Hi, All. Please be gentle with me (G); I’m just a baker from Cooks Talk, coming over to ask a little advice from you on a little project I’ve started. I’m a very novice wood-worker – I get by with the little things I do, but I adore my compound mitre saw (a present from my DH) and like doing things myself as much as possible.
A few years ago, I rescued an 8 x 4 foot, 2 1/2″ thick something (I suspect it was a work table, but it’s so big!) in someone’s trash, and thought it would work perfectly as a desk in our office. We just wanted a big, flat space. Anyway – I know it’s hardwood, I believe it’s oak, but I’m not 100% sure (ask me to tell you the difference between 6 types of flour, I can do that!). It doesn’t matter much to me – it’s huge, it’s heavy, it’s definitely old (still has metal straps of some sort on the back side), and it’s just right for what I want to do with it.
So I’ve tasked myself this summer with FINALLY stripping it down and getting it finished to put in the office. I’m hiring a man to build an iron base for it. I just have to get the top done.
What I need is advice on how to finish it. It has no finish at the moment, it’s just filthy and dark with age. I’ve already begun the sanding process, plan to take it down to 220.
Then what? If it were going in my kitchen, I know I should use something hard and durable, like a marine-approved poly. But this is going in our office. It will get plenty of wear – scuffing, marks, etc. – but no water or dampness. I’m want to leave as much of the character of the slab as possible, so there will probably be some gauges, some pits, some marks – that’s fine with me. I haven’t decided if I want to stain it or not – I want to wait until I get it fully sanded to see. But I am considering a very dark stain if I do one – maybe mahogany. Still on the fence about that.
Question is – what type of urethane or shellac or what? should I use on top? And how many coats would you recommend? I want a “soft” looking finish, you know? Something that looks like you should run your hands over it, nothing terribly shiny or new looking. Would I get durability and a soft-looking finish if I used several thin coats, sanding between? Or should I use something thicker?
All suggestions will be considered helpful and welcome.
Life is tough; but it’s tougher when you’re stupid – Col. J. Richardson, USMC
Replies
If you're going to use it as a food preparation surface, you'll need a non-toxic oil finish, otherwise a couple of coats of wipe-on poly will give the kind of finish you're looking for.
Bisquit,
We're glad to have you here I sneak over and lurk once in while at cooks talk so I guess turn around is fair play!
Anyway my favorite finish is shellac.I'm a miserable painter. I hate to wait and I want to get stuff done as soon as possible with as little effort as possible. Yet I love the rich deep tone you get from shellac. not glossy and plasticy like most poly's are..
Shellac is so easy to apply and so easy to correct mistakes with. You can buy it just about anyplace. Home Depot carries it as does just about every paint store.
There is one secret you need to know so don't tell anybody! Use alchohol! not paint thinner.. Yep! good old fashioned denatured alcholhol! Don't have a sprayer? use a brush, don't have a brush, use a rag, don't have a rag? You could just smear it on I suppose but come-on!
If you get a run, fingerprint, mistake etc. just wet the rag. brush, whatever with alchohol and wipe off the run.
Shellac dries inside 15 minutes and you can sand it or put your second coat on
I like to lightly scuff the first coat with 220 and then put on a second coat.
2 nice light coats and it will hold up very well and when you do need to repair it, whatever, you just get out that rag and soak it with alchohol and rub off the old shellac..
I have a piano that was done with shellac in the thirties. it's a bit ratty looking so I wiped off the old shellac. It came off very easy.. You'd be amazed! Bet you can guess what I refinished it with!
Hmmm - that sounds interesting. I never thought of shellac. And I have plenty of denatured alcohol on hand. And it sounds like the finish I want, too. That plastic-look that you get with poly is just what I want to avoid. This table/desk is old - I want it to look kind of rustic and old, not like something I refinished. And I'm pretty good with rubbed finishes, better than a brush.
Thank you! I really appreciate the advice!
