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Hi all, I'm a new guy here. Not a wood worker by any means. I know the difference between oak and maple, not much more...lol.
Here is my issue: I bought this solid wood table a few years ago, paid $100.00 U.S. cash. I bought it because I thought it had some beauty to the wood, it was heavy and solid and I could use it to play card games on it with my wife.
Today I decided to refinish it so I got to sanding. Almost done now. I used 60, 80, 100 and 150 grit so far.
Now I think maybe it is Teak? but I don't know. What do you think? It's old, probably 1950-60 era. Got it from a 90 year old couple.
The top is over 1-1/2" thick and 30" W x 35" L x 29 " H.
and as I said, it's a heavy thing.
If it is teak how would you finish it? Danish Oil sounds like what I'm wanting but I want some opinions. I've heard I could use boiled linseed oil too.
Or regular tung oil. I'm a bit confused. I don't want a real shiny surface like from a polyurethane.
I have a very beautiful Teak Danish Dining room which is from the 50-60's era. It is in mint condition.
It was manufactured by Schionning & Elgaard, made in Denmark.
The entire set is 100% Teak Wood - Classic Mid-Century Modern furniture which dates to around the 1950s - 1960s.
That is the type of finish I'm after, I think.
By the way, does this table have any value? There is no name or mfg. marking I could find underneath it.
A little help in the right direction would be appreciated.
Thanks so much.

 

[Steve Neul]

It looks like oak to me. I would finish the table with a finish that is water resistant. Linseed oil wouldn't do it. If you put enough tung oil on it, it would be water proof. It takes a lot of patience to finish with tung oil though. It is a very slow drying finish. It may take a week or more between coats to dry. The best way to tell if a coat of tung oil is dry enough to recoat is to briskly rub the finish with a clean rag and see if the tung oil smell rubs off on the rag. When there is no smell it is ready. An easier finish to put on the table would be a polyurethane. If you are going to finish it without staining it keep in mind that oil based polyurethane tends to yellow as it ages. The water based polyurethane may be a better choice especially if it is used in a sunny location. The water based poly is a pain to apply because it is so thin and the water raises the grain and it dries fast so it would be better to spray it. It would build quicker and not raise the grain if you would first seal the wood with a coat of zinsser sealcoat.

If it was teak it would feel like it had wax on the raw wood. Teak has a tighter grain and is greener in color than what you have pictured. The table appears to be a restaurant table and I doubt if it has much value.

 

[[email protected]]

It looks like oak to me. I would finish the table with a finish that is water resistant. Linseed oil wouldn't do it. If you put enough tung oil on it, it would be water proof. It takes a lot of patience to finish with tung oil though. It is a very slow drying finish. It may take a week or more between coats to dry. The best way to tell if a coat of tung oil is dry enough to recoat is to briskly rub the finish with a clean rag and see if the tung oil smell rubs off on the rag. When there is no smell it is ready. An easier finish to put on the table would be a polyurethane. If you are going to finish it without staining it keep in mind that oil based polyurethane tends to yellow as it ages. The water based polyurethane may be a better choice especially if it is used in a sunny location. The water based poly is a pain to apply because it is so thin and the water raises the grain and it dries fast so it would be better to spray it. It would build quicker and not raise the grain if you would first seal the wood with a coat of zinsser sealcoat.

If it was teak it would feel like it had wax on the raw wood. Teak has a tighter grain and is greener in color than what you have pictured. The table appears to be a restaurant table and I doubt if it has much value.

Thanks Steve, for your answers. I didn't think it was oak as it doesn't look like my kitchen cabinetry, which is much more open grained.


Even if it is oak, would the Danish Oil give me what I want? I already have some on order. This table is in a basement, sunlight not a factor. Totally dry down there too. No moisture issues at all, never had any mold in 25 years down there.

 

[cabinetman]

We have an introduction section where you can say a few words about yourself. If you fill out your profile in your "User Control Panel", you can list any hobbies, experience or other facts. You can also list your general geographical location which would be a help in answering some questions.

