Hi everyone,
I would like to ask for advice on refinishing an antique kitchen table.
My new wife loves antiques, and the beautiful character that comes with age.
I really don't want to screw up her table.
This table is in excellent physical shape, and simply needs a refinish. It
appears to be mahogany, and now has some water ring stains, and some heat
stains on the surface. The stain is very worn, but the wood is not scratched
or dinted too much.
What products would look good on an antique and still protect the table from
water and heat stains?
I bought a bottle of Howard Restore-A-Finish mahogany and Varathane Interior
satin at Home Depot. Will these work well together? Once home I noticed the
stain said not to apply polyurethane on top of it, because it will not
harden properly. Isn't polyurethane a two part epoxy product?
I am confused.
Thanks for any helpful comments.
Robert
until you know more don't do anything that may be harmful. you can protect
it for now buy putting some wax on it. not automotive wax but something
like johnsons paste floor wax. it will offer some protection and can be
easily removed at a later date with no harmful effects. it contains no
silicone.
Bob Klein
Robert's Antiques Restoration
Pensacola, Fl
"Robert Rutler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi everyone,
>
> I would like to ask for advice on refinishing an antique kitchen table.
>
> My new wife loves antiques, and the beautiful character that comes with
age.
> I really don't want to screw up her table.
>
> This table is in excellent physical shape, and simply needs a refinish. It
> appears to be mahogany, and now has some water ring stains, and some heat
> stains on the surface. The stain is very worn, but the wood is not
scratched
> or dinted too much.
>
> What products would look good on an antique and still protect the table
from
> water and heat stains?
>
> I bought a bottle of Howard Restore-A-Finish mahogany and Varathane
Interior
> satin at Home Depot. Will these work well together? Once home I noticed
the
> stain said not to apply polyurethane on top of it, because it will not
> harden properly. Isn't polyurethane a two part epoxy product?
>
> I am confused.
>
> Thanks for any helpful comments.
>
> Robert
>
>
You might find something at www.homesteadfinishing.com Repair &
Restoration forum, or a forum name similar.
On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 19:46:32 -0800, "Robert Rutler" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>No,
>
>I do not believe it is a rare and valuable antique, just old (probably 50
>years), and very good quality table. If we continue to use it daily with out
>improving the surface we are going to ruin it. This is just the kind of
>table you might find in any common antique store. Our interest is to use it
>daily and enjoy its beauty and warmth.
>
>Robert
>
>
>
>
>
>"Erik Ahrens" <erikl_nospam_@_nospam_syserco.com> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> I'm not sure what you consider an antique - If it really is an antique I
>> would have it appraised BEFORE you do anything to the finish.
>> Do you ever watch Antique Roadshow? I remember one case where these folks
>> came across a really old table or somesuch and stripped it and refinished
>> it.
>> Value BEFORE refinishing $40,000! Value after refinishing $6000. Patina
>is
>> everthing in antiques I guess.
>>
>> Erik
>>
>>
>> "Robert Rutler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> > Hi everyone,
>> >
>> > I would like to ask for advice on refinishing an antique kitchen table.
>> >
>> > My new wife loves antiques, and the beautiful character that comes with
>> age.
>> > I really don't want to screw up her table.
>> >
>> > This table is in excellent physical shape, and simply needs a refinish.
>It
>> > appears to be mahogany, and now has some water ring stains, and some
>heat
>> > stains on the surface. The stain is very worn, but the wood is not
>> scratched
>> > or dinted too much.
>> >
>> > What products would look good on an antique and still protect the table
>> from
>> > water and heat stains?
>> >
>> > I bought a bottle of Howard Restore-A-Finish mahogany and Varathane
>> Interior
>> > satin at Home Depot. Will these work well together? Once home I noticed
>> the
>> > stain said not to apply polyurethane on top of it, because it will not
>> > harden properly. Isn't polyurethane a two part epoxy product?
>> >
>> > I am confused.
>> >
>> > Thanks for any helpful comments.