And - fyi - I have taken the table down with 35 grit and then 80 grit sandpaper to the point where I can see the grain, and it is really beautiful! I'm really happy I rescued it. There are tiny black pits on part of it, but they aren't unsightly, if you are going for the rustic look. I still have lots of sanding to do yet, but at this point, I'm thinking I won't be staining it.Life is tough; but it's tougher when you're stupid - Col. J. Richardson, USMC
Wipe on non-poly varnish--either satin or glossy, whichever you want. Many coats--8 or 10--but don't despair. You can put on 3 or 4/day. It is a beautiful "in the wood" finish look.
Don't sand too far--you'll remove the patina of the wood. Is there any finish on it--varnish, shellac, etc. If you have stripped it and removed all the stripper using mineral spirits (must happen or you'll compromise your finish), you should be close to ready for applying your finish. IF it is stripped, wipe it down with mineral spirits or denatured alcohol. This will be what your piece will look like if you apply a clear film finish.
I've been wondering where you were.
Gretchen
Edited 7/16/2006 3:14 pm ET by Gretchen
I lurk a lot! (G) Like I said, I'm a NOVICE carpenter. I don't feel confident enough to doing anything more here than read, learn, and ask the occasional question.
More info on the table/desk: It had no finish on it. I believe (could be wrong) someone used it in a shop or something as a work-surface. It was black with age and use, but no finish - just bare, unsanded wood with bits of "stuff" all over it indicating to me that someone used it as a work surface. I wouldn't call the black patina, either - more like simple ground in dirt and grime. I cleaned it well (not using a stripper, just simple water/vinegar mixture), and let it dry for about a month before I started to sand it. A month was probably overkill - I didn't get it that wet, but it was just a month before I got back to it.
It's an odd piece, though. As I said before, it has metal straps across the back, which made me think it may have been a door, but then, no door knob, handle, or any indication of a door handle, and no indication of hinges. And the straps were screwed in from the front side, countersunk into the wood, and the heads of the screws covered with nicely done peg insets. You couldn't even see the insets until I got it sanded well - now you see them and they really add a nice touch to the top, a finished touch, which makes me wonder why they did that and didn't put any kind of finish on it (?). Who knows.
Like I said, I'm really pleased with the way this thing looks now that I'm getting to actually see the wood underneath the grime. I think it's going to be gorgeous when I'm done. I'll have to post a picture - but only if none of the professionals here laugh at me (G).Life is tough; but it's tougher when you're stupid - Col. J. Richardson, USMC
How big is it? It could be a hatch cover.
If it is still "dirty", take some mineral spirits and a scotchbrite pad--gray--you get them at HD, and scrub it. Don't use any more water on it--raises the grain and you'll have to do more sanding.Gretchen
All i can add is that if this old tabletop has been anywhere near a silicone polish like Pledge, you won't have any luck getting a film finish to stick without showing "fisheye", even after sanding; the silicone migrates to the pores in a coarse wood. It can be done, but not by a novice, so a wipe-on is about your only choice then.
I'm not saying it's definitely contaminated, of course, but i've refinished enough furniture to know Pledge has a really good marketing dept.
Or she can put a coat of shellac on the top to seal it and then apply the wipe on non-poly varnish.Gretchen
Sometimes one gets lucky, but one can still get fish-eye with shellac, esp on open-pored woods. Several mist coats can seal it in, but that's not novice level.
Door ? You said 4 X 8. If it's 42" X 8' It was probably a bowling alley, especially since you mentioned that it had metal bars on the back.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Or, as I mentioned, a ship's hatch. A number of years ago these were all the "rage" at flea markets, etc. They were hatches from WWII ships. LOTS of coffee tables made from these. Had metal straps, about 4" wide.Gretchen
I too, can tell you the difference between 6 types of flour, because in a former life I was a baker, and then I saw the light, and became a carpenter. Now when I create something I can look at it 10 years from now and it will be still around
mark
Welcome Biscuit!
I second Frency and would use Shellac. You have differant types of shellac and depending on what you want would determine which. A blond shellac is pretty clear, while an amber shellac will give the wood a bit of a golden tone. For an older piece, I would favor an amber shellac.
FYI, I am reading Reinharts Bread Bakers Apprentice right now - do you have any suggestions for other good bread baking books?
See you over in CT
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