# Striping, sanding, and staining old tabletop



## drw158 (May 13, 2014)

So about 2 years ago, I striped a mid-century(ish) table that was painted solid red with oil paint (I think). I used some kind of gel chemical stripper. Underneath, was a beautiful wood pattern — something that I haven't seen too often. I sanded it down some with a block and sandpaper, but I abandoned the project and I never finished. Some of the paint is still there, but I think I can remove the rest with just sanding.

After 2 years, I've decided I want to attach some legs to this table top and give it new life.

*The question I have concerns the multi-directional grain of the table top:* Do I use a random orbital sander? Do I try to sand in the direction of the grain? What kind of sander do I use? I don't want to sand it too much, because as you can see in the photos, there are 2 thin pieces of wood that are on the top and bottom of the table. I think if I sand too much, I'll sand through the thin wood layer. Keep in mind that I plan on staining this table for inside use. Any tips on staining/sanding would be great.

I don't know much, so any help would be appreciated.

*Here are the photos:*

>>> https://cloudup.com/cEkr422Oufe


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I would use a random orbital sander starting with 180 grit and sand it enough to get the residue of stripping the old finish off. Then wipe the wood down with a damp cloth and let dry. Then do your actual sanding with 220 grit paper. Your right you shouldn't do a great deal of sanding on the table but there should be sufficient veneer to do a normal sanding. 

As best as I can see from the picture it looks like the wood is mahogany. Traditionally you don't see the texture of the open grain wood in the finish. If you want a glass like finish on it then the grain will need to be filled. Sherwin Williams makes a good grain filler you can have tinted to match the stain you are using. It's kind of like a thin wood putty you brush on and squeegee off the excess once it sets up a bit. Then after drying overnight a light sanding and the wood is ready to stain and finish.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

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I would get as much of the old finish off with an MC (methylene chloride) based stripper. Wipe clean with lacquer thinner. When dry, sand with a ROS with 220x to clean up. Depending on what you want the finish to look like and feel like, you may or may not want to use a paste wood filler.


















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## HowardAcheson (Nov 25, 2011)

Are you planning to re-stain the item? If so, you must use a chemical paint remover. Sanding will not thoroughly remove the prior finish that has been absorbed into the surface of the wood. Any residual finish will negatively affect the absorption of a new stain causing uneven coloring. For the best results, use a chemical paint remover containing methylene chloride. Follow the directions on the label.


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## drw158 (May 13, 2014)

Thanks for all the help guys, I am planning on buying a ROS with a variable speed so that I don't sand through. Any tips on ROSs?

I know there are some small indentions or gouges. Should I use something to fill them in?

I plan on giving the table top a nice satin/matte finish. I definitely *don't* want a super glossy glass finish. I want it to look very natural and let the natural wool color to show through. Do you suggest using some sort of tongue oil? I'm not sure if I want to stain it...


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

drw158 said:


> Thanks for all the help guys, I am planning on buying a ROS with a variable speed so that I don't sand through. Any tips on ROSs?
> 
> I know there are some small indentions or gouges. Should I use something to fill them in?
> 
> I plan on giving the table top a nice satin/matte finish. I definitely *don't* want a super glossy glass finish. I want it to look very natural and let the natural wool color to show through. Do you suggest using some sort of tongue oil? I'm not sure if I want to stain it...


If the indentions are minor sometimes you can wet the spot for an hour or so and then set a wet cloth on the spot and set a hot iron on the rag to steam the spot. The water and steam will swell the wood, raising it up to where it can be sanded flush. The rest of the spots I would fill with a wood putty a little light and after sanding and staining color the spot with touch up markers to match the finish.


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## drw158 (May 13, 2014)

*I have an update.*

I stripped what was left on there with a MC chemical stripper. Two times, scrubbing the stain off with plastic steel wool and a lot of elbow grease. A good bit of stain was lifted off. I wiped the table down with mineral spirits. 

I waited until the next day to start sanding. I took my ROS with 150 grit paper and did a few slow passes on the table. No pressure — I just let the ROS do the work.

I think there might be a lot of stain left on the table even after all of that. There is dark discoloration and bands of light/dark. I expected there to be a much more even coloration. I must not be sanding enough, but I don't want to sand through the veneer. 

Any help?

*Here are the photos after sanding:* I included some shots of the dents and scratches just incase y'all had some tips in that area.

https://cloudup.com/cg0VuTEOedX


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

drw158 said:


> *I have an update.*
> 
> I stripped what was left on there with a MC chemical stripper. Two times, scrubbing the stain off with plastic steel wool and a lot of elbow grease. A good bit of stain was lifted off. I wiped the table down with mineral spirits.
> 
> ...


