Our kitchen table has been enjoyed by four generations of our family. As the years went by each year brought a little more wear and tear, a little more petina and always great memories. In order to give such a memorable piece a fresh face, care needs to be taken to preserve the ‘wear and tear’ marks as well as provide highly durable, cleanable and repairable finish.

This table is constructed with solid maple aprons, solid maple legs and a solid red oak top. The four chairs and farmhouse bench are constructed with red oak.

As with most refurbishments, the hardest work is the prep work. From a previous rehab gone wrong, I needed to solve for the issues that were left. Every chair was sanded smooth by hand, taking roughly 90 mins of sanding per chair and 2 hours for the bench. In order to prep for finish, the chair need not be stripped, just sanded smooth and cleaned of all debris. The aprons and legs were handsanded as well though did not have as much work needed. The top had years of wear caked into it so for that part I had to use an aggressive grit sandpaper to remove all the grit and paste wax to bring the top back to the bare wood.

Working with a local furniture finisher, we agreed that lacquer would be the best finish for the chairs and table base. I contracted that portion out to him. To prep for adhesion, a liquid vinyl is sprayed on all parts, similar to priming before paint. The vinyl provides a surface for the lacquer to adhere and seals in the wood entirely. The lacquer was tinted to our color specification and several coats were applied.

I re-finished the top at home using Waterlox Original Sealer. This premium product is a resin-modified tung oil formula that forms a waterproof film that wears well and accentuates the beauty of the wood. It leaves a thin film on the surface to provide a finished look with a warm/amber tone (due to the tung oil).