Finishing a reclaimed pine farm table

[mlotterhos]

Good morning,

I am relatively new to woodworking and am close to completing my first large project, a reclaimed pine farm table. My wife and I purchased the reclaimed pine in very rough shape and milled it down for the table top. Even after planing and jointing the wood has a very antique look with lots of small cracks and termite tracks. Below are picture of the top just before and during glue up.

We are trying to figure out the best way to finish the table. I want to preserve the character of the wood and I'd like to bring out some of the orange and golden tones of the pine. After all the hard work so far I don't want to ruin it at the last step! Any advice is appreciated....and please don't assume I know anything. What you guys do step by step? Thanks a bunch!

Mike L.
Raleigh, NC

 

[Bas]

Welcome Mike. Looks like some very nice pine! Howard Acheson recently posted some very good advice on how to refinish an old table, I suggest you start with that. Obviously, you can skip the cleaning/ stripping part. And feel free to ask more questions about each individual step, nothing is easy until you know how.

 

[Bryan S]

Mike there are many here more knowledgeable on finishing than I am, but first, consider what you plan on using the table for. If it is just to look at (which I doubt) then an oil and wax will give you what you want. If you plan on actually using the table ( which is my guess) then you will need a more protective finish like Waterlox Original. You can thin it 50/50 with mineral spirits to make a wipe on varnish, and trust me that is about as fool proof as you can get.

Let me suggest picking up a copy of Bob Flexner's Understanding Wood Finishing, it is well written and easy to understand. Here's links to some old threads that explain pretty well about oils.

http://ncwoodworker.net/forums/f55/tung-oil-finnishes-7749/

And a wipe on varnish, near the end of the thread.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/f55/applying-poly-12414/

There is a very good right up by Howard Acheson somewhere here on different finishes but I can not remember where it is. It may be in the links library.

 

[mshel]

Are you planning on staining the table? If so, I would first apply a coat of 1 lb cut shellac or a sanding sealer which has been thinned about 50-50 with whatever thinning agent is recommended. This will keep the wood from splotching. Pine has hard and soft grain which will absorb the stain differently. If you are just going to finish it naturally, I would still apply a sealer and after dry, sand it back prior to applying any top coat finish. I have made many pieces out of reclaimed pine and this has worked very well for me.

Here is just one example:

Mike

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Mike, that's a nice table you posted. I just did my first breadboard ends on a cherry table top. Given pine's propensity for seasonal movement, how much difference are you seeing on this table over the year? Just curious. Thanks.

Bill

 

[rbdoby]

I agree with both Mike and Bryan. Seal the pine with shellac and then use a wipe on poly. You can use a darker shellac to give the pine an aged look. Try it on some scrap first. Just take your time and apply thin coats.

Rick Doby

 

[mshel]

Mike, that's a nice table you posted. I just did my first breadboard ends on a cherry table top. Given pine's propensity for seasonal movement, how much difference are you seeing on this table over the year? Just curious. Thanks.

Bill

Bill,

I built that table for a client's beach house and although I don't know exactly how much it has moved, the last time I spoke with him he indicated that it had moved. I told him when I built it that the weather at the beach might not be the best atmosphere for reclaimed pine but he insisted.
It was over 10' long and 44" wide ( I think, can't remember exactly).

Mike

 

[Mike Wilkins]

A heart pine cabinet I built a few years back was finished with a couple coats of Buttonlac Shellac and then a coat of sprayed poly. This type of Shellac is a less-refined version than SuperBlonde and will impart an amber hue to the wood. The poly was just for extra protection.
It is suggested that you experiment with some scraps prepped and sanded to the same level as the table itself, so you don't spoil the real deal.
Good luck and watch those fingers.

 

[Jeff]

Mike,

Welcome. That's some very interesting looking pine which will make a nice table. :icon_cheers

This trestle table (66" x 42") is made from SPF lumber. Like Bill, it has my first attempt at breadboard ends to limit movement and keep the top flat across its width. That's been successful since last November, but the top has shrunk about 1/4" at each end of the breadboards.

Pine is notorious for splotching when stained so the earlier suggestion to use a shellac wash coat before staining is a good one. However, another alternative is to use a wipe on/wipe off gel stain which also minimizes splotching because it doesn't penetrate the hard/soft wood pores like a liquid stain. This one has General Finishes "Nutmeg" gel followed by 4 coats of Waterlox "Original" on both the top and bottom. I think the rest of the frame and legs got 3 coats.

http://www.waterlox.com/

I really like Waterlox for its ease of application, final appearance, and durability. BTW, if you use it invest in a few cans of Bloxygen to keep it from "gelling and curing" in between uses. It's too expensive to have it go to waste sitting on the shelf!

Good luck and send pics as you progress. ccasion1

 

[mlotterhos]

Thanks a bunch for all of the advice. You guys were great in helping us figure out what we wanted to do. So, in the end we decided on the following:

- Wood conditioner
- Early American Zar stain
- Coat of Bullseye Sealcoat Shellac
- 4 coats of Behlen Rock Hard table top finish

Drumroll please.......................here it is!

Thanks again guys! Now I'm hooked on this woodworking stuff and the wife has a honey dew list a mile long.

Mike

 

[Bill Clemmons]

The table turned out really nice, Mike. The top is beautiful. :eusa_danc

Bill

 

[Canuck]

WOW!

What a pretty table.

That really finished up nicely and looks like it will last a very long time.

I will have to file your finishing schedule away for future reference. The top sparkles!!!!!

Nice work!:icon_thum:icon_thum

Wayne

 

[Jeff]

Mike,

Nice job, that turned out really nice. Congratulations on a reclamation well done! ccasion1
It looks it'd make a nice poker table too.

 

[Bryan S]

A great job indeed :eusa_clap

 

[Bas]

Great looking table! As long as the honey-do list involves woodworking, that's a good thing....

 

[Mt. Gomer]

Wow, that came out great!