would like advise on how to refinish an solid oak coffee table.

1. Table is about 5 years old and the coating has worn through on spots on the top and slightly on the edges.
2. Could I use a dual action sander on the top of the table?
3. What grit sandpaper should I use with the sander?
4. The top and the edge requires refinishing. How do I tell what kind of coating is on it now. It looks like some kind of lacquer finish.
5. If I sand the finish off the top, will the oak become lighter than the rest of the table? If so, do I need to sand the coating off the entire table, including the legs?
6. I have a HVLP gun with a 1.35 nozzle. Will I be able to spray a new coating using this gun?

Thanks for your help!

[zitan]

Hi ye12;

Is the Oak a light or dark brown colour? Dark means it was either stained or chemically coloured and you'll have to replicate this to match the legs. If the finish goes soft under meths then it was shellac, otherwise it's most likely to be either polyU or nitro-lacquer, which will only come off with methyl-chloride strippers. Use anything at your disposal to completely remove the old finish. Planing might be a bit tough if you're new to planes, but you should at least try a cabinet scraper somewhere along the line.

Depending on what finish you want to achieve, spraying on lacquer or shellac is fine. Shellac is a little more forgiving and you can select a grade to more easily match the colour, and the finish is reversible if you don't like it or make any mistakes.

[ye12]

Hi Zitan, Thanks for your advise. The oak is quite light and over the years, it has darkened slightly. You mentioned using methyl-chloride strippers if the finish is polyU or nitro-lacquer. Do I do this first and then sand the oak before re-spraying lacquer? By the way, what is nitro-lacquer? thanks!

[zitan]

Methyl-chloride strips anything and everything but it's also very toxic, carcinogenic and may cause birth defects - one reason I try to refuse refinish jobs that need to use it. But if you must, use it outside and stand upwind. There's unfortunately no known resprirator that can protect you from its fumes, except of course an air-supply one. When you're using it you'll end up scraping the bubbled finish off anyway, so if you use a good scraper you needn't have to sand. Sanding is only going to clog the pores of the oak anyway.
Nitro-lacquer - just my shorthand for nitrocellulose lacquer (stuff that usually comes in a spray can).