old oak table

advice needed , i have acquired a really old oak table that i want to restore ... i dont reaLLY know where to start in the way of finishes ..... any ideas

To restore is too adjust, repair, and make corrections without removing the original finish.

To refinish, is too remove the coatings and the finish by stripping it down to the white wood, and then finishing the piece again.

Tell us the problems with the table.

To restore,
Oxford concise
..2.(Attempt to) bring back to the original state by rebuilding, repairing, repainting,emending ect...
..3. reinstate to bring back to dignity or right

Sorry caz, just correcting a misconception.
Do you want this table to look new when its finished or retain the old look, but make it old but loved instead of old and neglected.
Send some pictures if you can or describe the problems that it has.
how old is it and where did you get it?
there is almost nothing that is unrestorable depending on how much time you want to spend and if your expectations are realistic.

Astrid

Sorry for the confusion . Its a really old well worked table somebody has obviously used it to work on , has a few nails banged in it . The grain is really used raised due to the high work on it.

all i want to do is keep its rustic well worked look but make it look loved.

i found it in an old factory i am renovating the factory has been disused for 20 years and before that was a government facility for disabled people i am a carpenter/supervisor so i get first pick

it just looks so rare ,, god knows how much i would pay for the top alone a solid piece of oak 2400 x 950 x 50

i love it 'will post some pics ( just charging the camera )

regards

David

sounds ike you have a lovely piece there
First strip any old shellac this can be done with meths it will also wash off the dirt.
now assess any repairs that need to be done to the structure.
remove any nails or screws that have been put in to "strenghen " wobbles and assess loose joints. if the legs are loose now is the time to repair.
see how you go and get back.
astrid:)

ok cleaned the table and it came up really good and clean . some real bright spark has painted the legs in the past which is proving very hard to scrape off , i also repaired a damaged section with a nice piece of American oak looks really good. the table has separated where it is joined down the middle so will need to cramp that back up ( just thinking of using pva )

i will enclose some photos

pictures( i think)

Hi Cazdids,
Picture Info here

PS Infraview is very handy too.

cheers
WSendy

pictures take 2

haha just turn your heads

Do you have any Lacquer Thinner or Acetone, I think it could use a good after wash to clean it up the table.

Another sugesstion is after its washed down, is to use some Oxalic Acid to take out the yellow and lighten up the woods color.

The PVA should work if thats all you have.

Now, your moving right along, keep it up.

get some stripper on the painted bits, then sand the whole thing to about 180 grit.
assess the stains. if its been used as a workbench there is probably oil on it.
get as much as you can off with turps and fine steel wool.
Then sprinkle talkum powder on and place an old tea towel over it.
use a fairly warm iron to absorb the oil.
this may get some of the oil marks off.

when you get this far post a close up pic of the top and i may be able to assess what next best step is.

deep black stains are usually caused by ink or iron and oxalic acid is good,
but dont wash down the whole top yet. place a pad of cotton wool over the black stain and dribble the oxalic into it so it dosnt wet the area surrounding the stain.
be careful not to contact or inhale. apparently its not as inoccuous as the lable suggests

Use your iron and a damp cloth to stream out dents and any markd where the timber isnt broken, this wont work when the fibres are broken like deep scars and scraches, but is good on dents.

leave the split until most of the prep work is done.

Ill keep an eye out for next post
Astrid:)

heat gun or paint stripper ? thanks for replys

either or both depending on which works best on the type of paint.
Id probably use a gun first if youve got one but watch for scorching.
Paint stripper can turn the paint into a slurry, and if the grain is raised you can end up rubbing the paint in instead of removing it.

and speaking if scorching, are those black spots on the top burn marks?

Astrid

If you have Lacquer Thinners or Acetone I would try either one of these first.

You could also add the Meths to the Lacquer Thinners, they make a good dye stain remover. Use a nylon scrubbing pad.

Paint remover is safer then using aheat gun, they usually end up burning the wood causing another problem for you.

I would rather you try sanding with different grits of sandpaper.

the paint stripper is working great thanks..... haha i think the black spots are rain . it was spitting wen i took the picture ........ there is i really dark spot at one end that looks like oil ........

Try re-scrubbing it with the solvents, if that don't help, then pour on some liquid detergent on the spot, allow it to soak in for ten minutes, and then brush on some very hot water, and then repeat the process..

If it comes out, then you will have to sand the wood so its ready for finishing.