Your images are a bit too wide to view without having to scroll left and right. If you can, edit your posts and resize them to 850 pixels wide or less (JPEG).

The wood looks like Oak to me.

.

 

[[email protected]]

We have an introduction section where you can say a few words about yourself. If you fill out your profile in your "User Control Panel", you can list any hobbies, experience or other facts. You can also list your general geographical location which would be a help in answering some questions.

Your images are a bit too wide to view without having to scroll left and right. If you can, edit your posts and resize them to 850 pixels wide or less (JPEG).

The wood looks like Oak to me.

.

Hey thanks so much.
And I will actually delete the pics very soon. I just wanted to give the best view possible of the grain pattern, that's why I went so big.
Now that I have 2 opinions on what kind of wood it is, the pics aren't necessary.
I thank the both of you.
Any thoughts on using the Danish Oil?
:yes::smile:

OK, pics removed due to size.

 

[Steve Neul]

With the closer picture the wood is definitely red oak. It may look different than your kitchen because it is a edge grain glue up like a butcher block. The Danish oil finish would work but you would have to be real careful not to get it wet. A sweaty glass would leave a ring on it quick and repeated exposure to water would turn red oak black.

 

[Eroc]

Have you considered using a CV? If you have the proper spray equipment that is what I would suggest.

 

[[email protected]]

What is CV if I may ask?

Have you considered using a CV? If you have the proper spray equipment that is what I would suggest.

I do have spray equipment, all kinds.
What is CV if I may ask?

 

[[email protected]]

With the closer picture the wood is definitely red oak. It may look different than your kitchen because it is a edge grain glue up like a butcher block. The Danish oil finish would work but you would have to be real careful not to get it wet. A sweaty glass would leave a ring on it quick and repeated exposure to water would turn red oak black.

Very helpful Steve, thanks.
I certainly don't want wind up with rings on it or to have it turn black from a wet glass.
If I just use a water based red oak stain then to some get color into
it, what would I top it with? A satin poly? I hate Poly but it is what it is, I guess. Poly looks like plastic to me.
What now?

 

[cabinetman]

I do have spray equipment, all kinds.
What is CV if I may ask?

CV= Conversion varnish. You should experiment with it before committing. You could use an oil base polyurethane in a wipe on configuratioin. Or, any film topcoat will suffice if you use coasters.

.

 

[Steve Neul]

Very helpful Steve, thanks.
I certainly don't want wind up with rings on it or to have it turn black from a wet glass.
If I just use a water based red oak stain then to some get color into
it, what would I top it with? A satin poly? I hate Poly but it is what it is, I guess. Poly looks like plastic to me.
What now?

Really the poly in polyurethane comes from the word polymer so it's no wonder it looks like plastic. Most of the time it gets to looking plastic when too much finish is applied. With any finish you should limit the finish to 3 mils which is about the thickness of a lawn and leaf trash bag. Also if you would use a satin sheen it would look less plastic. Since you have the means of spraying you might consider lacquer for a finish. There are several different kinds of lacquer, the most common is a nitrocellulose lacquer. It is only slightly water resistant and is used a lot on table tops but some care is needed to prevent the water from damaging the finish. The water will soak through the finish and actually make it flake off. A better lacquer would be a pre-catalyzed lacquer. This lacquer has a hardener in it that makes it more water resistant. If you choose that kind the hardener will have to be added at the time of purchase and will usually be good for six months. Some companies add the hardener at the factory and post an expiration date on the can. You could also use a fully catalyzed lacquer which is even better but you mix the hardener in yourself by the batch and what is left over is only good for something like 12 hours. It varies by brand. These catalyzed lacquers can be purchased in most states at Sherwin Williams. It's a commercial product so in some stores you may have to order it.

