Refinish Me!

Remember this table I picked up at my favorite used furniture joint?
RoundTableTop

Mr. Limestone, a hand sander and the table had a threesome...

SanderandTSP

and now it looks like this:

EmpireTableSanded

The top is now free of gunk. Nice and smooth, but a different color than the base. Ive never refinished anything before. I'd like to finish this in the easiest and most dummy proof way possible. Help! I have no clue.

Suggestions?

23 comments:

  1. Katie over at Making This Home had a post about refurbishing wood furniture. Here's the link to the post:
    http://www.makingthishome.com/2009/04/06/how-to-refurbish-a-wood-table/
    Hope this helps!

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  2. I have no clue either, but it looks like you could just stain it as close as possible...

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  3. Old Masters Gel Stain in Dark Walnut color. Winner every time. Sold at places that sell Benjamin Moore paint. Either wipe on or brush on and rag off. Durable too... we use it on our exterior garage doors.

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  4. Prime the wood with a prestain wood primer. This step takes two seconds, but it helps the wood pick up stain evenly. You can get it at any home improvement store. Basically you brush it on and let it set for 15 minutes and then you have to apply stain within 2 hours.

    Pick any wood stain color you like. You'll only need one of the tiny pots. I like the zar stain because it's easy to apply by hand. I use an old t-shirt to apply stain, applying in circles. The more circles you make the darker your piece will become. But with hand application you can control the color better than with a brush. Wait the length of time required by the stain and if it isn't dark enough apply a second coat. Then poly the surface. If it's a high-use piece of furniture I'd go with 3 coats of poly. If it's just an occassional piece you'd only need two coats.

    Good luck!

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  5. The base looks like it's in pretty good condition, I would go over it with 220 grit sandpaper just to remove some of the old stain. You might also want to consider using a wood conditioner afterwards, before staining. This helps prep the wood for stain, giving you a better chance of the stain taking evenly to the wood. GOOD LUCK! Janell

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  6. I like Danish Oil.

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  7. What a beautiful table and pretty wood floors! I don't have a lot of hints for staining but it looks like some others post-ers do! Good luck! Can't wait to see the finished project.

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  8. Staining is easy , I always use latex , I think you should use latex stain and then wax with clear paste wax , you can even use your palm sander and buff it with that , will be like satin smooth , I can not remember the name of those course brillowy pads duh , sorry , you know what I mean right ?

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  9. What a beautiful table- I'm with everyone else on the gel stain...never done it myself but I've watched my Dad do it many times- looks easy enough.

    PLEASE post after pics- its going to be georg.!!

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  10. I don't have any tips, but that is a beautiful table! I do love the legs. You could always go the easy route and just paint it. ;)

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  11. LOL! Sexay threesome! Walnut stain sounds beautiful!

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  12. Anonymous4:14 PM

    I don't have much experience with this, but I did use a wax paste on a bedside table that I stained. Well, long story short, it got wet and totally ruined the finish. I ended up painting the whole thing black. I'd probably go with a more durable finish if it is ever going to have drinks on it. But, I may have just used the wrong wax?
    Looks beautiful, though. There is just something about a freshly sanded piece of furniture.

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  13. Um. Sand the side of the top of the table.
    Sand the leg also.
    The bits of the leg you can't sand - put nitromors on them, it will remove the varnish.
    Then, paint as you will. or re-varnish.

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  14. My dad is really good at staining things. I have done a few and I would go with a nice stain from Benjamin Moore and then put a varnish over it.

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  15. I'm not much help, all I have ever used is the stain mixed with linseed oil. Then every year or so I run a rag of linseed oil over just to freshen it up.

    Table is lovely by the way, can't wait to see it finished and living in a room in your house.

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  16. Stain is easy, rubber glove, cheese cloth, wipe on, wipe off, pick lighter cause it dries darker. Finish with bowling alley paste wax. Steel wool, between coats. I also think it would be stunning painted a deep dark gray or ebony.

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  17. I use tung oil when refinishing old pieces. It is waterproof and reveals the patina of the wood just wonderfully.

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  18. I have refinished a couple of things. This, http://smalltownsquirrel.blogspot.com/2007/06/happy-fathers-day.html having the same problem as you. I only did the top. The man at the hardware store suggested I use a gel stain over oil. You have more control and is just generally easier to use when you are trying to match the shade of already stained wood. Hope that helps!

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  19. Great pics! I love your milk glass collection...and the "bust-in-a-jar" is fabulous.

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  20. We used a dark Minwax with 3 coats of poly about 2.5 years ago. After lots of abuse it looks exactly like the day we refinished it.

    Ice cold drinks have dripped condensation for hours and no water rings - it is virtually indestructible.

    It sure is nice not having to play coaster police at parties anymore. too!

    Can't wait to see what you decide to do:)

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  21. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  22. i like that round table
    that is really cute and will go well in my living room
    i will get that done as soon as i can
    Teak LoveSeat

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  23. Check out centsational girl's blog. She's a pro at refinishing and goes into a lot of detail about her various projects. Good luck!

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