Protective Coat for newly bought dining table

Hi.. I have an oak dining table that I recently bought (new) and wanted to know what kind of finishing / paint / material I could apply to it (coat it with) so that it will look the same in about a few years or more as it does now. This could be something that I spray on or paint on with a brush..

Thanks in advance for your suggestions..

Reply to
User
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What's it got now? Totally bare, unfinished wood, or other?

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

Also: You'd be wise to post this same question in rec.woodworking. You'll probably get more responses than you can imagine.

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

How are you going to protect the new coating you apply?

Reply to
Norminn

Sorry if this is more than you ever wanted to know, but I thought this might be helpful.

Let's assume that it is raw and unfinished at the moment. First of all, sand it perfectly smooth using first 220 grit then something in the 360 grit range. Between sandings, wipe it with a damp rag. If you're a perfectionist, do the top using a wood block backer and not something with a soft back. That will apply sanding pressure and material removal to the high spots and will be more leveling. If you're using a buzzy sander, make yourself a hard surface using a piece of Formica. It'll last a lifetime. Just put the sandpaper over top of it.

Then, apply Minwax NATURAL oil stain. Apply the stain heavily, wipe it around using a rag with more stain in it, and after doing that for about 5-10 minutes, wipe the table as dry as you can, using clean rags. The idea is to let the stain soak in as well as it can, and smearing it around eliminates dry spots where it soaks in more.

The next step is to let the table dry for a couple days. Then, wipe it down with a dry rag. The next step is the most critical:

Use Home Formby's modified Tung Oil finish. The first application is the most important, IMHO. Do each part of the table separately so that you don't get overwhelmed. Start low, and finish with the top. Just as you applied a heavy coat of the stain and then kept wiping it around to eliminate dry areas where it soaked in more than on others, do it with the Home Formby's. I use a foam brush, followed by a small rag saturated in the stuff. Keep up the rubbing/smearing/spreading until there are no "dry" areas. This takes about 5 minutes. If the finish gets gummy or sticky, just add some fresh to loosen it up. Adding a little fresh just before wiping dry is the most important, since it thins out the earlier stuff and lets you wipe the surface drier.

After about 5 minutes, wipe off as much as humanly possible with a dry rag. Don't worry about any fuzz or lint- that comes of later- but if the finish is still loose enough, you shouldn't have any stick. Just take off all that you possibly can. Then, move on to the next section of the table and repeat. I also suggest doing the underside of the table as well with at least the first coat of finish to reduce moisture uptake.

When you've done the top, STOP and let things dry. You could probably redo it in a half day, but why hurry. I recommend separating the repeat steps by at least a day, but never more than 3-4 days. That lets the finish get a little more crispy, which is good for fuzz removal.

After at least a day, use 400 grit paper to "wipe down" the table, and especially the top. You will have a little bit of standing "fuzz" from raised grain and this will remove it. Don't try to overdo it, but get the table smooth again. When done, wet a rag lightly with Homer Formby's, and keep moistening it until it's "tacky." That will be your tack cloth to wipe off any sanding dust. Wipe the table well, since what you leave behind will just be there for the next coat.

Then, repeat the wiping, scrubbing and wiping off again. You can do a bigger section now, since the first coat is what soaks into the wood. From here on out, you're just building up the coating thickness. Be generous in the application and even more generous in wiping it off. For the legs and skirt, I'd do about 3-4 coats. For the top, I'd do about 10-12. Sand lightly between each coat until about the

3-4 coat. By then, you should be having only a little bit of dust stick to what you've left behind. When you reach that point, I would switch to 0000 steel wool for future wiping down. Don't forget to use the tack cloth after the steel wool, also.

When you've decided that the top is good enough, Give the finish a couple weeks to dry out completely. It'll seem ready in just a day or two, but give it more time. The final step is to apply Johnson Paste Wax, using a rag and then buff it out. If you want a more satin finish, apply the wax with 0000 steel wool.

I once built a solid cherry/walnut kitchen table with leaf and 4 chairs and this was the finish method I used.

Nonnymus

Reply to
Nonnymus

Sounds to me like you have a factory finish on there already. I wouldn't coat it with anything. Table pads may be useful.

-brian

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Reply to
No

Reply to
W. Wells

You should talk to the manufacturer many coatings are not compatible, you could ruin it .