After staining the wood I would seal the wood with a lacquer sanding sealer if using the nitrocellulose lacquer. The wood especially if you use the water based stain will be rough from the grain of the wood being raised by the water. Sealer is formulated to be easier to sand so you could get the surface smooth first before applying the harder finish. If you use the Pre-catalyzed or catalyzed lacquer it isn't compatable with lacquer sanding sealer. For that finish seal with a vinyl sealer. Just don't apply more than one coat of the vinyl sealer. It tends to get cloudy with multiple coats. Sand either sealer with 220 grit sand paper. Sherwin Williams sells glit sanding pads which makes sanding between coats a little easier. The sandpaper is glued onto a piece of 1/2" foam and is easier to hold on to. Use either the fine or extra fine pads.

 

[[email protected]]

Really the poly in polyurethane comes from the word polymer so it's no wonder it looks like plastic. Most of the time it gets to looking plastic when too much finish is applied. With any finish you should limit the finish to 3 mils which is about the thickness of a lawn and leaf trash bag. Also if you would use a satin sheen it would look less plastic. Since you have the means of spraying you might consider lacquer for a finish. There are several different kinds of lacquer, the most common is a nitrocellulose lacquer. It is only slightly water resistant and is used a lot on table tops but some care is needed to prevent the water from damaging the finish. The water will soak through the finish and actually make it flake off. A better lacquer would be a pre-catalyzed lacquer. This lacquer has a hardener in it that makes it more water resistant. If you choose that kind the hardener will have to be added at the time of purchase and will usually be good for six months. Some companies add the hardener at the factory and post an expiration date on the can. You could also use a fully catalyzed lacquer which is even better but you mix the hardener in yourself by the batch and what is left over is only good for something like 12 hours. It varies by brand. These catalyzed lacquers can be purchased in most states at Sherwin Williams. It's a commercial product so in some stores you may have to order it.

After staining the wood I would seal the wood with a lacquer sanding sealer if using the nitrocellulose lacquer. The wood especially if you use the water based stain will be rough from the grain of the wood being raised by the water. Sealer is formulated to be easier to sand so you could get the surface smooth first before applying the harder finish. If you use the Pre-catalyzed or catalyzed lacquer it isn't compatable with lacquer sanding sealer. For that finish seal with a vinyl sealer. Just don't apply more than one coat of the vinyl sealer. It tends to get cloudy with multiple coats. Sand either sealer with 220 grit sand paper. Sherwin Williams sells glit sanding pads which makes sanding between coats a little easier. The sandpaper is glued onto a piece of 1/2" foam and is easier to hold on to. Use either the fine or extra fine pads.

Well, after careful consideration of your last post I thought I would give a oil stain a try. Based on what you said about too many coats of a poly I dropped that idea for the moment. I had some Minwax Wood Finish Natural # 209 laying around and used it. This is an Oil Based Stain. I also had the same Minwax in Red Oak # 215 but on a test sample of similar scrap red oak, my wife didn't like it, too dark. I have given it 1 coat so far of natural. Now this isn't poly (I don't think it is, doesn't say on the can). Just says oil based stain.
So far the Natural looks good to both of us as far as color and bringing out the grain features.
After 8 - 10 hours I may apply 1 more coat to get just a touch darker and that should be it for color.
Next question.
As I need to now protect the wood and I don't want it too shiny (or looking like plastic) I know you said try a Satin Sheen Poly.
I could try that.
But I wonder, I have a 1 lb. can of Minwax Paste Finishing Wax right here.
If I gave it 3 coats of this wax, would I get at least minimal protection from wetness to prevent black discoloration?
I mean, we may play cards on the table and have a hot coffee cup
on it, or a cold drink in a glass on it.
Would the wax not work?
Or should I definitely go with the Satin Poly?
As for spraying lacquer, my wife said no way. She hates the fumes and it's too cold outside anyways.
I hate to keep bothering you but I'm so close to understanding and being done, and your help is fantastic.
Thanks again.

 

[[email protected]]

To Steve Neul
Steve, I've been reading some of your other posts and I am gathering such a wealth of information from you. You really seem to be an expert in this field.
Wood working has always intrigued me, furniture and such.
I think I've found a life time hobby now.
As I am retired now, I have the time.
Here is an example from you that to me is invaluable info:

Quote:
Originally Posted by lucas_tx
Yes, sorry I wasn't clear. I didn't mean to use gel stain on this, just that I like the WB poly I was using over it.

