Expert: Eileen Cronk - 1/3/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi Eileen, Thanks in advance for your help, and happy new year.

I have a solid oak kitchen table with a top marred by 25 years of use and white heat spots.

I have sanded the top and am now ready to restain and refinish. I would have referred to the finish as Golden Oak. I have taken a piece of Oak veneered plywood and played with a number of stains and mixtures. The original finish on the base and legs is more amber colored than most any of my stains. I ran into this before on another project and ended up using shelac to achieve an amber finish. I wanted to use a urethane final finsh on the table top for durability. The urethanes I have found are clear. My questions are:
Will the urethane darken the stain?
Is urethane the best finish for the table top for looks and durability?
Do you have any suggestions for matching the older amber color of the original piece?

Thanks again

Randy

ANSWER: Hi Randy
Nice to hear from you.
The first thing you must do before staining or your top coat is to go over the entire table top with an MC stripper.
Sounds strange I know but there will be finish left in the pores that will interfere with a perfect job.
Oil based urethane will yellow over time thus darkening the finish but it takes a long time.
In my opinion, urethane is the best finish we do it your selfers can apply to a table top for durability.
You say you have tried several mixtures and stains to get the correct color so you know thats the right direction.
There is no reason this color cannot be achieved in this manner but it must be tested on the actual table not on a sample board. Under the table top at the outer edge is a good spot.
It sounds to me like the stain needs some orange and reddish tones mixed in. I have in the past when faced with this problem, mixed  artists oil paint (they come in small tubes at the craft store) into the oil based stain to get an exact color. But sampling is a must and I am not suggesting you try red or orange but I will suggest some burnt umber or raw umber. This paint is inexpensive and keeps for years in the tube.
But get the topped stripped off correctly.
Regards
Eileen






---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Eileen,

I have researched MC Strippers and am about to go purchase some. My next question is regarding sanding. Can the project be over-sanded before staining or finishing?
I had started with 60 grit paper to remove the old finish and worked progressively to a 400 grit paper (using an electric palm sander for all) someone suggested that this is too smooth a surface to accept stain. Is this true? If so what is the appropriate roughness to continue and do the job right?

Thanks again,

Randy

Answer
Hi again Randy
Whoever suggested this concept to you is correct in my experience.
The surface of the wood can become too smooth to accept stain as it should.
This will be rectified however when you go over the top with the MC stripper.
Heres how to do that.
Apply the stripper to one half of the top. Wait about 10 minutes but keep it wet by applying more if it drys in places.
Then take a rag and rub off the excess.
Then, while the wood is still wet, rub the surface with medium grade steel wool. Work in the direction of the grain, keep rubbing until the surface is entirely dry and rub a few minutes afterward. You will see you can actually work up some dust doing this.
Then do the other half.
If you use this stripper, there is no afterwash needed and do not sand any more. The top is ready to be stained.
http://www.swingpaints.com/1800.htm
I don't feel there was anything wrong with your sanding up to 400 grit. I think its the amount of time folks continue sanding that actually glazes the surface and prevents proper staining.
Best of luck with this and a great question.
Regards
Eileen