Help with diningtable-top

[charley1968]

Hi all!
I want do redo our kitchen table-top and i need some advice on how to remove the lacquer on it. Then i plan to sand it to a 240grit and oil it Surfix indoor heavy duty oil.
First things first: i' m not sure how the surface of the table was treated but to me it  appears not to betreated with oil. It's somewhat harder than the wood, so i guess it's some kind of lacquer. I plan to remove it with Granat 80grit on a low speed setting. Would Granat be the correct choice, being made especially for VOCs/shellac? Do you recommend a coarser grit?
Once i've removed the whatever-it-is, i start sanding the wood 80-120-180 ( does 150 make a difference?), water it and give i a prefinal go with 240. Then i do the Surfix-thing with a slight rub of 320grit after the first oil-layer has dried.
Does that sound like an ok plan or will i end up with gummed-up sandpaperdiscs , horrible surface and the need to buy a new kitchen table?

 

[tiralie]

Not seeing the dining table, I am going to make some assumptions.
If you can post a photo, it might help identify what the surface might be.
This is probably a veneered top and aggressive sanding will probably expose the substrate below the veneer.
I would use a chemical stripper first to remove the majority of the finish and then use a sander to cleanup and to prepare the surface for the final finish.
If you are sure that the table is not veneered, I would still use a chemical stripper, but you could use a coarser grit to clean up the surface before going to finer grits.
In an unexposed or highly visible area, experiment with various chemical strippers to find the most effective one and then clean the whole table.
Hope this helps.
Tim

 

[charley1968]

Thanks, Tim, for taking the time to reply. Hadn't thought about going the chemical way. What solvents would i use: just the generic paint- stripper or are there different solvents for lacquers?
Are there any health concerns using solvents on a table meant to eat from? ( not that we serve the food on the table)
How long would it be smelly from the solvents?
The table itself is massive wood, as opposed to veneer. I'l try to add a photo from the underside of the table. The darker part is the lacqured part.

 

[stvrowe]

Tim makes some good suggestions.  Having done this before, the first thing I would do is classify the existing finish into either a laquer/shellac or a varnish/polyurethane.  The easiest way to do this is to use some fingernail polish remover or acetone with a cotton swab and work it into the finish in a spot that is not conspicous (bottom, apron, etc).  

If the finish dissolves, it is either a shellac or lacquer and can be washed off the wood either with acetone or commercially available solvent such as Formby's Furniture Refinisher.  If that is the case, I would wash the finish away and then follow with sanding using 240 grit Granat.

If the finish does not dissolve it is most likely a varnish or poly and will either need to be removed using abrasives or a chemical stripper.  Not being a fan of chemical strippers, I usually opt for the abrasive approach if the top is solid wood.  I think the Granat would be a good choice (certainly better than Rubin or Brilliant for this application).  I would start at 120 grit and determine if I needed to go coarser depending on the results.  If the top is a thin veneer, you can easily blow right through the veneer by power sanding with coarse grits so I wouldn't use anything coarser than 120 grit if that is the case.  If you don't get good removal using the 120 grit, I would probably then go the chemical route but only if I just loved the table.

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

I like Tim and Steve's advice.  If you need to go with a chemical stripper, then I recommend trying Soy-gel. It's free of toxins.
http://www.amazon.com/SoyGel-Urethane-Remover-Stripper-Gallon/dp/B0002Z11MO/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1390587555&sr=1-3&keywords=Soy+gel

 

[charley1968]

Thank you very much, guys! I' ll be buying some acetone tomorrowand see how it goes. Then i'll know if to sand or solve.
I'm justa wee bit hesitant of using solvents due to kids and cats frequenting the table quite often, but acetone ought to be alright.
Thanx again, folks!

 

[jacko9]

Charley, The stripper solvent and chemicals will be long gone after you strip and refinish the table top.  I would advise that you only strip this table in a well ventilated space because that's when the solvents are the most dangerous.

I also agree with the stripping approach as I have seen too many table tops ruined because they thought it was solid wood when in fact it was a veneer.

Jack

 

[charley1968]

I am sure it is wood because i can see joints topside and bottomside. I can see the endgrain and gluelines. I'm certain it's  solid wood. Furthermore , using stripper would rob me of an opportunity to employ my recently-bought ETS150/3  [wink]

 

[jacko9]

I am sure it is wood because i can see joints topside and bottomside. I can see the endgrain and gluelines. I'm certain it's  solid wood. Furthermore , using stripper would rob me of an opportunity to employ my recently-bought ETS150/3   [wink]

I understand wanting to use the 150/3 that is my favorite sander.  One thing to consider, the wood under that surface finish might have a very nice patina developed over the years and you just might find a finish ready surface under whatever topcoat is on there right now.  Just another thing to consider, post some pictures as you go through the process.

Jack

 

[charley1968]

Hi all
While i'm happy with the finish i got thanks to the ETS150/3 and Surfix-set ,i'm somewhat disappointed that the 1000$ table is made of inexpensive rubberwood. I remember that the label said ' exotic wood' . Well, yea, exotic it is in Scandinavia.
For the learning-curve: rubin 2 sandpaper didn't work very well on the lacquered and stained wood. Next time i'll try granat 80.once the surface treatment was removed, rubin 2 worked well.  My daughter thinks the table looks better now than it did before.