I wanted to get some opinions about refinishing a table my father built a few years ago. The table top is 100% solid Birdseye Maple, he finished it with 5 coats of Tung Oil and waxed it. Now after 4 yrs of being in the sun the table has darkened considerably and the eyes are losing their effect and not as prominent. I personally love the patina and the golden color its taken on but he's not as pleased. Last year he made a similar table out of Birdseye Maple but this time he used an oil based poly with some protection in it and it has stayed light and hasn't turned as dark.

He would like to sand the old tung/wax finish off the table and redo it with the same UV resistant poly.. How deep would he need to sand to get off the old cured Tung oil finish? Does anyone see any issues with this?


Here is a picture of the BEM table top upon completion in 2005

Much appreciated

I'd try to talk him into washing it off instead of sanding so you can keep whatever patina that's developed. Try naptha and four aught steel wool to start with and if needed, alcohol next and acetone last. Start there to at least remove the wax and as much oil as possible as a starting place otherwise the left over finish will just gum up the sand paper.

I'd start with a good cleaning and then just work your way up from a light 320 paper to whatever you need to get the desired results.

That's my 2 cents worth anyway.

I appreciate the feedback and idea of washing off the wax and oils before getting into the sanding. This seems like a great way to tackle the problem, saving on the waste of gummed up sandpaper, while minimizing the amount of material removed.

I edited my original post and added a picture of the table when it was first completed.. I'll keep looking for a picture of the table after its turned the golden patina color.

I'll post an 'AFTER' pic of the table top once my father completes the refinishing.

If you want to get back to the original appearance of the wood, once you have it stripped you can use a solution of oxalic acid to bleach out the sun darkening. About 1 teaspoonful in a pint of water should do the job.

Paul
the little guy

Thanks again for the information Brian.. I wanted to show some pictures of the table top after the refinishing. My father ended up washing off the top wax, but I'm not sure what he used exactly. The picture below shows the difference between the old oxidized maple patina and what it looked last after a light sanding of 220 grit paper.



The next two picture shows the table top after the first coat of poly is applied to the fresh surface. This is a big sucker, and very heavy too.. it opens up w/ all the leaves in it well over 112" long.


My father is happy to have the more noticeable sap/heart wood contrast back.


I'll see if I can post a picture of the table once it is back in the kitchen..