Any woodworkers here? Question on staining a table

[Erik Tracy]

I picked up a heavy, solid construction, solid wood topped "country style" kitchen table that someone was giving away free on Nextdoor.

It was totally whitewashed and distressed - which is ok for the legs and sides, but I wanted to refinish the top.

I got an orbital sander and some 220 and 100 grit paper and went at it today stripping off the old finish.

I used the 100 Grit paper to strip the white/distressed finish off the top, then used 220 grit with the grain to try and even out the appearance.

But some areas just refuse to lighten and stay a bit darker.

Here's a shot

My question is if I plan on using a stain as dark as the darkest patches still on the top will they blend?

I'm whacked for the day, and the clean up was a b!tch. The orbital my friend loaned me had no vac nozzle and there is wood dust as fine as volcanic ash *everywhere*. I really want to be done sanding!

 

[dcmfan]

I picked up a heavy, solid construction, solid wood topped "country style" kitchen table that someone was giving away free on Nextdoor.

It was totally whitewashed and distressed - which is ok for the legs and sides, but I wanted to refinish the top.

I got an orbital sander and some 220 and 100 grit paper and went at it today stripping off the old finish.

I used the 100 Grit paper to strip the white/distressed finish off the top, then used 220 grit with the grain to try and even out the appearance.

But some areas just refuse to lighten and stay a bit darker.

Here's a shot

My question is if I plan on using a stain as dark as the darkest patches still on the top will they blend?

I'm whacked for the day, and the clean up was a b!tch. The orbital my friend loaned me had no vac nozzle and there is wood dust as fine as volcanic ash *everywhere*. I really want to be done sanding!

Hit up @4-2-7. Finishing is his business.

 

[4-2-7]

My question is if I plan on using a stain as dark as the darkest patches still on the top will they blend?

Erik you can send me a PM and we can talk on the phone, it would be a lot easier than trying to type instructions.

 

[Tim64]

I think that would look great with just a clear finish even with the tonal differences.

 

[4-2-7]

I think that would look great with just a clear finish even with the tonal differences.

That's kinda what I'm thinking, but there is still some prep work to do.

 

[Erik Tracy]

So, I did a lot more sanding by hand with 100, then smoothing with 220 to get a more even finish, but there just ain't no way all the inlaid pieces are ever going to be the same tone/lightness.

By itself, I'd agree the color is kinda nice, but EVERYTHING else that is wood in our house is the same honey blonde: cabinets, bookcases, wood floor, heck, even my speakers.

So, there's going to be some contrast - and gonna go dark(er).

4-2-7, PM headed your way! TIA!

 

[goat67]

Looking forward to seeing it finished up.

 

[KingBubba]

It kinda looks like maple, which is very hard, plus it has had time to age. There is also a chance that the finish was polyurethane, which is also very hard. Unless you use a chemical stripper, you are probably going to have to continue with the 100 grit or lower to get the old finish off. If all the finish is not removed, your stain will be very mottled. Nice looking wood though.

 

[elcoholic]

My advice is to revisit your sanding routine. The difference between 100 and 220 is far too large. You can sand all day with 100 grit and may not get the 100 git scratches out. They'll show like crazy with stain because the pigment particles will fill them. Best not to skip grits. 120 - 150 -180 - 220 with a random orbital then hand sand with the 220 along the grain. It takes less time in the long run as each successive grit removes the previous scratch pattern very quickly. Second advice is to dye, instead of stain. Dye penetrates the wood allowing the figure to show. Stain sits on top of the wood and obscures the figure.

 

[Erik Tracy]

My advice is to revisit your sanding routine. The difference between 100 and 220 is far too large. You can sand all day with 100 grit and may not get the 100 git scratches out. They'll show like crazy with stain because the pigment particles will fill them. Best not to skip grits. 120 - 150 -180 - 220 with a random orbital then hand sand with the 220 along the grain. It takes less time in the long run as each successive grit removes the previous scratch pattern very quickly. Second advice is to dye, instead of stain. Dye penetrates the wood allowing the figure to show. Stain sits on top of the wood and obscures the figure.

Just read up on dyes vs stains.

Seems like dyes won't stand up to light exposure as long as a stain - and my current kitchen table is sitting our nook with two large bay windows which face south onto the canyon behind our house - it's sunny ALL day long in our kitchen.

 

[Chip Chester]

Consider UV-protective 'spar varnish' (really polyurethane) to help with sun protection. Minwax "Helmsman" is a run-of-the-mill product. You'll have to check compatibility with dyes, and some light always gets through...

Chip

 

[elcoholic]

Just read up on dyes vs stains.

Seems like dyes won't stand up to light exposure as long as a stain - and my current kitchen table is sitting our nook with two large bay windows which face south onto the canyon behind our house - it's sunny ALL day long in our kitchen.

That's correct. For that exposure stains and or a top coat with UV protection may be more colorfast.

 

[toxcrusadr]

I don't know why people choose sanding first to remove an old finish. I suppose stripping creates a bit of a mess too, but there isn't a volcano's worth of dust everywhere. I prefer to strip first, then bleach if there are stains or dark spots, then sand just enough to smooth everything out, then stain and finish. It just seems way easier to glop on some stripper, scrape off all the layers of old finish all at once with a putty knife, and do very minimal sanding. Less loss of wood, no rounding over of sharp corners, and no need to go through most of the sanding grits to get rid of the scratches from the coarse paper you had to use to get the finish off in the first place.

Soooo satisfying.

4-2-7 probably has you all fixed up but the above post about making sure all the old finish is off, is important.

 

[rmeade]

Maple, mentioned above as the likely wood, comes with variations in its grain. My experience (is not exhaustive, and I am not an expert) is that this variation can result in uneven absorption of a stain and undesirable results. Now I generally avoid staining maple. I was told, many moons ago, that some stains penetrate more than others and those that penetrate less work well with woods like maple. I never located this non-absorptive stain. I shop mostly at Home Depot, so you will not find it there.

I am interested on other's comments on this (maple doesn't work well with average stain).

 

[KingBubba]

It was a guess on the maple.

 

[toxcrusadr]

I actually think that table looks pretty good. It does look like hard maple, my best guess based on the not-too-close-up picture.

 

[Erik Tracy]

Here's a close(r) up picture of the grain in its current sanded state:

Here's a sample table with what the wife and I are agreeing on for the type of color we were wanting:

If it is maple, I guess this will be a tricky project, or live with another honey blonde piece of furniture.

 

[elcoholic]

It's not maple with those open pores. It's not likely domestic either. I've see that wood before, but can't say what it is.

 

[toxcrusadr]

Ramin from Asia. Lots of furniture made from it since the 80s.

 

[bberkom]

Yep that's a top that wasn't really ever intended to be seen or stained judging by the type of wood and joinery, but that doesn't mean you can't give it a shot! Just do some samples on the bottom first whatever you decide to do.

As has been mentioned, woods like maple and cherry often display blotchiness due to the inconsistent orientation of the grain, so using a prestain sanding sealer or shellac can help get a more even absorbsion by sealing the deeper pores before staining. Not sure what this stuff will do with stain, but the blotchyness you're seeing could just be the nature of that wood. Not helping is the fact that it's cobbled together from a hundred small pieces that could be leftovers from a hundred different boards. It won't quite ever look like a table top made from only a few consecutive boards, but you can make it work. Just do tests on the bottom first!