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Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/How to create a pine scrub top

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Expert: - 12/29/2010


Question
Hi Greg
Could you advise the best way to create a pine scrub top.  It is kitchen table that currently has a shellac finish, which has seen better days.  I would like to take it back to it's natural raw pine finish.  I would also like to know the best way to maintain it on a daily basis.  Now the children are less careless with paint and felt tips I want to take off the protective cover and enjoy the wood.  Thanks in anticipation.

Answer
Hi Alison, typically these "scrub" tops are just a wax finish, but the color comes from the caustic soda lye tank stripper they use on Pine like this. Wax finishes can be a nightmare to keep up, a major reason why a real 'finish' is used instead in most cases.The color and look will also be quite different......something that's not easy to "take it back" to...having wax or no real finish will not protect a busy table top like this one well, if at all, and then it's prone to stains, marker, and discoloration from daily use. A kitchen table needs some kind of protective finish on it ....unless you like paste waxing all the time....and even if you do..it will not stand up to everyday use like that. You could strip it and then apply a waterborne acrylic urethane product to it in a flat to satin finish...but I am not aware of what's available in your part of the world....there are also wipe on urethane products that are easy to apply and provide a very good level of protection, but you'll have to strip the top with stripper. Post back if need be...if you don't have experience with finishing a piece like this, it's probably a better idea to call in a Restorer to evaluate it with you and see what they can suggest. Regards- Greg

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Greg Scholl

Expertise

Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects, Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings, wood species recognition and usage,tool recommendations, blade types and recommendation,techniques and methods for many Woodworking related issues, etc.

Experience

Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.) Sold, built, serviced, setup Home, Industrial, and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools , provided knowledge, parts replacement, service, and on site service, Trade show Demo, and training as well.

Publications
Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how")

Education/Credentials
Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field. Seminars from major Tool manufacturers, Skil/Bosch, Delta, Powermatic, Ritter, Porter cable, Milwaukee, Dewalt/B&Decker, Performax.

Past/Present Clients
Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT. (the Antiques capital of CT.), Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Wilton Historical Society.

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