Table Top Makeover

Table Before Refinishing

Table After Refinishing

This tabletop had seen many years of use and was crying out to be refinished. It was also extremely heavy, therefore needed a firm grip just to get it onto our work surface. Made of solid birch and about 1-1/2" thick, the table seated at least 8 people. The legs required nothing because they were made out of metal, which was a perfect foundation to turn this 1980's table into an "industrial urban" table. Giving new life to an outdated piece of furniture is the greatest reward of the inevitably tedious amount of work that these projects require.

The surface of this table had been scratched deeply, which required a great deal of sanding. This table dated back to the early 1980's, when it was popular to apply glaze as a finishing style on furniture and cabinets. To the restorer such as myself, after working on many of these glazed pieces, I've learned that they require much more sanding than an unglazed piece. The reason is simple. If you applied stain to an item of furniture that had been glazed and you didn't sand away all the glaze, any remaining glaze will repel the new stain. 

Needless to say, this creates a great deal more work for the refinisher because you don't know where those sneaky spots of remaining glaze are until you apply stain. I have had to apply stain, then sand the entire area yet again before I could reapply stain. Sometimes it takes much additional sanding before the stain will finally take. (I cringe whenever I discover that an otherwise "simple" piece of furniture has that hidden glaze, because I know I'm in for a challenge in the sanding department.)

The owner had wanted the table to be darker (always a good choice), which required additional sanding and you guessed it, re-sanding over those sneaky glazed areas. The stain color he selected was "Espresso," which was a very dark, rich coffee brown as the name infers. Once it was delivered and attached onto the crisscrossed metal legs, the finished table looked like a showpiece. We learned that our customer was planning on proposing to his girlfriend and this table would need to be ready before the day of the party. We were glad to deliver this lovely table safely into its home soon to be enjoyed by the future husband and wife.