DIY | How to Refinish an Old Dining Table

[@loricreel2463]

A few tips.. The finish was so gone it would have been easier to skip the stripper and just sand with the power sander... 80, 120, and 220 grits in that order. Sand with the grain... Not in circles. Minwax also has a wipe on polyurethane that is a bit more beginner user friendly than a brush on poly. You apply it with a rag like you did the stain. Lightly sand between coats with a 400 grit by hand and wipe dust with tack cloth. Your finish will be smooth. Now that you've started you'll find that if you need furniture thrift stores have great solid wood pieces that you can refinish for a fraction of the cost of new fake stuff. Congrats on self teaching and sticking with it. It's worth the effort.👍

[@JohnHeng]

Thank you a bunch for this! Appreciate the time you put in for all the advice 😀 I'll definitely come back to this in the future

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[@aresbowen135]

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[@aresbowen135]

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[@suttonsantino1607]

@Ares Bowen you are welcome :)

[@mabybee]

I grew up with my grandparents that had an upholstery/furniture refurbishment business but I’m just now getting into it for myself as a hobby. I appreciate this video, it feels very vulnerable and honest, which helps me feel comfortable with realizing how little I know and that not being an expert already doesn’t mean I should stop trying to grow. Pretty simple concept but there’s so many videos by career craftsmen that talk about things as if they’re at a casual meetup talking to a group of peers with similar levels of expertise, so even when they start to explain things it comes out with a “I’m discussing this not-so-simple concept but you’re watching my video so you should already have a grasp on this niche detail” tone and that’s fine, they’re making a video for content on KZbin with something they clearly enjoy and are good at, not teaching a class. Then there’s plenty that don’t explain anything at all, which is also fine, I just take those as videos to visualize a process, not necessarily to learn anything besides maybe the steps as a project progresses. But you walking through everything and not hiding the mistakes and saying what you would’ve done differently in hindsight and even elaborating in the comments feels very authentic and makes this whole practice feel more approachable for a casual. Thank you for that, it’s inspired me to take a step back and recognize even though I’ve been around this since I was a toddler, I’m still pretty new to the practice of it.

[@swansong1851]

Your restoration turned out nice. I'm glad you didn't depict it as a how- to video, but rather sharing your project with us. You were analytical and worked out some of your problems yourself. I enjoyed watching this. All the best for your next refinish.

[@JohnHeng]

Thanks man! For sure, I was figuring it as I went. I think there's some value in seeing that

[@colmburke9879]

Well done,you didn't give up. It gets easier! I'm 65 and still salvaging furniture here in Ireland. 👍

[@JohnHeng]

Thank you!

[@heatherpickmere]

Oh Colm I am in Australia and beginning a table restoration . I am ashamed at my lack of progress and could use advice from someone more experienced than myself

[@colmburke9879]

@@heatherpickmere I would like to help any way I can. Just enjoy yourself.. Ask anything

[@ericthiel4053]

Dude, your video helped me more than 90 percent of the "how to" videos on KZbin. Great video and great job on your table.

[@ketotruckinggrandmama2676]

I wouldn't compare prices from 20+ years ago to how much you spent. You compare what it costs today to how much you spent. Then add on the sentimental value. Great job!

[@JaredHudson7]

Much respect. I'm a wood worker and love staining stuff and I'm so glad I watched your video. I'm staining a table top to a old table. You did excellent for your first time. I'm no pro in my wood working , I've been wood working many years and still learn new things. Your video helped me. May God bless you this Christmas.

[@lesliepenmanill2573]

I like that you went over your mistakes. Very different from other videos.👍🏾

[@thejollyrancher6713]

Looks a lot better. Love seeing people keep old furniture out of the landfill.

[@johnnemaric1577]

I like youtube tutorials that are honest, & reveal everything. After all, we learn from peoples mistakes. So , very well done! Congrsts.

[@cindytaylor698]

Definitely not stupid. That table would cost much more in today’s economy. Great job. Persistence paid off. ❤

[@sigrunkatrin5664]

Its not just about the money. It's also about utilization and preserving the environment. Well done!

[@cathyhendrickson9640]

You needed to wipe it with mineral spirits to get the rest of the citrus strip off before sanding also when you same you need to follow the grain!!!