I would try stripping again, and use lacquer thinner to wipe down. For sanding, 150x is a bit coarse for veneer, 180x, or 220x would be a safer bet. You certainly don't want to perforate the veneer.


















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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

drw158 said:


> Thanks for all the help guys, I am planning on buying a ROS with a variable speed so that I don't sand through. Any tips on ROSs?
> 
> I know there are some small indentions or gouges. Should I use something to fill them in?
> 
> I plan on giving the table top a nice satin/matte finish. I definitely don't want a super glossy glass finish. I want it to look very natural and let the natural wool color to show through. Do you suggest using some sort of tongue oil? I'm not sure if I want to stain it...


Some small dents can be raised by laying a wet rag over the dent and touching it with an iron. Lightly touching it with the tip. It should sizzle. Sand after. 

Use the ROS at full speed unless sanding on the side edge. Maybe just a hair under full speed. Change paper often, don't be cheap. Worn sand paper starts to polish the wood which could make it spotty when finished.

No need to stain unless you need to match something. Could be if you start finishing with BLO you will see aspects of the grain that would be otherwise hidden.

You can get a satin finish just by rubbing it out with steel wool and paste wax. Using a satin finish will cloud some of the "grain".

Al

Nails only hold themselves.


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## drw158 (May 13, 2014)

Hi all, I have an update. Figured it would be best to reply to the thread instead of posting a new topic.

I got out the table top again and stripped it once more with an MC chemical paste stripper. Here is a photo after stripping:










I've stripped it at least 12 times in the past few months, and I still get the same amount of gunk off every time. I'm really digging into the wood and putting a lot of elbow grease in while stripping. It never seems to be done.

*Should I just go on to the lacquer thinner, or try to keep on stripping it?*

How can I lift off more? I strictly follow the directions on the can every time.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

It appears you have gotten all of the paint off. You could have cleaned it off with lacquer thinner however that should have been done right after using the remover. The reason is removers contain waxes and other chemicals that can ruin the new finish you intend to put on it. From where you are I would strip the table one more time with the same methylene chloride remover and then wash the table with lacquer thinner. I think at this point you are removing the grain filler out of the wood which is something you don't really need or want to do. When you rinse use plenty of thinner frequently changing rags until you are certain you have all the remover cleaned from the wood.


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## drw158 (May 13, 2014)

Ok I used almost an entire large can of laquer thinner, and there is still some brown stuff on the rag. Do you think it's ok to proceed with sanding? Here is a pic:










I used about 6 rags.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

You would never be able to have the rag come completely clean. If you started with stripper again before the lacquer thinner you should be alright to start sanding. Go easy with the sanding as the table is veneered. You don't know how much veneer is left. Except for the one scratch next to the rag the table looks like it's in pretty good condition. The wood is mahogany and normally with a mahogany table a glass like finish is put on it. If this is your intention the next step after sanding is to fill the grain with a pastewood grain filler. If this is your wish I will go further into telling how to do it.


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## drw158 (May 13, 2014)

Hey Steve,

Thanks for all the help! I was planning on going with a satin finish, but I'd like it to be durable since it will be a coffee table. I've seen some tables at restaurants that are stain, and I like the feel and look. What would I need to do to achieve a satin finish? All I have is a can of tung oil, and I was hoping to use that.

Thank you!


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

You could use tung oil but it would take quite a few coats before it was water resistant. If what you have is a tung oil finish, that is a mixture of tung oil and varnish and would be easier for you to do. 100% tung oil takes a very long time to dry. Depending on the weather where you are it may take days to a week for a coat of real tung oil to dry. The best way to tell if a coat is dry is to briskly rub the finish with a clean cloth and see if the tung oil smell rubs off. When there is no smell it is dry. If it's a tung oil finish overnight drying should be enough. The first coat keep applying the tung oil finish until it won't absorb anymore and wipe off the excess and allow it to dry. The next coats just apply a thin coat and allow to dry. After several coats you might sand it with 220 grit paper to smooth it out and then continue. Keep applying coats until you have the finish you desire. 

You could also use a wipe on polyurethane however when working for a satin finish it's best to start with a gloss finish and do the satin on the last coat. Too many coats of satin tend to make the finish cloudy.


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## drw158 (May 13, 2014)

Hey Steve, I have "tung oil finish". From what it sounds like, I can either do a few coats of the tung oil finish, or apply a polyurethane coat and then end with a last coat of the tung oil finish. The latter will make it less cloudy?

Next I plan on sanding and filling in that scratch you saw in the photo. Thanks you all your help Steve!


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

If I'm understanding you correctly you can use the tung oil finish if you wish to have a tung oil finish but if you use polyurethane, you can't go back to tung oil. Polyurethane is literally a plastic coating and won't take the tung oil.


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