>> >
>> > Robert
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 18:52:55 -0800, "Robert Rutler" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I would like to ask for advice on refinishing an antique kitchen table.
"antique table" is a term so vague as to be useless here.
Before you do _anything_, you _must_ sort out three things.
- How old is this thing ? (to the half-century)
- How valuable is this thing (tens, hundreds, thousands)
- What was it originally finished with ?
Then leave it alone anyway. If you're buying products called
"Restore-a-finish" or anything with poly anywhere near it, then you
need to learn a little more before you go near it.
Read Flexner's intro guide to finishing.
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0762101911/codesmiths-20>
This won't make you an expert, but it'll tell you what's out there as
a finishing technology.
Then try to find what the original finish was, and restore the piece
with similar techniques. It may not even _need_ refinishing, just
repair or hiding of the damage.
Don't apply a new technique to an old piece, until you've already used
that technique on a sample piece of similar timber first.
Poly has _no_ place near quality furniture. Most of the things you
will need don't come from retail "house-fixup" sheds either.
--
Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods
I'm not sure what you consider an antique - If it really is an antique I
would have it appraised BEFORE you do anything to the finish.
Do you ever watch Antique Roadshow? I remember one case where these folks
came across a really old table or somesuch and stripped it and refinished
it.
Value BEFORE refinishing $40,000! Value after refinishing $6000. Patina is
everthing in antiques I guess.
Erik
"Robert Rutler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi everyone,
>
> I would like to ask for advice on refinishing an antique kitchen table.
>
> My new wife loves antiques, and the beautiful character that comes with
age.
> I really don't want to screw up her table.
>
> This table is in excellent physical shape, and simply needs a refinish. It
> appears to be mahogany, and now has some water ring stains, and some heat
> stains on the surface. The stain is very worn, but the wood is not
scratched
> or dinted too much.
>
> What products would look good on an antique and still protect the table
from
> water and heat stains?
>
> I bought a bottle of Howard Restore-A-Finish mahogany and Varathane
Interior
> satin at Home Depot. Will these work well together? Once home I noticed
the
> stain said not to apply polyurethane on top of it, because it will not
> harden properly. Isn't polyurethane a two part epoxy product?
>
> I am confused.
>
> Thanks for any helpful comments.
>
> Robert
>
>
No,
I do not believe it is a rare and valuable antique, just old (probably 50
years), and very good quality table. If we continue to use it daily with out
improving the surface we are going to ruin it. This is just the kind of
table you might find in any common antique store. Our interest is to use it
daily and enjoy its beauty and warmth.
Robert
"Erik Ahrens" <erikl_nospam_@_nospam_syserco.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm not sure what you consider an antique - If it really is an antique I
> would have it appraised BEFORE you do anything to the finish.
> Do you ever watch Antique Roadshow? I remember one case where these folks
> came across a really old table or somesuch and stripped it and refinished
> it.
> Value BEFORE refinishing $40,000! Value after refinishing $6000. Patina
is
> everthing in antiques I guess.
>
> Erik
>
>
> "Robert Rutler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> > I would like to ask for advice on refinishing an antique kitchen table.
> >
> > My new wife loves antiques, and the beautiful character that comes with
> age.
> > I really don't want to screw up her table.
> >
> > This table is in excellent physical shape, and simply needs a refinish.
It
> > appears to be mahogany, and now has some water ring stains, and some
heat
> > stains on the surface. The stain is very worn, but the wood is not
> scratched
> > or dinted too much.
> >
> > What products would look good on an antique and still protect the table
> from
> > water and heat stains?
> >
> > I bought a bottle of Howard Restore-A-Finish mahogany and Varathane
> Interior
> > satin at Home Depot. Will these work well together? Once home I noticed
> the
> > stain said not to apply polyurethane on top of it, because it will not
> > harden properly. Isn't polyurethane a two part epoxy product?
> >
> > I am confused.
> >
> > Thanks for any helpful comments.
> >
> > Robert
> >
> >
>
>