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Latest project pics - this one scared me
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May 14, 2024, 10:30 AM
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I took on a project that scared me to death this weekend. I refinished the approximately 125 year old kitchen table that was built by my great grandfather. It was in my grandparents’ house from my earliest memories. According to my uncle, my great grandfather built it sometime in the late 1800s or early 1900s and then gave it to my grandparents. My uncle had it for several years and gave it to us in 2005 and it has been our kitchen table since then. I was so scared to do anything to it because I want to keep it exactly as it has been, but the top was really drying out and starting to lose its finish. I used a clear, flat polyurethane finish. It gave it a slightly less shiny finish but didn’t change any of the colors or markings which was my main goal. All of the character (old burn marks, dings, and spike heads) are still very visible. I swear I held my breath every time I put another coat on it over the weekend. The surface does feel a lot better and I think it will be a good protective coating. Should be good for a few more years.
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CU Guru [1275]
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Re: Latest project pics - this one scared me
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May 14, 2024, 11:15 AM
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Beautiful piece of Americana, the family connection makes it even more interesting. I didn't know if scared was the past tense of being frightened, the past tense of being marked in a unattractive way or the Southern pronunciation of being surprised. Either way, great work. I'm sure each mark on that table has it's own story to tell.
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Hall of Famer [23439]
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Re: Latest project pics - this one scared me
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May 14, 2024, 11:25 AM
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Scared was afraid that I would do something that significantly altered the table’s appearance and was irreversible.
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All-TigerNet [11426]
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Re: Latest project pics - this one scared me
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May 14, 2024, 11:30 AM
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In that case, you were uh-skeered.
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Hall of Famer [23439]
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Re: Latest project pics - this one scared me
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May 14, 2024, 5:04 PM
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But, like in the case of most worrying, it was for nothing. It turned out fine.
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All-In [25479]
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If you lightly sand after each coat of the poly, wipe with a
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May 15, 2024, 7:05 AM
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tack rag and apply three coats, you ought to be good to go.
The poly, if not acryllic, will give it a slightly yellowish hue, but is better than lacquer, for protecting the wood. Coating under the top is a good idea, also. If you decide later to have a little more shiner finish, a coat of poly semi-gloss is useable over the satin. Just remember to lightly sand between coats, as the sanding eliminates any grainy finish.
Also, I wouldn't use any cleaner like Pledge, etc., as they tend to dull. A damp kitchen rag, followed with a soft, dry towel will be good enough to maintain the top. The great feature about poly versus lacquer is that you won't see white water-spotting from glasses. Just remember to wipe and dry the top. What you've done looks great, so far.
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Hall of Famer [23439]
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Re: If you lightly sand after each coat of the poly, wipe with a
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May 15, 2024, 8:28 AM
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I sanded lightly with a fine sandpaper (I think it was 240 grit) and wiped it clean between coats. I ended up doing 4 coats. The old finish was in pretty bad shape. Sanded the final coat with 400 grit. I had thought I might add a coat of semi gloss but I’m going to give it a while to see how it goes. Don’t want to get it too glossy because where it sits in the kitchen it tends to reflect a pretty strong glare at certain times of the day/year.
Thanks for reaffirming that what I’ve done should work out well. I’ve done several other projects involving wood finishing but I was a little more concerned going into this one because this table has been in the family for so long. My Dad was a woodworker by trade. He worked in the woodworking shop at the Charleston Naval Shipyard for 30 years and I worked with him on projects around the farm and must have paid just enough attention to be functional now that I have time to do some of these projects myself.
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110%er [5787]
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Re: Latest project pics - this one scared me
May 15, 2024, 8:29 AM
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You are in possession of a treasure. A nice three board table made of pine or cypress. It was flat sawn and top would have been hand planed by the builder. You probably can see saw marks on the rear side of the boards. The center board is one cut from the log which authenticates your estimate of the time period because most of the old growth pine and cypress had been logged by the late twenties to early thirties.
I can not promise you but sometimes the builder would leave a mark of some type on the rear. In parting I recommend that you do not apply any finish to the back side.
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Hall of Famer [23439]
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Re: Latest project pics - this one scared me
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May 15, 2024, 9:40 AM
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It is pine. My great grandfather built it and from what I know about their history, I’m pretty sure it was all done by hand. It was built with spike nails, not screws. You can see and feel the saw marks on the back but I haven’t seen any markings that look like they were made by the builder. He built it for personal use so there would have been no need for ID markings. The back side of the boards were unfinished so I left them that way. One interesting note. The table was originally about 4 inches shorter. When my uncle was telling me the history, he said extensions were added to the legs some time later, probably in the 1920s or 1930s because he doesn’t remember the table with shorter legs and he was born in 1930. You can clearly see this in person, but it did not come out well in the pictures. He remembers the table being in their house ( my grandparents house) his whole life.
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110%er [5787]
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Re: Latest project pics - this one scared me
May 15, 2024, 4:51 PM
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Thanks for your additional information. Research and find out everything you can about your ancestors and the table. Instill in your children how important is to know and appreciate our past.
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Hall of Famer [23439]
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Re: Latest project pics - this one scared me
May 15, 2024, 6:29 PM
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Trust me, there is a waiting list within the family for this table when I’m done with it. I also have the Remington model 1900 12 gauge shotgun my same great grandfather bought from Sears and Roebuck in 1910. My Dad had it and he gave it to one of his younger cousins who gave it to me a couple of years ago. Both of them kept it in the closet in a gun case and I’m pretty sure it has not been fired in my lifetime which is going on 62 years. I finished a piece of live edge wood, poplar I think, and mounted it he shotgun on the board and it now hangs over our mantle. Pic attached. That’s another family heirloom that is all of a sudden very popular.
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