Reply to
m Ransley

True! A friend bought a new table; retailer had a sticky price label on it the finished top surface. In removing the label friend affected the finish by using some sort of fairly common household cleaner. She plans to ask the supplier what type of factory finish was used; because quite clearly if it was affected by a domestic 'cleaners' trying apply a varnish or plastic coating or even certain types of 'polish' could be disastrous! Might ruin the top and result in having to refinish the whole surface.

Reply to
Stan

No.. It's finished now (It's from Ashley Furniture :

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But I don't know what they have applied on it, or what would be best for it now..

Thanks

Reply to
User

Probably nothing. Our Pennington Pine dining room table is 30 years old. Our kitchen table is 25 years old. They are used daily and nothing has ever been applied to them. They are still in fantastic shape. Couple of small dings from stuff dropped over the years, but many meals served, pasta rolled out, used for the mixer at time, meat grinder, etc.

If you are concerned, check with your dealer or contact Ashley through their web site.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

This table was free, right? You paid nothing for it?

WTF are you asking us for? Somewhere in your house is a device with 12 pushbuttons labeled 1-9, plus zero, # and *. It's called a telephone. You get someone's phone number from the phone book, web site, catalogs, etc.* Then, using the phone, you push the buttons which match that number. You'll hear a voice on the other end and you can talk to them. Call the manufacturer!

*Sometimes people will tell you their phone number, and you can write it down on paper, using a pen or other writing instrument.
Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

On Mon 29 May 2006 08:54:07p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it JoeSpareBedroom?

Joe, plase *spare* us!

Plonk!!!

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

You don't get it, do you? The guy's got the web site address of the manufacturer.

Analogy: A teenager's sitting on the couch with a world atlas right next to her. She says she needs to know where Australia is, but can't seem to find it.

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

Ok.. Thanks..

I did have a Cherry dining table (with chairs) from Levitz, and after a while the paint / finishing on the chairs started fading after about 6 years of normal usage (no pets or kids) , and there was a noticeable change in color. The top of the dining table itself was fine, (Since it was covered with a tablecloth) but I wish I had put some kind of protective coating on it..

Reply to
User

Is the table in a spot where sun through the window hits it?

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

The website says that they have touchup pens for "some products" available through dealers. Might be a close match if you get a nasty dent or scratch and have to repair it. Do you know whether it is solid or veneer? Dealer might know finish, but likely sprayed lacquer. I sure wouldn't put another finish on a brand new table; might as well buy used. You don't say what intended use will be - every-day meals, only special occasion, kids rolling out play doh and cookies, etc. For everyday or heavy use, I would put a plastic cover with cloth under it because plastic directly on the finish can cause it to darken or yellow.

I had an antique oak veneer table that for years was the only dining table. All kitchen work and kids painting and crafts were done on that table. Covered with nice table cloth for company. When it got too scratched, I just stripped the top and put on a couple of coats of polyurethane. No stain, but it was a nice medium brown. Took years of use and abuse, and made for lots of good memories. Seated eight.

If it is solid oak, it will be hard to do harm. I use floor tiles, with a dab of clear silicone caulk under each corner, for hot dishes or stuff that scratches. A couple of coats of polyurethane will probably make it so you can spill and wipe it off without much risk of damage.

Reply to
Norminn

Parts of it are, parts are not..

It's near a window that has a mini-blind on it, but depending on the time of day, it's either open or closed.. (I'm at work during the day)

Thanks

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

Reply to
User

Thanks.. I plan to call the dealer / showroom today and find out what kind of finish it is (solid / veneer / sprayed laquer) now that I know what the different types of finish are..

It's intended use is going to be everyday use for all meals, and also for kids to play on it sometimes, (no play-doh though, have a separate kids table for that) I plan to cover the top with a cloth and then plastic, but I guess I could apply the polyutherane to the legs, and also the chairs (or will this depend on the type of finish again ? )

Thanks

Reply to
User

If you go to

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and poke around their window covering section, you'll notice that some products are designed to block UV light, "to protect the colors of furniture and carpets". This is a clue. There's only so much you can do to the furniture to protect it from certain things, like sunlight. You *could* apply a marine-grade finish that's better at filtering UV, but you'd still have to USE YOUR TELEPHONE to call the furniture manufacturer first. Have you called them yet?

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

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