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So I got a table from Ikea and it needs to be...stained? Finished? Sealed?

Jschmuck2

Jschmuck2

Diamond Member
The dining table I picked up is just bare wood - no finish, nada. It almost seems like I would get a splinter running my hand on it the wrong way.

That being said...I think I need to sand it down before I apply some kind of chemical to it. Right? So for all of you woodworkers out there, what's the proper way to go about this? I'm thinking maybe I need to seal it too? In case there is some water spilled on it or some such.
 
Sand it to at least 180 grit (some like to go finer, but much beyond this is just more work than it needs). Look for a Woodworkers Supply or order via the internet "Waterlox Original". Apply per instructions. Google to see what it would look like.
 
Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider
Sand it to at least 180 grit (some like to go finer, but much beyond this is just more work than it needs). Look for a Woodworkers Supply or order via the internet "Waterlox Original". Apply per instructions. Google to see what it would look like.
Click to expand...

Waterlox is a tung oil :thumbsup:. Completely food safe and it smells like peanuts.
 
Well, that looks like exactly what I need!

The bad news is - it's not really available anywhere near me. Is there a similar product I could get at say...lowes?
 
I got an Ikea table like that... I ended up painting it gray to match my kitchen. Looks much better now!

It's the infamous Ingo table, isn't it?
 
Originally posted by: ultimatebob
I got an Ikea table like that... I ended up painting it gray to match my kitchen. Looks much better now!

It's the infamous Ingo table, isn't it?
Click to expand...

How does one paint furniture?
 
I refinished our kitchen table from an older solid oak table back in 1976. I stained it with oak stain and then bought the BEST ureathane marine grade varnish I could get. It had a 20 year guarantee as I recall??

I gave it a coat and let it dry overnight under a couple of heat lamps. I sanded it lightly with 220 grit sandpaper, wiped it off with a tack cloth and varnished it again.

I think I gave it 7 or 8 coats but the finish looked like it was 1/4 inch thick. We still use it as our kitchen table and eat most of our meals off of it. Even after 30 years of use, 3 kids banging on it with silverware, getting wiped down several times a day with a wet rag and usually not dried it still looks pretty good.... though it is getting a little dull. That'd be easy to fix though with one or two more coats of varnish. 😉

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00060.asp
 
Originally posted by: Mahaguru
Originally posted by: ultimatebob
I got an Ikea table like that... I ended up painting it gray to match my kitchen. Looks much better now!

It's the infamous Ingo table, isn't it?
Click to expand...

How does one paint furniture?
Click to expand...

It's not that hard. I did mine over a long weekend. Sand it, put down a primer coat, sand down the rough spots, paint the first coat, sand down the rough spots one last time with a fine grit sandpaper, and paint the last coat.

It also helps that the Ikea stuff can be disassembled and reassembled easily.
 
Well do you want a more natural look, or do you want to stain it?

If you want to stain it, I would sand further than 180 personally - but not too much. Then after the stain you will need a good varnish. You can sand it until it's really really smooth, but there's no point in that if you're using a varnish as the varnish will be smooth when you're done.
 
Originally posted by: 1EZduzit
I refinished our kitchen table from an older solid oak table back in 1976. I stained it with oak stain and then bought the BEST ureathane marine grade varnish I could get. It had a 20 year guarantee as I recall??

I gave it a coat and let it dry overnight under a couple of heat lamps. I sanded it lightly with 220 grit sandpaper, wiped it off with a tack cloth and varnished it again.

I think I gave it 7 or 8 coats but the finish looked like it was 1/4 inch thick. We still use it as our kitchen table and eat most of our meals off of it. Even after 30 years of use, 3 kids banging on it with silverware, getting wiped down several times a day with a wet rag and usually not dried it still looks pretty good.... though it is getting a little dull. That'd be easy to fix though with one or two more coats of varnish. 😉

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00060.asp
Click to expand...

That's the only site I pay to visit. A fave!
 
Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider
Sand it to at least 180 grit (some like to go finer, but much beyond this is just more work than it needs). Look for a Woodworkers Supply or order via the internet "Waterlox Original". Apply per instructions. Google to see what it would look like.
Click to expand...

Waterlox is a tung oil :thumbsup:. Completely food safe and it smells like peanuts.
Click to expand...

I would be food safe, but a dinner table takes a pounding, I think I'd go with poly.



Jschmuck2, the bottom of that table offers a lot of opportunity to experiment.
Do you also happen to know what kind of wood the table is made of? Pine, Poplar, Birch?
What color are the chairs?
 
Originally posted by: Squisher
Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider
Sand it to at least 180 grit (some like to go finer, but much beyond this is just more work than it needs). Look for a Woodworkers Supply or order via the internet "Waterlox Original". Apply per instructions. Google to see what it would look like.
Click to expand...

Waterlox is a tung oil :thumbsup:. Completely food safe and it smells like peanuts.
Click to expand...

I would be food safe, but a dinner table takes a pounding, I think I'd go with poly.



Jschmuck2, the bottom of that table offers a lot of opportunity to experiment.
Do you also happen to know what kind of wood the table is made of? Pine, Poplar, Birch?
What color are the chairs?
Click to expand...

My tung oil coat is at least 1/2" thick. It's awesome. :thumbsup:. If I see a scratch, just sand it out.
 
Originally posted by: iamwiz82
My tung oil coat is at least 1/2" thick. It's awesome. :thumbsup:. If I see a scratch, just sand it out.
Click to expand...

What brand?

My favorite is Minwax Antique Oil Finish after a first coat of Orange Shellac. But, I usually reserve it for decorative items not ones that are heavy use. The Minwax is mostly just a thicker tung oil which I assume is modified with varnish. Most tung oil I've seen is very thin, and not meant for film building.



 
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