[@BryanChance]

Wow that looks awesome. I'm doing the same thing to a dining room table. The cost may be more but it's satisfying!

[@davedaniels8211]

Great video . My wife wanted a dressing table , luckily we found one in our local charity store for £15 . It was very dark wood ,but you could tell it was quality made , with dovetail joints and mortice/tenons . Probably circa 1900's . 3 days later , sanding,stripping,sanding,staining,sanding, oiling, sanding,wiping it looks stunning . Well worth the effort . Just be brave .

[@Nicole-ek1ny]

That's amazing! What stripper brand did you use? I'm also based in the UK and also unable to get citristrip and a lot of brands available have terrible reviews so curious what worked for you :)

[@AmericanSoldierLakotaSioux1969]

Looks great to me friend. I'm learning myself right now as a new homeowner, trying to remove white paint from a nice wood table. Thanks for sharing friend! 👍

[@DarkNight708]

1. I believe every wooden furniture (if its not yet rotting) worth renovating because it saves thousands of trees from being cut ;) 2. Modern technologies allows to flip any piece of furniture into something that fits your house 3. At the end i like the way that table looks, its awesome

[@rafaelpaulespejo3095]

Bravo…am a beginning DIY’er and i appreciate the honesty in your presentation..keep it up!

[@Dark_Aeon]

Thanks for showcasing that it can be done without heavy equipment. I want to restore a wooden table with just sandpaper sheets, stain and poly

[@davidcondit388]

I really enjoyed seeing how you encountered problems and worked through them. Thanks for sharing your experience and lessons learned!

[@MDR-hn2yz]

Very cool. I just bought a new dresser and chest of drawers, now I want to refinish an old nightstand to match.

[@Rob-Mc]

Right on man. Turned out really nice. Now you've added to the tables story. Hopefully your kids will love it like you guys do.

[@JohnHeng]

Thank you sir!

[@theBabyDead]

I just stained like 3 pieces of furniture and was disappointed on how 'dusty' the stain looks. I was always planning to put poly on afterwards (actually have a different UV resistant one, but same difference) but I wanted to know beforehand whether or not I did the staining process wrong as it looked so dull. Most people don't show the stain only, but you did! And you showed how it gets the shine from the poly, so thank you for that! Now I know I don't have to apply another 3 layers of stain!

[@spwan10]

Theres always learn curvs to things were unfamiliar with or haven't had exposure to. But when u keep on pushing the results are awsome as well as the feeling of completeling a project. Thanks for the video.

[@25pdr1942]

Congratulations and may you continue to generate happy memories around such an iconic family item of furniture 😃 Cheers Hutch

[@madgpol]

Great job and glad you have given the table a new lease of life

[@JohnHeng]

Yes! Thank you!

[@amayranihinojosa5490]

Thanks for being honest throughout your own experience being a beginner it's encouraging 👍🏼

[@necksnapper-cl2pv]

The table may have only cost them $65 new, but you can't put a price on it with so many memories made there. The refinish looks amazing! You've given that table more value and preserved a part of your girlfriend's history. If you guys get married and have kids, one day you can pass it on to them. It's an heirloom! 😉

[@myteric117]

Agree with this. Also, factor in inflation. $65 in 2000 is about $115 in 2023.

[@nickpatterson2149]

I work in a furniture store and that table would be selling for probably 200$ sad how high inflation has got.

[@soaredwood162]

its not stupid spending 100 bucks to fix it. you could have easily gotten 250 for it on Facebook market place. But 100 bucks to restore and treasure all the sentimental value that table has is priceless. Good job restoring it.

[@mnkolev]

Looks great man! The rewarding process and the memories of that table more than make up for what you paid

[@chaerazard]

Thank you for your willingness to share your real experience/mistakes with us

[@christophermanabat1934]

I just started restoring my grandmothers dresser. I’m glad I didn’t use that citrus stuff 🤣. I just hit it with 80 grit to remove the old finish and kept sanding with higher grit paper. 80 > 120 > 220 > 400. Then 4 coats of poly. Sanded with 400 between coats till it was a mirror finish. I’m no expert and this was my first attempt but I learned that the more you sand between coats (till it’s super smooth) makes a difference I think.