Would definitely just use a regular stain and finish over it on the vanity, don't want to make the top look different from the rest.

Thanks!

<">If you like working with the water based poly keep in mind it isn't compatable with the linseed oil in stain. You need to let the stain dry three days to a week depending on the weather before directly applying the poly over the stain. If the wait isn't an option you can put a coat of Zinsser Sealcoat over the stain and then procede with the poly. The Sealcoat is compatable with the stain and the water based poly will adhere to the Sealcoat.<">


I didn't know that. If you suggested in my post above that you would recommend poly over wax, I probably would have bought a water based satin sheen poly.
So, again, if you don't like the wax idea, I will look for an oil base satin sheen poly as I used an oil based stain. That should eliminate waiting so long before applying, right?
Thanks once more.

 

[[email protected]]

We have an introduction section where you can say a few words about yourself. If you fill out your profile in your "User Control Panel", you can list any hobbies, experience or other facts. You can also list your general geographical location which would be a help in answering some questions.

Your images are a bit too wide to view without having to scroll left and right. If you can, edit your posts and resize them to 850 pixels wide or less (JPEG).

The wood looks like Oak to me.

.

Geez, I tried to resize my pics within this site's advanced edit feature but it didn't work for me.
I deleted them all.
In the future, I will try to remember to u/l only small pics.
Thanks

 

[sidrow]

Not sure about the type of wood, but very beautiful. I would go with a Danish oil stain, nothing too dark. Let it dry overnight. Then apply an good coat with a (natural bristle

 

[sidrow]

Not sure about the type of wood, but very beautiful. I would go with a Danish oil stain, nothing too dark. Let it dry overnight. Then apply an good coat with a (natural bristle brush) of oil based sanding sealer. Let this dry overnight. Then sand with 220 grit sand paper. Wipe off dust. I would use Formbys Tung Oil finish. Apply a light coat let dry overnight. Sand with 300 wet dry finish paper. Apply another coat let dry overnight. Start fishing with 000 steel wool. Apply the desired coats letting dry overnight each time. Buff with steel wool until desired finish.

 

[Steve Neul]

I'm not sure what all is in the Minwas wood finish natural. It definitely isn't a finish. It is more similar to linseed oil. You really shouldn't apply multiple coats of any oil stain. The pores of the wood need something for the topcoat to get a bite on. If you managed to get some of the stain to dry on the surface then the topcoat would bond to the stain instead of the wood and in a couple of weeks or months it would peal off in spots. The minwax stain is a little different than most oil stains. I called minwax one time and they told me they use a aniline dye for the color so I have always looked at it as a oil based dye. I also think it has some pigments in it too but different than other stains. Other stains you can add a universal tinting color to it to alter the color. With minwax a universal tinting color won't mix with it. This is why I called them to find out what could be used with it. I was told it could be intermixed with other Minwax colors or add a aniline dye. After the stain has dried if there is any alterations to the color I would recommend using a dye stain or if minor a toner.

About the wax. It is no more of a finish than the Danish oil. It will water spot just as bad. I personally don't like it. I had a antique dealer next door to me in the 1990's that finished all of their pine furniture with wax and customers would leave soft drink cans on it and it would spot from one sweaty can. A person could use many different kinds of wax for a finish but it would make it difficult to change you mind and put another type of finish on. It's really difficult to clean wax off of finished wood to apply another coat. It's next to impossible to clean if off of raw or stained wood.

For a topcoat I would use some kind of clear coating. There are a bunch around if you don't like poly. There was talk about conversion varnish. It's really good but I was put off by the cost so I haven't used it very much. Fumes are going to be a problem with any solvent coating. At least with lacquer the fumes in the shop are usually gone in a hour. Lacquer will also work when it is below freezing but will take longer to dry.

