Sand my kitchen table

TigerTim

Hi All,

We have a fairly large pine kitchen table which needs to be sanded down & varnished. After years of abuse by kids (& adults) the original finish is patchy & is back to bare wood in places. I have 2 questions.

1. Any recommendations on varnish type product. Will need to be a matt finish.

2. Is it feasible to sand it slowly by hand. While I have a belt sander the table would be just too awkward to get out of the kitchen now & the amount of dust the sander throws off wouldn't do. Could I sand it slowly by hand with the hoover on or am I just drawing on too much work.

Thanks,

T

CJhaughey

I would use the belt sander unless you have strong and fatigue free arms, what kind of vacuum do you have? many domestic vacuum cleaners don't like sucking wood dust and give up.
I have a brilliant sander from Bosch called a Ventaro which would probably be ideal for your job.
I would use Matt Ronseal, first coat thinned with a little white spirits and lightly sand between coats with fine (220) paper to take any rough spots off.
Do as many coats as you can.
The pine will go very yellow with varnish in the sun, have you thought about any other finishes?

TigerTim

Thanks, CJ

Would prefer to use a power tool but don't fancy all the dust (& cleaning afterwards). I probably don't need to take very much off. The "distressed look will be OK - I just want to remove the old varnish (or whetever was used)

What other type of finish would you recommend - I want it to be safe for food etc.

Thanks,

T

CJhaughey

I personally like oiled wood, it is easy to keep and seems to protect the wood well, if it wears just apply more.
I would probably go for Danish Oil, I used white oil on a lot of our Red Deal woodwork and it stops the wood from darkening.
Liquid Paraffin is also used.
White oil is just Oil with a white pigment mixed through, I guess you could use a little white oil tint from a paint shop to achieve the same effect.

maims3875

I think you should use a light orbital sander with dust collection bag, or better still connect it directly to the vacuum cleaner, you will still have a bit of dust, but thats to be expected.

I would avoid the belt sander, they can easily damage the wood, especially something as soft as pine,

for the coating I would recommend a laquer finish, it is so easy to apply and last for ages. You can get a matt finish, which will look reasonably similar to an "oil" finish, but will seal the wood and protect it better.

make sure to apply a base coat first.

The laquer and the basecoat can be a bit expensive to buy, but it is worth it.

Minder

maims3875 wrote: »

I think you should use a light orbital sander with dust collection bag....I would avoid the belt sander, they can easily damage the wood, especially something as soft as pine.

This is good advice. A belt sander can tear strips out of pine if you are not careful and can make the surface uneven. Once the sanding is finished, wipe the surfaces with a lint free cloth and a drop of white spirit - that will get all the dust off.

Once the finish is applied, you can rub down lightly with glass paper between coats. Gives a good finish.

prentice

I wouldnt sand it at all.

Id Bring it to a joiners and get it machine planed.

It is difficult to keep the table perfectly level after sanding