[@flyandshy00]

Great job, looks like new table, now I will have in mind to use very fine sand paper for my project not to leave deep scratches. Thank you.

[@CarlosGarcia-tk5du]

Now it’s worth more. You did great bro and thanks for the tips

[@TheFunFosters]

$100 to restore a new stain on this table is way less then buying a new one for $500. Great job explaining each step and the results you ended up with.

[@_amoopoint_1458]

This table looks really great. Thanks for the honesty! I appreciate it. You could sell it for a couple of hundred now

[@sabrinabracey6741]

This video is very cute. Thank you for helping me flip a $50 dining table into a $300 - $400 table heck yeah! This vid. is very helpful!

[@JohnHeng]

Thank you! Glad you found this helpful :D

[@cbmcfly32]

Yep , Citristrip is a nightmare. I had to do two coats with an hour in between or so and scrape for days to get off all the gunk it left that will gum up your sander as you found out. Then wipe down good with mineral spirits! I'd do a good carbide scraper and then orbit sander next time or at least try a better stripper than Citristrip which barely took off the poly and stain coat.

[@ermejia13]

The sanding was painful to watch, follow the wood grain whenever you sand please 🙏

[@JohnHeng]

Good to know! You're spot on--in the final product, the scratch marks actually show up but in this case, it kinda adds to the farmhouse look of it luckily. I'll keep this in mind for future woodworking projects though.

[@dman6662008]

One of the most wholesome replys to contructive crititsism!

[@blancavr1]

I'm glad you are happy with your results, I think I came out great👍

[@TheAvgJoeVlog]

Restoration is often times more expensive than msrp, and people do it for sentimental value, joy or just general desire to see a product renewed that they are passionate about. It’s not stupid to invest in your joy, man. Good stuff :)

[@AtlanticEast305]

Great job...you are so humble & funny!

[@johnnemaric1577]

Also you saved timber that was gonna be thrown out, so saving the environment. $65 was worth a lot more in those days!

[@danielkoher1944]

You know That’s Right!

[@martharamos5625]

Thanks for the tack cloth tip. I have an old table to experiment for my first refinish project. Hope mine looks as good as yours.

[@nbooky]

Mineral spirit after stripping: x Sanding along grain: xx Proper brush for polyurethane: xxx Happy in-laws: Priceless

[@MichaelBrant]

Excited to try this. Looks like a good workout too haha

[@vsemprivet]

Hi! Thank you for very useful video and great tips. I tried to do something similar, but something went a bit off, so I’m kindly asking you for an advice: I have a wooden IKEA table. Its top made of several wooden blocks, so it’s not a single sheet of wood. I dyed it using water-based dye, and covered it with the first coat of polyurethane lacquer. The thing is that after applying the first coat I can see that the surface gone patchy - some wooden blocks are glossy and smooth, and some - dull and a bit rough to the touch, where the wood absorbed the lacquer. I was going to use fine sandpaper to even the surface after the first coat of lacquer. But now I’m a bit confused as I don’t know if I could damage the dye layer on the dull patches and expose the wood, as it is obviously very thin. What would you suggest to do in this case? I was going to do at least three coats of lacquer with sanding in between.

[@SSGJanaye]

Looks good! Good job!

[@R2d2koko]

Good job John , i like this video 👍🏼👍🏼

[@nickpatterson2149]

You cant put a price on memories. Or having a happy wife. For a first time using poly and stain i would say you did pretty good. That was a complete table restoration. Also like others have said if the finish/shine is already gone, you could of skipped the stripping part. Also sand with the grain. Other than that GREAT job.

[@viajes-d5g]

It Looks very Nice! And for how much the table was worth at the beginning, for what you explain it was with them for so many years. I’m Pretty sure the $65 of that time are not the $65 of now. Thanks for sharing! Totally worth it!

[@johnmcglynn4102]

Thanks. Enjoyed your video and good luck with your future projects. You have now caught the bug and it doesn't go away.....

