I inherited a love and appreciation for solid wood furniture from my mother. I love heavy, sturdy, substantial furniture that was built to last a lifetime. When searching for the perfect piece for any room, I try to find items that are made out of solid wood.
Many times it is hard to find a new piece of furniture that is made with the same level of craftsmanship as an older piece. I truly hit the jackpot when my neighbor was selling his parent’s 1960’s mid century modern (SOLID WOOD!) dining set. He gave me an amazing deal and knew that I would take excellent care of his parents’ well loved furniture. This set lived with me in my first apartment after graduating college and every place after that.
When my husband and I moved into our first home, this set just didn’t fit our space. We have really high ceilings and the furniture seemed so tiny compared to the room. It also had several water spots and scratches all over that I had never been able to cover up. I loved the fact that this table has several leaves that allow us to extend it for big family gatherings and knew that would be important for us to have in a new table.
I began my search for a new solid wood, extendable dining table and was stunned to see that the styles I was looking at were between $1,500 and $2,000 plus shipping. And that doesn’t even include chairs!! I came to the sad realization that I would have to wait much longer before I can splurge on such an expensive purchase.
Then I had a thought…
Maybe I could refinish the table that I already have and buy new chairs to update the set? I had nothing to lose at this point. So, I purchased a can of Minwax Varnish Stripper and some steel wool and I began the first step in my dining room renovation.
After about an hour of scrubbing the finish off of this small spot, I barely made a dent. I definitely don’t have that level of patience to endure such a long project.
Surely there is a better way! I grabbed my sander and away I went. Within minutes, the gorgeous natural wood appeared from underneath the old, dark stain. I actually could not believe how gorgeous it was.
At this point, I needed to move the table outside and into my workshop (read: garage) to finish this project. Ya’ll, this is a fairly easy project. I was blown away at how quickly I was able to sand off the finish (but was very careful not to sand TOO deep as to ruin the wood). I used an 80-grit sandpaper and an orbital sander for the entire table and legs. I did have to use a sanding block to help me with the corners that my round sander could not reach.
It is really important to note that this produced a lot of dust. Basically my entire garage was covered in sawdust.
Make sure to wear protective eyewear and a facemask and ear protection! Also, work gloves are a must!
While sanding, it is important to use a tack cloth to wipe the dust off of the table so that you are not sanding the dust into the table. Once you have completely sanded the entire table and removed all of the existing finish, take a fresh tack cloth and wipe ALL of the dust off. Then, I used a 220-grit to smooth it down and remove any rough spots that were left. Again, take another clean tack cloth, and wipe down the table.
To finish it off, I brought the table back inside to apply the Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish since it was the middle of the hot Alabama summer and I didn’t want any dust or bugs to land on my freshly applied clear coat. (If you move your table like I did, be sure to wipe it down again with another clean tack cloth to remove any dust before applying the clear coat or it will leave specks of dirt and you won’t have a smooth surface in the end.) I chose the Matte finish because I wanted this piece to look as natural as possible.
Side Note: Below is the first coat of the Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish on the top left corner of the table. As you can see, it does add some darker natural finish to the table even though it is a clear coat. I was slightly disappointing with how dark it got with just the first coat after I worked so hard to bring it down to its gorgeous, natural finish on the right side of the table. I researched other alternatives like different wood oils but knew I wanted a durable protective coating that would withstand a lot of wear and minimal upkeep. If you have a tip for me on this one, I would love to know what your secret is to keeping the natural look!
I applied about 7 coats of the polycrylic using a tack cloth to wipe in between each step to collect any dust that may have settled. I applied more coats than the product even recommended because I wanted this table to be super durable and resistant to the perils and inevitable mishaps that occur during family gatherings.
Another Side Note: the can of polycrylic says to sand between coats of poly. I never do this because I am never able to get a nice, clean, clear coat. It could possibly be user error on my part so please let me know in the comments if you have any trade secrets on this one for me as well!
I let this baby dry for several days before letting anyone touch it.
All in all, I would say that this was well worth the effort and looks better than I thought it could. AND I saved myself $2,200 (that’s the price of the exact table I wanted, YIKES!).
Easy enough, right? Are you ready to tackle your own project piece? Here’s everything you need:
- Your own project piece
- 80-grit sandpaper (make sure it fits your sander)
- 220-grit sandpaper (make sure it fits your sander)
- Orbital sander
- Several packs of tack cloths (always to keep handy for other projects that come up)
- Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish (Matte finish, or your choice of sheen)
- A paint brush that was made for clear finishes (I personally believe that it is better to spend a few more dollars on a better brush, ESPECIALLY for clear finishes as to not leave brush strokes or rogue bristles that come out of your brush unnoticed)
Are you on the hunt for your own project piece? Here are a few tips to help you find the perfect next addition to your own dining room:
- Make sure that it is solid wood and not MDF (Medium-density fibreboard) or MDF with a wood veneer. The reason for this is that if it has a wood veneer and you sand too far down, you will expose the MDF and give it a rough plywood look, not the wood grain look that you are going for.
- Find a piece with clean, straight lines with minimal decorative carvings and curves. It is extremely difficult (or near impossible) to sand these areas and also keep the integrity of the carvings. You would have to do this by hand and it would be extremely time consuming.
- Make sure that you like the original design and shape of the chest, buffet, cabinet, etc. because those things really can’t be changed unless it is something that can be sanded down.
There are several different ways to restore furniture and give it new like. Paint is another great option to update and modernize a dated piece of furniture.
Next week, we will talk about how to paint furniture and what are the Do’s and Don’ts you should know!
What project pieces are you working on? Share with us below!