Oak Table Refinish / Restore

[padkison]

Hi All,

I have an oak table about 12 years old that is showing wear on the finish on the top. I wanted to restore the top, which I believe is a clear finish without any stain. I will be leaving the rest of the table alone as it looks fine.

As you can see from the below pictures, there are worn areas and one ring. The ring had been treated with a product here in the states called Jasco White Ring Remover. It is a cloth with a waxy substance impregnated in it.

I also have a coffee table of oak that is in the same shape. I tried sanding that with a hand orbital sander, starting with 60 grit garnet. However, the paper loses effectiveness after just a couple minutes and I made slow progress so far.

What is the best way to restore the finish on these?

Thanks

[MacS]

Hello,

If your finding the sandpaper is too hard to cut the coating down, then your best bet would be to use a paint remover. The coating is probaly Polyurethane, or one of the other 2 pak coating.

The stripper should remover the ring, and the other defects. After you get it stripped down and cleaned up, let us know if you see any discoloration in the woods.

I think the wood is red oak.

Good Luck

[padkison]

Thanks for the reply. I found info on using non-clogging sandpaper and was able to sand down the coffee table with that and am refinishing with minwax polyurethane. Once that is done, it is on to the dining table. Wood is red oak as you noted.

With the dining table, I had planned to remove and sand individual pieces of the top in the garage to avoid getting dust in the house. However, I have some concern that different grain in the different pieces will require different amounts of sanding and I may end up with noticeable edges where the pieces fit back together when done.

Perhaps I should set up the whole table in the garage and sand and finish the top as one piece?

[ciscokid]

There are many an oak table here in the States that look just like that. I am watching this thread with interest to see your results. My wife is after me to refinish a coffee table made out of the same stuff.