[@JohnHeng]

1000% 😂 every spare day of PTO this year has been a house project

[@mastiffmom2592]

I’m doing my very first piece and I feel like I’ve spent a fortune! I now need mineral spirits also… The time it has taken me to go out and about is another issue. The thing is, I want to do it as a side hustle. I want to keep my pieces small and reasonable from a difficulty perspective. My next piece should be much easier because I should have most of the material and a bit of knowledge. I’ve ended up ordering on Amazon because I’m tired of running around AND it’s giving me a bit of a break. Good job on your table.

[@JohnHeng]

Yup! I'm sure as you get better, it'll cost you less and you'll be more efficient about turning it over!

[@solo_official-ready]

Table looks really good

[@amitbedi1275]

Beautiful and Honest video. Very Helpful Brother.

[@Impromptu2370]

You guys did a really nice job.

[@NancyTanguay-x9v]

I an a beginner too your table looks great. Can you let me know what color of stain you used ?.Love that color thank you

[@deliamyrick9149]

I have my table stripped off for long time, looking for a good video to help with my project, and I really love your video, what is the name or brand of the last product did you use?

[@alexngel3818]

It was made with love that is priceless ❤, do not compare

[@foxmulder4308]

I think you done a good job, and considering todays wood prices, I wouldn't worry about what her parents paid for it way back when, you are definitely coming out ahead as far as the money goes.

[@karannchew2534]

You passed the in-law test with flying colour!

[@debbiepolachek3292]

LOL. you mentioned at the end that the finishing cost more than the table. which reminded me of my 90yr. plus customer. She purchased her home many years ago. she replaced her carpet which cost her more than the house did.😊

[@annroberts3635]

You did a great job. The table looks wonderful. Ann from Va.

[@JohnHeng]

Thank you! 😊

[@winterrain1947]

worth every second of your time to do that.

[@tarstarkusz]

I'm glad you restored it. It would be a crime to throw it away. It turned out pretty nice, though I have no idea why you spray-painted the legs. As far as the price her parents paid: 1) What year did they buy it? More importantly: 2) What would it cost to buy (a new) the same table made to the same standards today?.

[@danielkoher1944]

2:30 🕝 Too funny 😂 out village clerk had parents that outlived her by 40 years and she was in her late 60s. She told how her Mom and Dad would be asked,”do you have any antiques?!” They both replied in stereo,”no, we wore them out.”

[@gerrykelly1197]

Great work dude 👌🔥

[@heatherpickmere]

I am beginning a similar project and your ‘can do ‘ attitude and your completed project has buoyed my spirits!

[@JohnHeng]

Wow thank you for the sweet compliment! I hope your project turns out well, let me know how it goes 😁

[@tangho]

Amazing repurpose!!

[@LokiSinsALot]

I have a lovely wooden drawing desk that I managed to destroy in one fell swoop. I was working on an art project using acetone, not realizing that it had the power to absolutely melt the wood varnish. One knocked over bottle later and my desk looks like a Rorschach test. I still need the desk to draw on so here I am researching how in the world I’m going to fix this mess using the supplies I have at my disposal, being a college student who can barley afford cup noodles let alone an electric sander.

[@idontlikethiswedbettergo5888]

Good job pal 👍

[@ZeroWasteAtlanta]

Thank you for this. Informative and meaningful. 😌

[@danielkoher1944]

7:29 Either way? You are on your way to many more scratches. Decades pass in the blink of an eye. Cheers! 🍻

[@rpstudio9200]

Just think of the cost, as inflation. Plus all the memories that come with it, is priceless 🎉

[@ckmoore101]

You should have used liquid stripper, after the gel stripper. That would have penetrated into the wood grains better, and got rid of the dark streaks. And then what many others have said, ended with mineral spirit rinse. THEN sanding. Live and learn.

[@jemase7931]

Spread thestripper with the grain, just like sanding and finishing. If you spread it across the grain, you end up with those marks you got. Also,clean up the stripper residue with mineral spirits. Do everything WITH THE GRAIN.

[@JohnHeng]

Thanks for the advice!!

[@lolitamike9609]

Very beautiful! It was worth.

[@nadinecharriere537]

Thank you very useful video. Good job! I like your new old table

[@JohnHeng]

Thank you! I hope you learned something from it :)

[@leelaferro]

Table looks awesome! We have a really nice, expensive dining room table I was also given by parents. My daughter spilled nail polish remover and I’m looking for ways to fix it. May just completely sand and restore. Thanks! Was there a guide you initially followed for list of stuff to get?