Good Luck

Mac

Really hard to tell from the pictured as they are a bit small, but it looks to me like you might have a Kauri table top with the typical blackwood or maybe Kauri legs rather than Oak. Could be wrong, but it doesn't look like oak to me.

Cheers - Neil :)

we'll have a better idea when it's clean!
If you use detergent on it watch out for the dye in it or you can end up with green stains

Astrid:U

Neil,

I agree with you, it don't look like Oak wood to me either, cleaning the wood won't change the woods graining pattern that never changes.

Cazdids, any luck with the 'oil stain".

Don't be too concerned about the liquid detergent staining your wood, as your going to flush it off with hot water.

Most detergents use anionic dyes, which actually are micronize pigmemts in water soluble suspensions, and will wash right out.

I just hope, it removes the stain.

It dosent really matter at this point what it is.
could be mountain ash, blackwood, kauri or origon.
the point is to encourage enthusiasm.
whatever it is it will look great when finished.

Astrid

i thought Kauri had a reallytight notty grain,,,hhhhhhhhmmmm

ima not sure think i need some help with this will post a better photo

i was thinking silky oak ( hope it is kauri)

kauri is pale and tight fairly bland but comes up well with subtle features like bird eyes.

silky oak is almost like snakeskin.

Blackwood is like walnut.
Old mountain ash is often refered to as tasmanian oak because it looks like oak without the radials (little flame like bits running across or diagonal to the main grain) sometimes its hard to tell the difference.

how' s the prep going?

Astrid

My money's on kauri from it's age, form and provenance.

We get these sorting/packing benches in all the time at the antique auction house I work at...

My money is on two strips due to it's grain it can join almost invisibly at times.

yeah think your right its defo 2 pieces ( very good grain match) still not sure about the timber yet though,,, but ima no expert being a pom ,,

progress has slowed down due too hot weather ...... its outside stripping paint in 40 degrees or inside sat on my ass sipping smoothies in 25 degrees :U

Well if you want to restore it try to do th work with care , don't make the original finishing damage....

ok back to it today before i go back to work

finish removing paint , done about 3/4 of it

sand all the legs down

try to remove oil

then ima rub the top down

then i want to keep the rustic look but want to seal it from the weather

any ideas,,,,,, or any other suggestions for the finish

Dave

Happy New year to you.
Are you going to keep this outside?
Thats probably OK if its Kauri.
But mountain ash and blackwood hate water. It will rot and go black if it gets wet on a regular basis. even if you use the most water resistant product on the market. water will get in a scratch.
I made the mistake of doing my kitchen benches and bathroom unit in ash and itd not wearing well.
other timbers might be ok, somone else will fill you in when weve identified it.

cheers
Astrid:)

well its going on my deck under a pergola so no more water than external moisture content . ima thinking just a decking oil
what do you think ?

I dont do a lot of outdoor stuff so someone else may give better advice.
I would go for a pure oil put on hot to increase the absorbtion.
linseed is cheapest but if you check out some of the other threads on this finishing forum, youll find heaps of info and opinion.
youll have longer drying time with a pure oil but the upside is you can recoat straight on top when it looks a bit tired.

your energy and focus in this heat is amazing:U

Astrid:)

Thanks, i have some tounge oil in my shed that i may use .

i love working so wen ima on my holidays i get bored very easy ..... plus ive got very fixated with this table haha

Oh Oh now your in for it.:U
make sure it is pure tung oil.
There have been lengthy discussions.
Check the Tung oil thread about 10-15 threads down

Astrid:)

haha what have i done now ...i used it on my jarah steps i put on my deck and they are fine

i will take a peek at the thead see what it says

David

Just joking,
seems if you mention tung oil (or china oil or linseed oil or anything with the with the word oil in it) round here, it provokes intense debate.
Im sure what you have will be fine:U

astrid

ok guys i think these are better ,,,,, tell me what they are put me out of my misery

the sideways picture looks like a kauri top and legs with (whats that stripey pine Guys) skirts.
But the top pic puzzles me, are those stripes in the grain or is it wet again:U
try a photo closely focused, without the sun dapples.
Its hard to identify timber generally. Posted pics have to be really clear.

(I'm still struggling with posting pics so I'm not critisizing)

Astrid:)
Ps I think it probably is kauri

ok here i go

Either Kauri or very dry origon,
But Im not a timber expert I'll see if i can get one of the timber guys to take a peek as i nkow you want to get on with it today.

Astrid

ok thanks . pretty sure its not oregon