About the Zinsser Sealcoat. Sealcoat is shellac. Polyurethane won't adhere to standard shellac so they filter it and remove the wax content out of the shellac. This de-waxed shellac is what sealcoat is. It's pretty much a universal sanding sealer that will work under most coatings. It also provides a barrier coat between some products that are not compatable with each other like linseed oil and water based poly.

You are not bothering any of us. The professional craftsman here enjoy helping people getting into the sport.

 

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Steve,
Based on your very first reply to my OP "It looks like oak to me. I would finish the table with a finish that is water resistant. Linseed oil wouldn't do it.'...

I think that is a great idea and I re-sanded off all the Minwan Stain. No worries, it is a very thick top. It took a lot of work to get it back down to the wood but I thought it might be worth it. So after 4 hours I believe I got it down to raw wood again.
So what do you think I could use now?

I have a quart of Watco Danish Oil Finish - 65741 Qt Natural Danish Oil on order and it will arrive in 2 days.

Then last night I ordered a quart of Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish 1 Quart (TB 5284). (This is a Tung Oil)

I'm thinking I could just go with the Waterlox, a few coats, and have a pretty good finish as I am worried about water staining, which you brought up.

Would there be a benefit to using the Danish Oil first and then the Waterlox after for the water resistance of the Waterlox?
I just ask because now I will have a quart of Danish Oil that I will probably have no use for laying around if I don't use it.

Or maybe save it for another project I might be able to find.
I do have a walnut cabinet I could chemically strip, maybe I could use the Danish on that to lighten it up a bit. The walnut is pretty dark and not to my taste.

 

[[email protected]]

Not sure about the type of wood, but very beautiful. I would go with a Danish oil stain, nothing too dark. Let it dry overnight. Then apply an good coat with a (natural bristle brush) of oil based sanding sealer. Let this dry overnight. Then sand with 220 grit sand paper. Wipe off dust. I would use Formbys Tung Oil finish. Apply a light coat let dry overnight. Sand with 300 wet dry finish paper. Apply another coat let dry overnight. Start fishing with 000 steel wool. Apply the desired coats letting dry overnight each time. Buff with steel wool until desired finish.

Thank you for the nice comment about the beauty of the wood.
It sure is, IMO, but pictures don't show just how nice this wood is really.
I think I'm going with Waterlox Tung Oil but I'm waiting for one more opinion, from Steve Neul.

 

[Steve Neul]

Steve,
Based on your very first reply to my OP "It looks like oak to me. I would finish the table with a finish that is water resistant. Linseed oil wouldn't do it.'...

I think that is a great idea and I re-sanded off all the Minwan Stain. No worries, it is a very thick top. It took a lot of work to get it back down to the wood but I thought it might be worth it. So after 4 hours I believe I got it down to raw wood again.
So what do you think I could use now?

I have a quart of Watco Danish Oil Finish - 65741 Qt Natural Danish Oil on order and it will arrive in 2 days.
Watco Danish Oil Finish - 65741 Qt Natural Danish Oil - Amazon.com

Then last night I ordered a quart of Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish 1 Quart (TB 5284). (This is a Tung Oil) 1 Unit of Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish 1 Quart (TB 5284) - Amazon.com

I'm thinking I could just go with the Waterlox, a few coats, and have a pretty good finish as I am worried about water staining, which you brought up.

Would there be a benefit to using the Danish Oil first and then the Waterlox after for the water resistance of the Waterlox?
I just ask because now I will have a quart of Danish Oil that I will probably have no use for laying around if I don't use it.

Or maybe save it for another project I might be able to find.
I do have a walnut cabinet I could chemically strip, maybe I could use the Danish on that to lighten it up a bit. The walnut is pretty dark and not to my taste.

Actually if you were happy with the color there was no reason to sand off the minwax stain. It's too thin to have affected the wood. I wouldn't use the Watco if you plan to use the Waterlox. Watco is a mixture of linseed oil and varnish so it would further seal the wood. The Waterlox needs to be able to soak into the wood so it would be better to use it instead.

I think Watco works better on walnut than any other wood so perhaps you should use it there.