[@spadehogg]

What a great demonstrational video. Great job on the table. To say it was ‘stupid’ to spend more on the restoration then the piece actually cost… … absolutely not. Look at it like this; when you can turn around and sell that piece for 10 times and possibly more the original value… … I say, “that's brilliant. And for someone who is apparently not a professional in this field… … I don't know what you do for work. But, my friend you might be wrong business.”

[@vidana789able]

You did a great job

[@brickandorder]

For the gunking of the Sandpaper with the Citristrip residue, the only fix for that which works but requires additional effort is to graze off the gunk with a box cutter knife. It will fly right off, and every box cutter razor has a pointy bit which can clear speckled debris from your sandpaper.

[@User-fp4gn]

I did the same retro table plain old 30 year old varnish on top worked great and looked classy i dinsnt do the lega though

[@OLegendStudios]

Wow love this

[@mpost3708]

I think it would be very hard to find a table made of real wood these days, and would definitely cost more than the $100 spent on supplies

[@mocarter4059]

It's not hard to find at all. I just got a real wood table for $30 this weekend

[@emmawinn6129]

They’re actually pretty easy to find in thrift stores or on Facebook marketplace.

[@mist4926]

Some wood tables only look like wood. They are covered in a laminate wood.

[@muro-g9d]

Thanks for the video. Hope someone can help me with my questions. I have an exact same color table but I wanna keep the color, don't wanna darken it like in the video. What should I do, should I skip the staining process? Also, after using polyurethane, what's the point of sanding it again?

[@wyroy]

i looooooove your whole vibe!

[@christophercrystal4449]

Table incognito - great job on showing the video. Well worth cost and would cost more to buy better and new table.

[@kensremba4316]

What’s a good way to clean out grooves in a table without hand sanding ????

[@bobbyboy1797]

Great vid!

[@linnerellie209]

When you use the citrus stuff use a brush to apply it and then wait until it bubbles and starts drying out and then you can scrape it and then clean the surface... Its actually really amazing stuff just need to learn to work with it

[@JohnHeng]

Good to know! I don't remember that being in the instructions but I'll try it next time.

[@linnerellie209]

@@JohnHeng yeah Im not sure it's on there. I only figured out how to use it when I was doing the body work on my husbands car. Just poured a little on and used a brush to cover the surface and waited until it bubbles up and rolled right off

[@missarabicsongs]

Looks amazing! Great job!

[@kaysilva2011]

I love this video!!

[@claudettelampley1287]

So helpful thanks!

[@MrTR0uBL3]

That looks great

[@narenthong3620]

Beautiful done ✅

[@justjen3216]

Great job!!!!🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@javierhermidas4170]

hope u read this comment if they got it for 65, I honestly feel it was in the flea market, good well, or just got blessed, this table is a easy 200 at wal mart its real wood

[@schapediddly]

Citristrip is a really gentle stripper. You could have probably stripped it 2 or 3 times with that. That's why you were having stripes and gummed up sandpaper. It wasn't the striper, it was remaining finish.

[@dang1861]

A belt sander with a slightly coarser grit might have been better suited at first then use the orbital sander and a finer grit. Then finish with the finest grit and a sanding block

[@JohnHeng]

Yeah I probably shouldn't have bothered with the varnish remover and started off with 80 grit or something. Once the table had dried and I started sanding, it was way easier

[@dang1861]

@@JohnHeng Or just use a different type of remover. I've never tried citrus based strippers so I don't have a lot of experience with how they work. I do know it's a lot of labor - even with coarse grit - trying to sand varnish or paint off when stripper will pull it right up. Using lacquer thinner or mineral spirits after the stripper is recommended. I got this from a google search: Note: The final step of rinsing the surface with mineral spirits or lacquer thinner is critical to avoid problems when sanding and staining. Avoid strippers advertised as "water-rinse" or "no rinse."

[@JohnHeng]

@@dang1861 awesome I'll check back on this if I do another restore!

[@loricreel2463]

Belt sander is a little too powerful for this I think.